The Great War was a turning point in British history. It left a significant mark on society through the advancement of technology, the increased use of propaganda and the female workforce that allowed women to begin to take their place beside men with women’s suffrage in 1918.

What the First World War exhibition at the Imperial War Museum does is draw attention to the affects war had on everyone, telling the stories of brave men and women through objects that belonged to them. Jack Cornwall is a prime example because the 16-year-old remained at his post by the 5.5inch gun on the HMS Chester, despite the gun having been hit 17 times in 3 minutes and killing the other sailors. Surviving hits to the abdomen, chest and legs, Jack later died in hospital and was given a military funeral when news of his heroism got out as well as being awarded the acclaimed Victoria Cross.

Devoted to the memory of the Lusitania, a glass cabinet holds a lifebelt and the undergarment of Margaret Gwyer, a miracle survivor when the ship sunk off the coast of Ireland. Her newlywed husband the Reverend Herbert Gwyer also survived and, to make light of the devastating event that took 1000 lives, Margaret is known to have said to him: ‘Never mind, we’ve lost those awful presents.’ Among the objects displayed, are propaganda posters from Britain, Germany and the USA but also some more obscure countries such as Australia, New Zealand and India, emphasising how the war extended to all regions of the world. Some of the most powerful include ‘Enlist’, depicting a woman and her child drowning as a direct reference to the Lusitania and Lord Kitchner’s ‘Britons wants you’. The uniform of female factory workers (nicknamed canaries) highlights the role of women and the commitment to the war effort they showed by making shells in dangerous conditions.

Yet, most significant about the exhibition is the acknowledgement of the sacrifices made by the British population not only on a grand scale as in the Battle of the Somme – which caused injuries to 500 000 soldiers on both sides – but on a small scale of women knitting socks or driving buses or trains on the home front.