In the many military cemeteries of Flanders, Artois and the Somme, as well as on the Opal Coast, headstones commemorate women who fell in the service of others. To pay tribute to these silent witnesses to a commitment that has long remained on the fringes of the dominant war narratives, the University Library of the Université du Littoral Côte d’Opale (ULCO) in Boulogne-sur-Mer (France) will host the traveling exhibition “Fighting Women”, loaned by the Department of Culture of the French Ministry of the Armed Forces and Veterans, from February to April 2026. This exhibition invites visitors to engage in an in-depth reflection on the often-overlooked memory of women and their struggles in the 20th century – both as direct participants in conflicts and as key figures in social and political movements.

The international conference “Women in War in France, Britain, and Ireland in the early 20th Century”, organized alongside the exhibition, aims to question and expand our understanding of what it means to be a “woman in war.” How should this concept be defined? Should the term be limited to those who took up arms on the battlefield, or should it also include those who fought for rights or contributed indirectly to conflicts and thus deserve recognition? Through the experiences of women in France, Britain, and Ireland, this conference will explore the multiple forms of women’s engagement and the obstacles they faced in securing recognition and a legitimate place in the collective memory of their nations.