World War I, also known
as the Great War and "The War To End All Wars," was a global military conflict which took place primarily in Europe
between 1914 and 1918. More than nine million soldiers and civilians died.
A war can never be said
to be completely over until there is nobody left who took part in it. That time must be coming soon: the Great War took place
in the last century, and almost all of those who experienced its horrors first hand in are now dead. One in five of
those who fought died during the war itself. The rest have gradually followed their comrades, until now there can't be
more than a tiny number of very old men who experienced the horrors of the trenches.
This video is a tribute to Harry Patch, the last British veteran
of the First World War, and the last man to have seen action in the trenches at Passchendaele (also called the Third Battle
of Ypres). Harry died this summer and will be buried on the 6 of August 2009.
This is a web site dedicated
to the history and battlefields of the Great War 1914-1918. It aims to provide you with information about the war itself and
on how to visit the battlefields in France & Flanders, and Gallipoli - and what to see....
The last known surviving
British veteran of the World War I trenches is celebrating his 109th birthday. Harry
Patch from Wells, in Somerset, will have lunch with friends and family before returning to his residential home for a party.
Mr Patch served with the Duke of Cornwall's light infantry and saw action in
the bloody Battle of Passchendaele in 1917. "There's no secret to enjoying
a long life, just live a clean life," he said.
Mr Patch was called up
for service when he was working as an 18-year-old apprentice plumber in Bath. Shortly
afterwards he fought at Passchendaele, where more than 70,000 soldiers died in three months.
Heavy rain coincided with the opening assault producing thick, clinging mud. Sharing
his experience of the battle, Mr Patch said: "It was mud, mud and more mud mixed together with blood." During the fighting Mr Patch was badly wounded and three of his best friends were killed when
a shell exploded nearby. "My remembrance day is on 22 September when I lost
three mates," he said.
He served in the trenches as a private from June
to September 1917.
Born on 17 June 1898, Mr
Patch grew up in Coombe Down, near Bath, and left school at the age of 15 to train as a plumber.
He was 16 when war broke out and reached 18 as conscription was being introduced
and after six months training he was sent to the frontline. He was the number two in the Lewis gun team and his role was to
carry and assemble the spare parts for the machine gun and ensure it worked. The five gunners made a pact not to kill an enemy
soldier if they could help it but they would instead aim for the legs. On 22 September 1917 a shell attack exploded above
Mr Patch's head killing three of his comrades. Mr Patch was hit by shrapnel in the lower abdomen but survived. During
his recovery in Britain, he met his first wife, Ada, in 1918. They were married for almost 60 years and had two sons, Dennis
and Roy, both of whom Harry has outlived. Too old to fight in the Second World War Mr Patch became a maintenance manager at
a US army camp in Somerset and joined the Auxiliary Fire Service in Bath. After the war he went back to plumbing and retired
in 1963. Following Ada's death in 1976, at
81 Mr Patch married his second wife, Jean, who died five years ago. His third partner Doris, who lived in the same retirement
home, died last year. It was only on his 100th birthday that Mr Patch first came to the spotlight as one of the last veterans
of the First World War, when for the first time reporters and television crews visited his care home in Wells, Somerset. His
autobiography, The Last Fighting Tommy, written with Richard van Emden, was published in 2007.
As well as launching poppy appeals, he became an agony uncle columnist for
lads magazine FHM, had his portrait painted by artist and former England wicket keeper, Jack Russell, and had a special edition
cider named after him. In 1999 Mr Patch received the Legion D'Honneur medal awarded by the French government to 350 surviving
First World War veterans who fought on the Western Front, dedicating it to his three fallen comrades. At the age of 105 Mr
Patch re-visited the Ypres battle field and in 2004 he returned for a BBC series to meet a German veteran Charles Kuentz.
He also visited the British and German cemeteries, placing a wreath of poppies on one of the German graves. In February this
year Poet Laureate Andrew Motion was commissioned to write a poem in Mr Patch's honour, entitled "The Five Acts of
Harry Patch".
