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One hundred years since the start of the First World War, few Cambridge residents are likely to be aware that the ̽»¨Ö±²¥ Library stands on the site of a former military hospital. ̽»¨Ö±²¥First Eastern General, set up within days of the outbreak of the war, treated tens of thousands of returning casualties between 1914 and 1919 .

During the First World War artists were widely believed to be spies and, around much of the country, painting became illegal. Research by art historian and broadcaster Dr James Fox reveals how deeply artists were affected, not just by the government’s ban but also by a surge of public paranoia. 

̽»¨Ö±²¥first of a series of Cambridge events commemorating the centenary of the First World War takes place this Saturday 8 March, bringing together the ̽»¨Ö±²¥, the City and the County.

An investigation into how the Zeppelins worked, and how they were defeated, led by Cambridge engineer Hugh Hunt, forms the subject of a Channel 4 documentary.

An unpublished Rupert Brooke poem will sit alongside some of Cambridge ̽»¨Ö±²¥ Library’s greatest treasures when a free exhibition of highlights from its priceless collections opens to the public today.

For the Festival of Ideas, Dr Dacia Viejo-Rose, a researcher on the CRIC research project, will discuss the unexpected impact and diverse use of memorials in societies recovering from war. Directed from the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, the CRIC project is investigating the reconstruction of cultural heritage after conflict in different areas of Europe.