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Today it delivers the captains of industry, science and the arts, but turn the clock back to 1914 and Cambridge University helped to train the officers of war.

The war effort completely transformed Cambridge from a seat of learning to a military training camp – Clare and Trinity Colleges tennis courts were taken over for military gym classes. The lush open spaces and college greens became tented army villages with campfires burning into the night and war horses lining the streets. Cricket pitches and tow paths were left unkempt and unruly as more and more men were called to war.

So Cambridge was in turmoil as training took over the lives and the city…but, there’s always a silver lining. With the influx of young men training for war, business boomed. Tailors worked furiously making uniforms as officers had to buy their own kit, brewers kept busy making Gold Medal ale for the thirsty trainees and photography studios kept their shutters clicking capturing the images of the brave.

War marched into the hearts and lives of Cambridge – its people, its city, its heart.

Location: Cambridge University Trinity and Clare College, Hardwick, Cambridgeshire CB3 9DJ
Image shows wartime training at the university
Image courtesy of Imperial War Museums

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