PREPARATIONS have begun for a major new exhibition at the York Castle Museum to commemorate the outbreak of the First World War.

The exhibition, which is entitled 1914: When The World Changed Forever, will use new technology and the museum’s military collection to track the war from June 28 – the 100th anniversary of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand – and the outbreak of the war.

The exhibition is part of a £1.7 million project at the museum, with the majority of the funding coming from the Heritage Lottery Fund, and will be hosted in a new exhibition space on the museum’s first floor.

Andrew Morrison, head curator at York Museums Trust, said: “It was the first global war and touched the lives of those far from the front lines of battle as people back home were forced to adapt their lives to help their country or the Empire they were part of.

“By the time it was over, eight million people had died. The war’s legacy created new opportunities as well as threats and the world map changed forever as new countries were born while empires crumbled.

“Through our fantastic collections and significant investment by the Heritage Lottery Fund, we hope this major exhibition will not just be a commemoration of the war, but a more rounded and reflective look at how culture and society’s values were revolutionised.”