In September 2008 he made
his last trip to Langemark for the unveiling of a memorial. Mr Patch believes "war is organised murder" and said:
"It was not worth it, it was not worth one let alone all the millions. "It's important that we remember the
war dead on both sides of the line - the Germans suffered the same as we did."
This cultural impact of the war is the aspect most
obviously still with us. Poets, writers and other people capable of expressing their experiences have left a body of passionate,
dark and stirring work which has dominated our popular memory. For most in the West, The First War One conjures up images
of muddy trenches, thousands of young men walking into machine gun fire and the sense of wasted youth. Despite the efforts
of a small group of historians to argue otherwise, World War One is seen as a waste. The physical injuries suffered by soldiers
from gas and shell fed the imaginations of the 1920's and 30's cinematic horror boom; there are relatively few films
about The Great War, but plenty fed by its consequences.
The First World War can be an immensely depressing subject,
especially when explained by writers who argue it ended in a manner which made World War Two inevitable. But historians and
students should never forget a view available in the letters and documents of the men who fought, proud men who believed strongly
in the cause and did not regard their efforts as a waste. This is not to say readers should seek out a history which comforts
them, rather than convincing them, but they should strive for an accurate picture: the sum total of all World War One casualties
was less than those suffered by Russia alone during the Second World War, yet it is the first war we in the West always remember
as most horrific.
We are enthusiasts of World War I era aeroplanes.
Of any scale. If you would rather watch a World War I aeroplane fly straight and level than a Pitts do a complete aerobatic
routine, then you are one of us. If a plane looks naked to you because it doesn't have guns, then you've come to the
right place. If you hold services at the flying field every April 21st, then we're your group
These images were all created using CAD (computer
aided Design) software.
CAD allows you to create a 3D model in the computer
that can be manipulated in a wide variety of ways and then output renderings. This software is primarily intended for use
by engineers and designers but it can also be a powerful illustration tool. It takes a lot of effort to generate the model,
but once it's done you can do just about anything you want.
Welcome to the Flying Machines web site. Before
the Wright Brothers achieved the first successful heavier-than-air controlled flight on December 17, 1903, hundreds of women
and men attempted to fly, in airships, gliders and aeroplanes, and many did go aloft in gas and hot-air balloons. This site
documents a number of those pre-Wright attempts at heavier-than-air flight, as well as significant events and thoughts which
contributed to the ultimate success of powered, heavier-than-air human flight.
Manfred von Richthofen
was born on May 2, 1892 in Breslau, Germany. He died on April 21, 1918 in the skies over Vaux sur Somme in France. He was 25
years old. He was called der rote Kampfflieger by his own people, le petit rouge
by the French, and the The Red Baron by the English. In a time of wooded and fabric aircraft, when twenty air victories
insured a pilot legendary status and coveted Pour Le Merites, Richthofen had eighty
victories, and is regarded to this day as the ace of aces.
In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between
the crosses, row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce
heard amid the guns below. We are the Dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved and
were loved, and now we lie In Flanders fields. Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands
we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, though
poppies grow In Flanders fields By John McCrae 1915
Perhaps it will surprise you to learn that the soldiers
in both lines of trenches have become very 'pally' with each other. The trenches are only 60 yards apart at one place,
and every morning about breakfast time one of the soldiers sticks a board in the air. As soon as this board goes up all firing
ceases, and men from either side draw their water and rations. All through the breakfast hour, and so long as this board is
up, silence reigns supreme, but whenever the board comes down the first unlucky devil who shows even so much as a hand gets
a bullet through it.
From the realization of powered flight by an obscure
Bavarian emigrant to the weapons of aerial destruction used by Richthofen's flying circus, this project attempts
to archive vintage photographs of flying machines flown before and during the first two decades of the 20th century.
The collection currently contains 3775 downloadable images : 22.01.08
Welcome to FokkerDr1.com were I have developed this
site to research and identify all 320 Fokker Dr.I planes built during WW1. This site contains Fokker Dr.I photos, data
and specifications, books and artwork along with WW1 aviation links. This site is intended for the sole purpose
of my personal research only. 83 Dr.I's Identified out of 320 "It climbed like a monkey and maneuvered
like the devil" Manfred Von Richthofen
Canadians get a lift on a British Mark IV. They
wont get where they're going fast - this tank's top speed was 4 mph.
