The Origins and Outbreak of the War
The causes of the First World War were complex and are the subject of continuing historical debate. This display looks at the shift in the balance of power in Europe, conflicting national ambitions, economic competition and colonial rivalries.

The Western Front
The displays tell the story of life in the trenches and includes the equipment and personal effects of the men who fought and died in often appalling conditions.

The Trench
One of the principal features of the the First World War exhibition is a walk-through re-creation of a front line trench on the Somme in the autumn of 1916. The Trench Experience is brought to life with special lighting, sound and smell effects.

Poets and Painters
The horror of the Western Front inspired some memorable poetry. The major war poets - Edmund Blunden, Siegfried Sassoon, Robert Graves, Isaac Rosenberg and Wilfred Owen - all had first hand experience of the trenches. The war also provided powerful subject matter for artists such as John and Paul Nash, CRW Nevinson, Stanley Spencer and William Roberts.

War in the Air
As trench warfare settled in on the Western Front, armies became dependent upon the aeroplane as a means of discovering what the enemy was doing. This display looks at the development of aircraft types and the pilot 'aces' - among them Baron Manfred von Richthofen, Captain Albert Ball, Major 'Mick' Mannock and Major James McCudden.

The War on Other Fronts
The most important theatre of war after France was the Eastern Front, where Germany and Austria-Hungary confronted Russia and Serbia. Well over a million British, Indian and Dominion troops took part in campaigns against Germany's ally, Turkey - on the Gallipoli peninsula, and in Egypt, Palestine and Mesopotamia. The Allies fought at Salonika, in Italy against the Austro-Hungarians and continued a long-running campaign in East Africa.

The War at Sea
Britain looked to the Royal Navy for protection against invasion and to keep the sea lanes open for essential supplies of food and raw materials. There were engagements between British warships and German commerce raiders in the Indian Ocean, the Pacific and the South Atlantic. The long-awaited clash between the British Grand Fleet and the German High Seas Fleet took place at Jutland on 31 May 1916. The German U-boat campaign against Allied merchant shipping precipitated America's entry into the war in April 1917.

The Home Front
The First World War had an unprecedented effect on civilian life. Food rationing was instituted in 1918, recruiting caused severe labour shortages which resulted in large numbers of women doing jobs in industry, transport, agriculture and commerce. Zeppelin and aircraft raids on cities put civilians in the front line for the first time. The war also made its impact on an emotional level, with almost every family being affected by the death or wounding of a relative or friend.