Arsenal of the World

In the bloodshed that occurred during the First World War, steel proved to be one of the fundamental instruments in causing this. The advances experienced in metallurgy, as articulated by one of Sheffield's metallurgists, made the magnitude and form of warfare possible. In most of the areas concerned with war material, Sheffield steel was in demand and had to be utilized in both sea and land. When the arms trade made evident its potential for destruction and profit, the Sheffield industry became busier than any other English manufacturing centre during the period between 1914 and 1918. Since...

In the bloodshed that occurred during the First World War, steel proved to be one of the fundamental instruments in causing this. The advances experienced in metallurgy, as articulated by one of Sheffield's metallurgists, made the magnitude and form of warfare possible. In most of the areas concerned with war material, Sheffield steel was in demand and had to be utilized in both sea and land. When the arms trade made evident its potential for destruction and profit, the Sheffield industry became busier than any other English manufacturing centre during the period between 1914 and 1918. Since Sheffield became the nation's armoury, the industrialists and workers articulated only a limited number of misgivings regarding the production of weapons as armaments became a significant part of Sheffield's culture.