The purpose of this website is to provide an overview
of the First World War. Necessarily a long-term undertaking - and approaching seven years into the process - much remains
to be covered. Whole aspects of the conflict are light on material at present - rest assured, this is not deliberate:
in time it should all find its place on the site. A word of caution however; this is by no means a professional website.
It's authored as spare time permits and is intended at a general rather than academic readership.
Wars are primarily about fighting and killing, but
it would be a great oversimplification to state that that is all they are about. Quarrels between nations and groups of people
do indeed produce misery and suffering for all those willingly or unwillingly involved, but thankfully there is much more
to study and learn about the great conflicts of our time than merely the violence and destruction they caused.
History books record that World War I started when
the nations went to war to avenge the assassination of the Archduke Francis Ferdinand, the heir to the Habsburg throne, on
June 28, 1914. This is the typical explanation. But the "revisionist historian" knows just what caused and
what the purpose was of the conflagration of World War I. Up until America's entry into this war, the American people
had followed the wise advice of President George Washington given in his farewell address, delivered to the nation on September
17, 1796. President Washington said: "It is our true policy to steer clear of permanent alliance with any portion of
the foreign world.... Why, by interweaving our destiny with that of any part of Europe, entangle our peace and prosperity
in the toils of European ambition, rivalship, interest, humour or caprice?' President Washington attempted to warn
the American people about getting embroiled in the affairs of Europe. But in 1914, it was not to be. There were those who
were secretly planning America's involvement in World War I whether the American people wanted it or not.
This site has been developed and maintained to honour
the memory of those who sacrificed. May their efforts never be forgotten. John Stephens
World War 1, also known as the First World War or
the the Great War, the War of the Nations and the War to End All Wars, was a world conflict lasting from 1914 to 1919, with
the fighting lasting until 1918. The war was fought by the Allies on one side, and the Central Powers on the other. No previous
conflict had mobilized so many soldiers or involved so many in the field of battle. By its end, the war had become the second
bloodiest conflict in recorded history.
The home Guard was formed in July 1994 to research
the history of the Home Guard, to portray the real 'Dad's Army' and to 're-educate' the public.
To these men who gave up their spare time and, sometimes, their lives, the Home Guard was not a comedy.
In Flanders fields !!
The United States Military Academy formed the Department
of History on June 15, 1969. Prior to its formation, several separate departments had offered instruction in military history
and what was sometimes called political or modern history. In 1818 the Superintendent of the Military Academy, Sylvanus
Thayer, provided for the appointment of a Professor for Ethics, History and Geography, and thereby established a new department,
even though instruction in these areas was previously provided. The new department focused upon the field of international
law, and instruction in geography and modern history did not receive strong emphasis until 1883.
This archive of primary documents from World
War I has been assembled by volunteers of the World War I Military History List (WWI-L). The archive is international
in focus and intends to present in one location primary documents concerning the Great War.
The Western Front Association
was formed with the aim of furthering interest in the period 1914-1918, to perpetuate the memory, courage and comradeship
of all those who served their countries in France and Flanders and their own countries during The Great War. It does not seek
to justify or glorify war. It is not a re-enactment society, nor is it commercially motivated. It is entirely non-political.
The object of The Association is to educate the public in the history of The Great War with particular reference to the Western
Front. Applications for membership are welcomed from anyone with a like mind.
"This is an unfortunate region, and consist
entirely of mud, a form of matter which has, however, been unfairly despised. I am prepared to take my oath that mud is warm
and a friend to man. Mud is affectionate and clinging; mud has no pride; mud is soft to fall on; mud is not unpleasant to
the taste, and does not greatly interfere with the hearing; and, finally, mud is warm."
Warning: these songs have not been bowdlerised,
i.e. the strong language as used by the soldiers for some of the songs has been retained. If you are offended by such language,
it is suggested that you read no further. This particular page has been been rated and tagged appropriately using PICS according
to the RSACi guidelines.
