The Great War of 1914-1918 was obviously destructive in terms of human lives and as we saw last week was the death knell of monarchy across most of Europe. It changed the settled patterns of religion and in many ways awoke the political consciousness of the working population who bore the brunt of the losses. In Britain, and Barlick in particular there was to be the added burden of the 'Spanish Flu' pandemic immediately before and after the Armistice. My informants in Barlick tell me that there was a constant procession of funerals through the town on Saturdays, all heading for Gill churchyard. Saturday being a day off work was the most practical for most people.
There was a consequence for the major industry in Barlick as well. Though it wasn't recognised at the time, 1914 was the end of the long expansion of cotton weaving. Even after the war this wasn't immediately clear because there was a restocking boom that lasted until July 1920 but from then on it was a steady decline towards eventual extinction. The main reason for this was that during the war, patterns of trade were disrupted by lack of raw materials and transport and our major export markets in India and the Far East developed their own industries. Remember that it used to be said that the mills wove until breakfast for the home market and the rest of the day for export.
There was another major consequence which, though recognised at the time, was not fully appreciated. The destruction of war and the expense of pursuing it was compounded by the disruption of global capital flows and only now, with full access to records, can this be accurately assessed. To take Britain, the top 10% of the capital holders in 1914 controlled almost 70% of the total wealth of the nation. By 1914 this had fallen to 40% declining even further to 30% in 1950. Add to this the Great Depression of the Inter War years and it becomes obvious that this was not redistribution of wealth but destruction of capital assets. Economists knew this but until now hadn't the proof or the certain knowledge what happened to all that wealth. The consequence was that Britain was no longer the great imperial power it was in 1914 and has never regained that position.
Of course, much of this would have happened anyway but in a more controlled and less severe way, we had lost the overwhelming advantage of our empire and early success in the industrial revolution by 1870. In some respects we are still living in a dream world today when politicians talk about our 'place at the top table' and 'punching above our weight'. It may be time to face up to the realities and recognise that the Great War was a far greater watershed than anyone recognised at the time. The great lesson is that nobody ever 'wins' wars. There are always consequences and future generations pay the price.
The end of an industry, Bancroft Shed 1979.