Every year at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month we remember those who gave their lives during the First World War. But how much thought do we give to those who survived and to those at home who strived to support the war effort.

Dartmoor Life in the First World War provides a unique snapshot of what life was like on Dartmoor during the First World War – how life for many continued as normal, how farming changed and women came to work on farms and in the forests. It covers the recruitment marches and the wounded soldiers who were brought to Dartmoor to recuperate as well as the impact on the area of the Conscientious Objectors who were housed in Dartmoor Prison. It highlights the endeavours that people made to raise funds and collect materials to support the war effort.

The exhibition is presented by the Dartmoor Trust in partnership with Dartmoor National Park and supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) with a £10,000 grant. It opens on Saturday 7 March in the National Park Visitor Centre, Princetown and runs for 6 months. Entry is free. Curated by Peter Mason, the exhibition draws on the collections of community archives and local history groups. It also includes material from newspapers of the day, memoirs and diaries written by people who lived in the area during the War. Photographs have also been lent by individuals and organisations.

In parallel, the Dartmoor Trust, supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund and Dartmoor National Park’s Your Dartmoor Fund, is creating an educational website for primary and secondary school teachers and students. The site will also interest all who wish to understand the impact of the War on a rural predominantly farming community. Hosted by the Dartmoor Trust website www.DartmoorTrust.org and developed by Bernard Whitehorn with Jan Goffey and Jamie Dunbar, the site will have exercises and resources including images, documents and oral records.

We will remember them, everyone, those who died and all affected by the War. Its legacy lasted for a generation as they picked up the threads of life. To help us remember, the information gathered for the Project will be archived in the Dartmoor Trust Archive to create a lasting legacy available Worldwide.

Nerys Watts, Head of Heritage Lottery Fund South West, said: “The impact of the First World was far-reaching, touching and shaping every corner of the UK and leaving a lasting legacy. Thanks to money raised by National Lottery players we’re pleased to have played a funding role in ensuring Dartmoor’s unique memory of the impact of the conflict is shared for generations to come.”

The information for the exhibition and the educational website has built on research by local history groups and museums. Despite their considerable efforts and those of the Project team, led by Tony Clark, there are many gaps in our knowledge, missing images and stories that remain untold. For instance, does anyone have a wartime photograph of the aerial ropeway used to transport timber from Dartmeet to Princetown; or of Great Bidlake Farm in Bridestowe run totally by women to show that it was possible to release farmers to go to war; or of a horse muster of the Army Horse Reserve and impressment taking place in a Dartmoor town; or of where prisoners of war were accommodated while working on farms; or of the planting of the forests after the War? Your reminiscences and images will be much appreciated by the Dartmoor Trust and local history groups. Visitors can record their family memories during the exhibition.

Open daily from 10am.