"Battle of the
Somme" is a web resource developed by Leo Robert Klein in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a Masters Degree
at the Interactive Telecommunications Program (ITP) at NYU. His academic adviser was Frank Migliorelli. The purpose of "Battle of the Somme" is to serve as a resource of information on the battle
which took place between July 1st, 1916 and November 13th, 1916 and resulted in over a million casualties.
ForcesReunited®, is the largest database of
Armed Forces and Ex-Forces Personnel on the web with 317942 members.
This website is a re-design of the original website
created for the airing of the eight-part series on PBS in 1996. The new site features an expanded map and battle section,
dramatized audio recordings of letters and poems written by combatants and non-combatants in the war, as well as streaming
video of archival footage taken during World War I.
The Great War ushered in the 20thCentury.
It was "The War To End All Wars,"- a senseless slaughter that set the stage for the bloodiest century in
human history.
Yet, it was more than just a war between nations. It was a war between what was and what was to
be. The "old world" was dying, and the new world had yet to be born. People of all classes and nations saw it as
some great cleansing fire that would accelerate this battle and lead to a better world. But, when it was over, more than men
had died in the mud of the battlefields. The naive dreams of progress, along with the innocence of the pre-war world, faith
in God, and hope in the future all died in the trenches of Europe.
The word Gurkha is derived from the
valley of Gorkha in West Nepal. Gurkha is more loosely used as the generic term for the indigenous population of the middle
hills of east and west Nepal. Gurkhas have provided service to the Crown since 1815. On the conclusion of the Anglo-Nepali
War (1812 815), the British East India Company, impressed by the extraordinary bravery and fighting qualities of the Gurkhas,
raised the first Gurkha regiments. When India became independent in 1947, four Gurkha regiments transferred into the British
Army but remained based in the Far East. The Brigade conducted itself with distinction. The Brigade, which at its peak, formed
ten regiments of Gurkhas, participated in every major conflict fought by the Indian Army including the North West Frontier,
and the First and Second World Wars. At the partition of India in 1948, four regiments 2nd, 6th, 7th and 10th Gurkha Rifles
- moved across to the British Army whilst the remainder continued to serve with the Indian Army. During the Indian Mutiny
of 1857, the Sirmoor Rifles (later the 2nd Goorkhas) served with great distinction alongside the 60th Rifles (later the Royal
Green Jackets). So impressed were the 60th Rifles that following the mutiny they insisted Gurkhas be awarded the honours of
adopting their distinctive rifle green uniforms with scarlet edgings and rifle regiment traditions and that they should hold
the title of riflemen rather than sepoys. At the same time, and as a mark of respect, Gurkha riflemen were invited to share
the same canteens as British soldiers, Indian sepoys were excluded from this privilege.
Your ringside seat to history - from the Ancient
World to the present. History through the eyes of those who lived it, presented by Ibis Communications, Inc. a digital publisher
of educational programming.
Gurkha recruiting takes place once a year in Nepal. The
British Army maintains a skeleton recruiting structure based on the British Gurkha Camp at Pokhara, in the West of Nepal.
In a process that begins in September each year, local recruiters, known as Galla Wallahs, recruit a specified number of young
men from their respective areas in the hills of both west and east Nepal. The pool of young hopefuls is further reduced at
a second stage in the process. Here, senior retired Gurkha officers select a final tranche of potential recruits at a number
of hill selection sites. These individuals then move down to Pokhara where a stringent and demanding final selection process
is conducted by British and Gurkha officers. Once selected, the lucky few are flown to the UK to start recruit training and
a career in the Brigade of Gurkhas. The number of Gurkhas recruited depends on the Brigades annual manning needs. The figure
is currently around 230. Last year there were 28,000 applicants for 230 places.
Harry Patch, the last British army veteran of World War
I, has died at 111, the nursing home where he lived said Saturday. The Fletcher House care home in Wells, southwest
England, said Patch died early Saturday. "He just quietly slipped away at 9 a.m. this morning," said care home manager
Andrew Larpent. "It was how he would have wanted it, without having to be moved to hospitals but here, peacefully with
his friends and carers." Prime Minister Gordon Brown said the whole country would mourn "the passing of a great
man." "The noblest of all the generations has left us, but they will never be forgotten. We say today with still
greater force, We Will Remember Them," Brown said. Prince Charles said "nothing could give me greater pride"
than paying tribute to Patch. "The Great War is a chapter in our history we must never forget, so many sacrifices were
made, so many young lives lost," he said.
