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The 1st London General Hospital, Camberwell
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The 1st London General Hospital, Camberwell was a Territorial Force Hospital with 88 Officer beds and 852 Other Ranks beds. The hospital was located in St Gabriel's College, a former missionary college in Corniont Road, and was staffed by 92 St Bartholomew's Hospital Territorial Army Nursing Service nurses and women of the Voluntary Aid Detachment (VADs). The hospital was later extended to huts in the adjacent Myatt's Fields.
Vera Brittain, a VAD Nurse, worked for a time at the 1st London General, Camberwell recording her experiences in Testament of Youth, published in 1933.
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Dec 2011 Please note we currently have a large backlog of submitted material, our volunteers are working through this as quickly as possible and all names, stories and photos will be added to the site.
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List of those who served at the 1st London General Hospital, Camberwell during The Great War
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List of those who were treated at the 1st London General Hospital, Camberwell during The Great War
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History of the Shiny Seventh C Digby Planck
Written in the 1920's and recently reprinted. This history tells the story from those early beginnings to the end of WWII including the period between wars when, in 1936, the the regiment's role changed from infantry to searchlight and the title to 32nd (7th City of London) AA Battalion, RE.,TA. Most of the book, some 200 pages, is concerned with the Great War and the record of the two active battalions, 1/7th and 2/7th. The narrative includes extracts from letters, diaries and articles written by officers and men, casualty details are given as they occur and gallantry awards and other incidents. The inter-war years and WWII are only briefly covered and the Roll of Honour for The Great War has one list, officers and men of both battalions, in alphabetical order but without identifying the battalion; Honours and Awards are shown under 1/7th and the combined 2/7th and 7th.More information on: History of the Shiny Seventh
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Dawn Raid: Bombardment of the Hartlepools J M Ward
An excellent account of the naval bombardment on the 16th of December 1914.More information on: Dawn Raid: Bombardment of the Hartlepools
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Guns of the Northeast: Coastal Defences from the Tyne to the Humber Joe Foster
A detailed study of the coastal defences of North East England, including accounts of the bombardment of the East coast in 1914, with many excellent photgraphs and diagrams.More information on: Guns of the Northeast: Coastal Defences from the Tyne to the Humber
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Bombardment: The Day the East Coast Bled Mark Marsay
A well researched book with many personal accounts of the events of the 16th of December 1914More information on: Bombardment: The Day the East Coast Bled
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Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders Alastair Of Airds Campbell
More information on: Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
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The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders: A Concise History Trevor Royle
The Argylls have a stirring history of service to the British Crown. The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders is one of the best known regiments in the British Army. When it was ordered to disband in 1968 as part of wide-ranging defence cuts, a popular 'Save the Argylls' campaign was successful in keeping the regiment in being. They served all over the empire, taking part in the Indian Mutiny and the Boer War, and fought in both World Wars.In the post-war period the Argylls captured the public imagination in 1967 when they re-occupied the Crater district of Aden following a period of riots. Recruiting mainly from the west of Scotland, the regiment has a unique character and throughout its history has retained a fierce regimental pride which is summed up by its motto: 'sans peur', meaning 'without fear'. "The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders" puts its story into the context of British military history and makes use of personal testimony to reveal the life of the regiment.More information on: The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders: A Concise History
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Soldiers Died in the Great War, 1914-19: Princess Louise's (Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders)
A roll call of those killed during the Great War whilst serving with the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. A valuable research tool.More information on: Soldiers Died in the Great War, 1914-19: Princess Louise's (Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders)
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God's Own: 1st Salford Pals, 1914-1916 Neil Drum & Roger Dowson
