IWM was founded on 5 March 1917 when the War Cabinet approved a proposal by Sir Alfred Mond MP for the creation of a national war museum to record the events still taking place during the First World War.

The intention was to collect and display material as a record of everyone's experiences during the war - civilian and military - and to commemorate the sacrifices of all sections of society.The First World War Retold tells the story of that war from a fresh perspective from IWM's unparalleled collections. It presents events as they happened, through quotations from diaries, letters or reported conversations written or spoken within hours, days or weeks of the events they describe.

Through these voices and objects - emotive, immediate, and sometimes surprising - the story of the war is retold from a compelling new angle, allowing us to both understand and reflect upon the landmark conflict that still shapes our lives today.

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