Patch had been the last surviving soldier from the British army
to have served in the 1914-1918 war. The only other surviving U.K.-based British veteran of the war, former airman Henry Allingham,
died a week ago at age 113. The Ministry of Defense called Patch "the last British survivor of the First World
War," although 108-year-old Claude Choules of Australia is believed to have served in the Royal Navy during the conflict.
Born in southwest England in 1898, Patch was called up for military service in 1916 when he was working as a teenage apprentice
plumber. After training he was sent to the trenches as a machine-gunner in the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry. A few
weeks later, in one of the bloodiest battles of the war at Passchendaele, near the Belgian town of Ypres, he was badly wounded
and three of his best friends were killed by a shell explosion.
Back at home, he returned to work as a plumber,
got married, raised a family and didn't start talking about his war experiences until the 21st century. He outlived three
wives and both of his sons. Patch was one of the last living links to "the war to end all wars," which killed about
20 million people in years of brutal fighting between the Allied Powers — including Britain, France, and the United
States — and Germany and its allies. Only a handful of veterans remain of the estimated 68 million mobilized. There
are no French veterans left alive; the last living American-born veteran is Frank Woodruff Buckles of Charles Town, West Virginia.
The man believed to have been Germany's last surviving soldier has also died. In recent years he and his dwindling band
of fellow survivors became poignant symbols of the conflict.
Last year he, Allingham and British naval veteran
Bill Stone attended remembrance ceremonies in London to mark the 90th anniversary of the war's end at the 11th hour of
the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918. The three frail men in wheelchairs laid wreaths of red poppies at the base of the
stone memorial. Stone died in January. At a remembrance ceremony in 2007, Patch said he felt "humbled that I should
be representing an entire generation."
"Today is not for me. It is for the countless millions who did
not come home with their lives intact. They are the heroes," he said. "It is also important we remember those who
lost their lives on both sides." Patch said he did not speak about the war for 80 years. But he came to believe the casualties
were not justified. "I met someone from the German side and we both shared the same opinion: we fought, we finished and
we were friends," he said in 2007. "It wasn't worth it."
Meet our
youngest fan my grandson Billy !!
Grandson to Grandma Was Granddad ever a soldier?
I mean a soldier in the war. I know he's got some medals But what's he got them for? When
Granddad was a soldier Did he have a gun? Did he march up and down shooting folk? I bet that was lots of
fun. Grandma to Grandson Yes Granddad was a soldier And he went off to fight To fight for King and
Country And for us and what was right I've seen Granddad clean his medals And wrap them nice and neat
He put them in his suitcase And marches down the street Yes to Dunkirk they go To march with pride
and medals show Their fallen comrades to recall Terrible price paid by them all. So when you see Granddad
with his medals on his chest Take his hand and say - I am proud of you, and the rest For it was men like him and
those that fell That saved us from a world of hell. Frederick (Dusty) Rhodes
On 18 July 2009 Allingham died of natural causes aged
113 years and 42 days. At the time of his death, he was the 14th oldest verified man of all time.
Henry Allingham remembers the Somme
Henry William
Allingham (born 6 June 1896) is, at age 112, a supercentenarian World War I veteran and Britain's oldest living man. He
is the oldest ever surviving member of any British Armed Forces and the oldest surviving veteran of the First World War. Allingham
is the oldest ever English man and the second-oldest ever British man after Welshman John Evans. On 13 February 2007, he became
the UK's second-oldest living person—he also holds the record for being Europe's fifth-oldest living person
and the oldest male. He is the joint second-oldest living man in the world, and is the oldest living white male. As of April
2008, he is validated as one of the 25 oldest people in the world, tied with American man George Francis, and, as of October
2008, he ranks among the 20 oldest men ever and the 20 oldest Britons ever.
