Visit the Local and Family History department throughout June to see a display curated by our staff exploring two Armed Forces themes, as part of the Armed Forces Day Festival taking place across Leeds this month.

One cabinet looks at decompression – the ways soldiers, sailors and air-force personnel relaxed or processed their experiences during or after conflict – and the other at the stories of some of the Leeds men who served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Thousands of Brits served in this war and their tales tell of the key roles played by volunteers, the drama of the hunt for President Lincoln’s assassin, and the importance of support for veterans.

The cabinets are based on materials in our local history collections, along with materials and research from Michael Hammerson and Andrew Hopkinson of Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War.

Readers may also be interested in articles on our Secret Library Leeds website exploring soldier activities at Territorial Hospitals and Gledhow Hall during the First World War.