Madeleine Cromack

• BA Hons Archaeology
• The Fall of Little Germany: The Effect of The First World War on German Communities in Bradford

Bradford’s history has long been tied to its German community. These connections helped shape the nature of the city both in its material culture and economically. Changing attitudes and open hostility towards Germans in Britain during the First World War fundamentally altered these relationships which had previously had an important impact on Bradford’s culture.

This project aimed to find out how and to what extent the German character of Bradford changed during the war. Through the use of census data, newspaper archives, and directories, the impact to Bradford’s culture has been examined. Visits to the present-day city have looked for remnants of a Germanic influence today.

This study has found that the visible German culture in Bradford declined during the First World War. A disappearance of the German community and German owned businesses, anglicisation of names, and removal of overt Germanic aspects contributed to a decrease in Bradford’s visible German character.

Funding source: Newcastle University

Supervisor: Dr Caron Newman