He is the last survivor of the Battle
of Jutland, the last surviving member of the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) and the last surviving founding member of the
Royal Air Force (RAF). Since 2001, he has become the face of the World War I veterans association and makes frequent public
appearances to ensure that the horrors of World War I are not lost to modern generations. Due to his longevity and his World
War I service he is also the recipient of many honours and awards
World War I and the resulting peace treaties (Versailles,
Treaty of; Saint-Germain, Treaty of; Trianon, Treaty of; Neuilly, Treaty of; Sèvres) radically changed the face of
Europe and precipitated political, social, and economic changes. By the Treaty of Versailles Germany was forced to acknowledge
guilt for the war. Later, prompted by the Bolshevik publication of the secret diplomacy of the czarist Russian government,
the warring powers gradually released their own state papers, and the long historical debate on war guilt began. It has with
some justice been claimed that the conditions of the peace treaties were partially responsible for World War II. Yet when
World War I ended, the immense suffering it had caused gave rise to a general revulsion to any kind of war, and a large part
of mankind placed its hopes in the newly created League of Nations.
The Heritage of the Great War has articles mainly
in English; some are in Dutch (Flemish) only. We also show the literary war (poetry & prose), political cartoons and many
photo slideshows.
Wristwatches developed primarily as an extension
of pocket watches at the turn of the last century. Many models were ladies watches, but they ultimately evolved into popular
and functional objects during World War I. The acceptance of "wristlets" during "the war to end all wars"
marked a major turning point in the evolution of watches as we know them today. There are many stories about the first
wristwatch. Breguet has recorded in its ledgers a pocket watch sold to the Queen of Naples in 1810, that basically was a ladies
small pocket watch on a metal chain. There also are anecdotal reports of individuals in the mid-19th century wearing pocket
watches other than in their pockets: on canes, rings or even attached to a bracelet.
Girard-Perregaux by 1880
supplied wristwatches to the German Imperial Navy. Reportedly, an artillery officer complained that it was inconvenient for
him to be operating a pocket watch an act requiring two hands while timing a bombardment. He strapped a pocket watch to his
wrist and reported his solution to his superiors. They liked the idea so much that watchmakers in La Chaux-de-Fonds were asked
to travel to Berlin to discuss series production of small gold watches attached to wrist bracelets. Drawings of the early
Girard-Perregaux wristlets
Numerous veterans associations were formed in the
years following the Great 1914-1918 War but surprisingly none existed for the Gallipoli campaign of 1915-16 until 1969, when
on the initiative of Major Edgar Banner, a number of veterans established an informal group, meeting from time to time to
exchange shared memories and if possible to recall not only their own experiences but also those of the units in which they
served. Very soon they had started their own Association Journal,The Gallipolian, initially cyclostyled but, as membership
increased, a properly printed magazine, now published several times a year, in which articles of high historical, academic
and literary merit appeared. Edited by David Saunders, MBE, it is regarded as exemplary in its class.
On August 4th, 1914, six brigages detached
from the Second German Army - The Army of the Meuse - began the first move in the execution of the Schlieffen/Moltke Plan
- to smash quickly through the defenses of Liège, Belgium.
The history of World War One aviation is a rich
and varied story. It was marked by a period of very rapid technological development, where aircraft evolved from their humble
beginnings as slow moving, fragile, powered kites, into quick, agile, sturdy, fighter craft.
The Great War consumed
the world in a conflict that was unrivaled until that time. It was a kind of war far different than the one that was waged
on the ground. The fight for control of the air was where the cunning, and bravery of the individual could matter for much.
This website is my tribute to those fragile aircraft and to the brave pilots on both sides that flew them.
Through distant mists of memories, I hear
them call my name; Those who served beside me, On a battleground of pain. Nothing left but memories, Of those forever young; Lives that ended suddenly, What would they have become? What price they paid for
freedom, The sacrifice untold; Yet, here they are in memories, Not one will 'ere grow old. For
I shall keep their names alive, Until my flame is gone; Then pass the torch to those who will,
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill, KG, OM, CH,
TD, FRS, PC (Can) (30 November 1874 24 January 1965) was a British politician known chiefly for his leadership of Great Britain
during World War II. He served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 and again from 1951 to 1955. A noted
statesman, orator and strategist, Churchill was also an officer in the British Army, a prolific author and a talented artist.
