1918: The return to peace

The National Waterfront Museum developed a new touring exhibition which focused on industries in Wales and the impact of the post‑war period on communities, workers and industry.

Between 1914 and 1918 nearly 273,000 men from Wales served in the Army, Navy and Air Force. Around 40,000 were killed and the rest returned home to an uncertain future and an unsettled economy. There were also tens of thousands of men and women who worked in Welsh industries supplying coal, steel, metals and armaments for the war effort. The impact of the war lasted for many years after it ended. This exhibition looked at how companies commemorated their workers’ war service and sacrifices, and how Welsh industries in the 1920s were shaped by the First World War.

Left: Women employed to unload railway wagons of pig iron at Pontardawe Steel Works. By the time the war ended in November 1918, one in ten steelworkers was a woman. © National Museum Wales