Carlisle In the Great War

Already an important railway junction, with industrial and commercial interests reflecting its historical position on the border with Scotland, Carlisle became a key settlement in the Great War.

The three overriding news items for most of 1914 in Carlisle, as in the rest of Britain, were: the demand for votes for women; a fear of unemployment, because many firms were going onto short-time working; and the demand for home rule in Ireland. The outbreak of war in August changed everything instantly.