During his army career Churchill saw combat on the Northwest Frontier, in the Sudan and during the Second Boer War,
during which he also gained fame and notoriety, as a war correspondent. He also served in the British Army on the Western
Front and commanded the 6th Battalion of the Royal Scots Fusiliers. At the forefront of the political scene for almost sixty
years, he held many political and cabinet positions. Before the First World War, he served as President of the Board of Trade
and Home Secretary during the Liberal governments. In the First World War he served as First Lord of the Admiralty, Minister
of Munitions, Secretary of State for War and Secretary of State for Air and during the interwar years, he served as Chancellor
of the Exchequer. After the outbreak of the Second World War, Churchill was appointed First Lord of the Admiralty. Following
the resignation of Neville Chamberlain on 10 May 1940, he became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and led Britain to victory
against the Axis powers. His speeches were a great inspiration to the embattled Allied forces. After losing the 1945 election,
he became the leader of the opposition. In 1951, he again became Prime Minister before finally retiring in 1955. Upon his
death the Queen granted him the honour of a state funeral, which saw one of the largest assemblies of statesmen in the world.
It was supposed to be
"The War to End All Wars." For over four years World War One raged on,
leaving in its wake a toll of death and destruction such as the world had never
seen. These are the images of that time, an eternal testament to all those whose lives were lost or forever altered by "The Great War."
The
gas mask as we know it today evolved from inventions over time that were intended for use by deep sea divers, firefighters
and mine workers. A popular misconception about the gas mask was that it was invented by Garrett A. Morgan in 1914. Morgan’s
invention didn’t resemble anything remotely like today’s mask and was simply a hood with a breathing tube that
hung to the floor so a firefighter could draw breath from the lower, cleaner layers of air while fighting a fire. It was later
adapted for mine rescues where the tubes could be manipulated to avoid flooded mine tunnels or gas filled pockets. The question
of who invented the gas mask is to this day not easily answered.
WW1 definitely
started the mass production of modern gas masks designed to protect soldiers from chemical attack. Without WW1 and the use
of chlorine and mustard gas as a weapon by the German Army, gas masks would have not have taken up such a prominent place
in the history of the world.
"The Great War was without precedent ... never
had so many nations taken up arms at a single time. Never had the battlefield been so vast never had the fighting been so
gruesome..."
The site features a collection of war-themed postal
cards produced during World War 1 (1914 - 1919). More than 2,500 cards will eventually be displayed in an organized fashion.
The cards are mementos of a world at war during the second decade of the 20th century.
This website aims to provide an overview of the
battlefields on The Western Front, the sites of educational interest, tourist information and accommodation for the visitor
today. The Ypres Salient and The Somme are the two main areas covered at present with more battle sites to be added.
War-Letters.com is a website intended for historical
research and therefore all letters, envelopes and attachments appear in a raw and unedited state. Although some of the content
was subject to war-time censors, readers should be aware that due to the nature of war and personal lives, some pages contain
adverse personal opinions, vulgar language, material related to nazism, racism, exotic sexual relations and many forms of
severe violence and death. If you are likely to be offended, we strongly suggested you try some other moderated content
on the web.
Wilfred Gibson (1878-1962) "Back"
They ask me where I've been, And what I've done and seen. But what can I reply Who know it
wasn't I, But someone just like me, Who went across the sea And with my head and hands Killed
men in foreign lands... Though I must bear the blame, Because he bore my name.
World Wide Militaria experts represent more than
100 years of collecting experience to provide you with the finest military collectibles available. As a militaira dealer,
we sell items from around the world, with a special interest in U.S., British, German, French, Russian and United Nations
militaria. Our military orders, medals and decorations are of the highest quality, allowing us to provide you a satisfaction
guarantee with confidence in everything we sell.
