For King and Country?

More than 50,000 Jewish soldiers fought for Britain during the World War I. This exhibition exploring the Jewish experience of that conflict in its centenary year reveals personal stories of loyalty and service alongside narratives about those whose lives were affected away from the battlefield. Among the artefacts on display are original drafts of poet Isaac Rosenberg’s ‘Poems for the Trenches’, diary entries made by Florence Oppenheimer , a nurse aboard a military hospital ship and a collection of more than 160 letters written by Marcus Segal, a Second Lieutenant stationed in France, to his family. The personal stories are explored in the wider context of divided loyalties, integration and Zionism, all of which were under debate at the time.