Editing Leicester (section)

====Early 20th century====
[[File:Clock Tower and Eastgates c1910.jpg|thumb|Edwardian city centre]]
In 1900, the [[Great Central Railway]] provided another link to London, but the rapid population growth of the previous decades had already begun to slow by the time of Queen Victoria's death in 1901.
[[World War I]] and the subsequent epidemics had further impacts. Nonetheless, Leicester was finally recognised as a legal city once more in 1919 in recognition of its contribution to the British war effort. Recruitment to the armed forces was lower in Leicester than in other English cities, partly because of the low level of unemployment and the need for many of its industries, such as clothing and footwear manufacturing, to supply the army. As the war progressed, many of Leicester's factories were given over to arms production; Leicester produced the first batch of Howitzer shells by a British company which was not making ammunition before the war. After the war, the city received a royal visit; the king and queen received a march-past in [[Victoria Park, Leicester|Victoria Park]] of thousands of serving and demobilised soldiers. Following the end of the war, a memorial arch—the [[Arch of Remembrance]]—was built in Victoria Park and unveiled in 1925. The arch, one of the largest First World War memorials in the UK, was designed by [[Sir Edwin Lutyens]], who also designed [[The Cenotaph, Whitehall|the Cenotaph]] in London and is a grade I [[listed building]]. A set of gates and lodges, again by Lutyens, were added in the 1930s, leading to the memorial from the University Road and London Road entrances to Victoria Park.<ref>Richardson, p. 63.</ref><ref>Beazley, pp. 174–175.</ref><ref>{{NHLE|num=1074786|desc=The Arch of Remembrance|access-date=28 May 2018}}</ref>
[[File:Leicester Arch of Remembrance (front, 07) cropped.jpg|thumb|The [[Arch of Remembrance]] in [[Victoria Park, Leicester|Victoria Park]]]]
In 1927, Leicester again became a cathedral city on the consecration of {{nowrap|St Martin's}} Church as the cathedral. A second major extension to the boundaries following the changes in 1892 took place in 1935, with the annexation of the remainder of [[Evington]], [[Humberstone, Leicestershire|Humberstone]], [[Beaumont Leys]], and part of [[Braunstone Park & Rowley Fields|Braunstone]]. A third major revision of the boundaries took place in 1966, with the net addition to the city of just over {{cvt|450|acres|0|abbr=on}}. The boundary has remained unchanged since that time.

Leicester's diversified economic base and lack of dependence on primary industries meant it was much better placed than many other cities to weather the tariff wars of the 1920s and [[Great Depression]] of the 1930s. The Bureau of Statistics of the newly formed [[League of Nations]] identified Leicester in 1936 as the second-richest city in Europe<ref>{{cite book |last1=William |first1=David |title=UK Cities: A Look at Life and Major Cities in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland |date=13 October 2010 |publisher=New Africa Press |isbn=978-9987160211 |page=127}}</ref> and it became an attractive destination for refugees fleeing persecution and political turmoil in [[continental Europe]]. Firms such as Corah and Liberty Shoes used their reputation for producing high-quality products to expand their businesses. These years witnessed the growth in the city of [[trade unionism]] and particularly the [[co-operative movement]]. The Co-op became an important employer and landowner; when Leicester played host to the [[Jarrow March]] on its way to London in 1936, the Co-op provided the marchers with a change of boots. In 1938, Leicester was selected as the base for Squadron 1F, the first A.D.C.C (Air Defence Cadet Corp), the predecessor of the [[Air Training Corps]].