Sunday July 10th, 11.00am

On 1st November 1916, Alfred Jefferies was shot at dawn on the Western Front for desertion. Join this two-hour walk through St Philips and The Dings where Jefferies and his family lived and worked, including his brother Arthur who as killed on the Somme. Learn about smoke, gas, strikes, metal and slums – the forgotten industries, back streets, schools and social history of Bristol in the early 1900s.

More information about the meeting can be found here Smoke, Gas, Strikes, Metal And Slums

The scale of Britain’s involvement in World War 1 changed in 1916. Any initial enthusiasm for the war was wearing off. Early recruits had been trained and sent to the front. There was no sign of imminent victory. Volunteer numbers were drying up. Those who had opposed the war in 1914 were joined by opponents of conscription when it was introduced in January 1916. After almost two years of sporadic fighting, July 1916 saw the start of the Battle Of The Somme.