‘Boom time for old guns’: creative commemoration, memory politics, and British identity at the centenary of the First World War

This thesis examines the creative commemoration that took place at the centenary of the First World War at both state level and through community led projects. Determined to be something that matters ‘not just in our heads, but in our hearts’, David Cameron outlined the value and meaning the First World War was felt to have to the British people, which he used to justify spending large amounts to commemorate the conflict during a time of national austerity. Through analysing the emphasis these national and local commemorative actions took through exploring thematic case studies, it will also uncover the interactions these projects had with each other in the national imagination. This thesis examines how these themes intersected with national identities, understandings and memories of the First World War, to understand how meaning making was constructed ‘creatively’ at the centenary.