Cross & Cockade
International (CCI) is the First World War Aviation Historical Society. There are
around 1,500 members in 25 countries all over the world. We are registered UK charity
number 1117741. All trustees, officers of the society and contributors to the journal give their services voluntarily.
The extraordinary story
of a war hero's flight to freedom from the Nazis has been revealed by his daughters, after they retraced his steps and
reclaimed the shoes he wore on the epic 200-mile trek. Sixty years on his daughter
Ellie Targett, a radio presenter in Herefordshire, and her sister Yule, who lives in Devon, set out on foot to retrace their
father's daring escape, meeting some of the people who helped him along the way. Mrs
Targett recalled the emotional moment when his battered lace-up shoes were returned to her in a brown paper bag by a family
who had sheltered him. They had kept the shoes as a reminder of the young man they had found hiding in a frozen mountain hut.
"There wasn't a dry eye in the house," said Mrs Targett. "The
whole lot of us wept, we never said a word." Mr Somme, a Norwegian, had been caught photographing a strategic German
torpedo station during one of his many spying missions for the Allies in 1944. He
was arrested and put on a passenger ship to take him to a German camp but before the vessel could sail, he escaped his bonds
and crept past his sleeping guard. The marine biologist wore the brown shoes as
he walked past his captors guarding the harbourside, giving them a cheeky wave goodbye to allay suspicion. He continued to wear them on the first part of the 200-mile escape through the mountains. He avoided leaving footprints in the deep snow drifts by walking through icy streams and leaping
from tree to tree, a trick he learned as a child. But as he faced climbing the perilous
mountains to freedom, the shoes could take him no further and a 19-year-old named Andre who had helped shelter him from the
Germans, offered to swap them for his new boots. It was the teenager's sister,
Selma, who kept the shoes and returned them to the daughters when they retraced their father's footsteps in 2004. Mr Somme's daughters learned the details of their father's journey when he wrote a
record of his escape from the Germans, who tortured and executed his brother Iacob, a leading member of the resistance. The children, who were born after the war, read their father's memoirs and decided to celebrate
the 60th anniversary of his trek by following his eight-week journey. Their father
braved bears and wolves during his route over ancient reindeer paths thousands of feet up in the mountains. After escaping to Sweden the scientist met and married their English mother Primrose, but he died of
cancer in 1961 when the children were still young. His family then moved from Norway to Dartmouth, Devon. The daughters have published their father's story in his own words, and now show off the shoes
during their presentations. "They go everywhere with me," said Mrs Targett.
"People are very moved when they hear the story but it really hits home when
they see papa's shoes because they know we are talking about a real man." Mrs
Targett and her sister were the only members of a party of five who managed to finish the trip in 2004 and a year later they
published their father's tale, together with details of their own journey.
Holding on to our history thats what the National
Archives of Australia does. We care for valuable Commonwealth government records and make them available for present and future
generations to use. Our recordkeeping standards help government to account to the public, ensuring that evidence is available
to support peoples rights and entitlements and that future generations will have a meaningful record of the past.
The Long, Long Trail cuts through myth and misinformation
to present the facts of the British Army in the First World War : a tribute to the men and women who fought and won - and
to the million who died trying.
With the country at war and all able-bodied men needed
to fight, there was a shortage of labour to work on farms and in other jobs on the land. At the same time it was becoming
increasingly difficult to get food imported from abroad, so more land needed to be farmed to provide homegrown food. The Women's
Land Army provided much of the labour force to work this land. The advertising slogan read, 'For a healthy, happy
job join The Women's Land Army'. In reality, the work was hard and dirty and the hours were long. Some of the girls
received training before they were sent to farms; the farmers themselves trained others. The Timber Corps was set up to teach
women to make pit props, necessary for working in mines, which then had to be loaded onto lorries and transported to the mining
areas. The girls of the land army looked after animals, ploughed the fields, dug up potatoes, harvested the crops, killed
the rats, dug and hoed for 48 hours a week in the winter and 50 hours a week in the summer. As there was not enough machinery
to go round they often had to work with old fashioned equipment, such as horse drawn hand ploughs, and to harvest crops by
hand
