WILTSHIRE Council has secured a major National Lottery Heritage Fund grant to explore a remarkable but little-seen chapter of First World War history.

Announced today (26 January), the £234,123 award will support a new project, Grounds for Appeal, which aims to transform access to surviving records of World War One military service appeal tribunals from across Great Britain.

The initiative is being led by the Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre and will run until January 2028.

The project will bring together material from 15 archive services in England and Wales, allowing historians and the public alike to explore, for the first time, a truly national picture of how conscription affected communities during the war.

Compulsory military service was introduced under the Military Service Bill of January 1916, but men were able to appeal for exemption through one of 2,086 local tribunals.

While these tribunals are often associated with conscientious objectors, only around 2–3% of appeals were made on grounds of conscience.

Many others cited essential occupations, serious hardship to families or businesses or ill health.

The applications themselves contain rich personal detail, offering vivid insights into the social and economic realities of wartime Britain.

Volunteers will play a central role in the project, extracting key information from original records held at participating archives.

This data will be brought together into a single, searchable database, while volunteers will also research individual stories connected to families and local areas.

Alongside this, events and learning resources will encourage wider public engagement, with creative opportunities designed to build connections within and between communities.

Wiltshire Council cabinet member for communities, engagement, and corporate services Cllr Mel Jacob said: “We are thrilled to have received this support. A priority of Our Wiltshire Plan is to promote Wiltshire’s diverse heritage, and thanks to this funding, people will be able to uncover stories of ordinary men, women and children from the First World War and discover a fascinating national picture that wouldn’t otherwise be revealed.”

In the longer term, organisers hope the project will spark further national collaboration between archive services, ensuring these powerful stories continue to be uncovered and shared.