This superbly researched book looks at the story of the raising and training of the Pals. It then moves on to their first experiences in France, and concludes with their destruction on the First Day of the Somme. Throughout there are numerous references to officers and men, and many first hand accounts, both of which combine to make it a fascinating account. This first section then ends with biographies of all the casualties, many of them accompanied by a photograph and some in great detail. The second part of the book is a complete roll of every officer and man that served with the 15th Lancashire Fusiliers from formation until 1st July 1916. It gives basic details of every soldier; some men have lengthy entries. A wonderful piece of research!More information on: God's Own: 1st Salford Pals, 1914-1916
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Salford Pals , A History of the Salford Brigade: 15th, 16th, 19th and 20th Battalions Lancashire Fusiliers Michael Stedman
Salford was late in recruiting for its Pals battalions, with many of its men already joining Territorial units and a new Pals battalion in Manchester. Yet within a year it had raised four Pals battalions and a reserve battalion. Raised mainly from Lancashire's most notorious slums, the men trained together in Wales, North East England and on Salisbury Plain, they had great expectations of success. On the 1st of July 1916 the Somme offensive was launched and in the very epicentre of that cauldron the first three of Salford's battalions were thrown at the massive defences of Thiepval - the men were decimated, Salford was shattered. Michael Stedman records the impact of the war from the start on Salford and follows the difficulties and triumphs. Whether the actions small or great the author writes graphically about them all. Unusual photographs and a variety of sources make this both a readable and a scholarly account.More information on: Salford Pals , A History of the Salford Brigade: 15th, 16th, 19th and 20th Battalions Lancashire Fusiliers
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Tyneside Scottish: 20th, 21st, 22nd and 23rd (Service) Battalions of the Northumberland Fusiliers John Sheen
A detailed account of the Tyneside Scottish Brigade, formed in response to Kitchener's c all for a new army, made up of local men from around Newcastle, few of whom were ScotsMore information on: Tyneside Scottish: 20th, 21st, 22nd and 23rd (Service) Battalions of the Northumberland Fusiliers
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Three Before Breakfast Alan Coles
'A true & dramatic account of how a German U-boat sank three British, Aboukir, Hogue and Cressey in one desperate hourMore information on: Three Before Breakfast
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Ireland's Unknown Soldiers: The 16th (Irish) Division in the Great War Terence Denman
The Great War of 1914-18 saw the Irish soldier make his greatest sacrifice on Britain's behalf. Nearly 135,000 Irishmen volunteered (conscription was never applied in Ireland) in addition to the 50,000 Irish who were serving with the regular army and the reserves on 4 August 1914. Within a few weeks of the outbreak of the war no less than three Irish divisions - the 10th (Irish), 16th (Irish) and 36th (Ulster) - were formed from Irishmen, Catholic and Protestant, who responded to Lord Kitchener's call to arms. An estimated 35,000 Irish-born soldiers were killed before the armistice came in November 1918. Over 4,000 of those who died were with the 16th (Irish) Division. More information on: Ireland's Unknown Soldiers: The 16th (Irish) Division in the Great War
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Border Regiment in the Great War H.C. Wylly
More information on: Border Regiment in the Great War
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Soldiers Died in the Great War, 1914-19: Royal Scots (Lothian Regiment)
More information on: Soldiers Died in the Great War, 1914-19: Royal Scots (Lothian Regiment)
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Massacre on the Marne: The Life and Death of the 2/5th Battalion West Yorkshire Regiment in the Great War Fraser Skirrow
Reconstructs the experiences of a small closely knit group of fighting men - the 2/5th Battalion of the West Yorkshire Regiment - in the Great War. These men were not elite regular troops or Kitcheners' Men - they were Territorials. In many ways, they were typical of the men who fought on the Western Front. Massacre on the Marne presents fascinating insights into the First World War. It gives a "warts and all" view of the often chaotic preparations and challenges of mobilising an army. It tells the personal stories of ordinary men caught up in this great conflict. The book is scholarly and detailed but also presents a gripping and engaging view of what the Great War would have been like for typical soldiers. This book is a timely reminder of the horrific conflict that is now disappearing from living memory. I thoroughly recommend it, not only for those with an existing interest in the period, but also for anyone who wants to understand the First World War from the viewpoint of the indiMore information on: Massacre on the Marne: The Life and Death of the 2/5th Battalion West Yorkshire Regiment in the Great War
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History of the Cheshire Regiment in the Great War. Arthur Crookenden
Naval and Military Press, have once again provided the military historian and researcher with an invaluable service by re-publishing this long out of print volume at the most reasonable price. It chronicles the war record of the fifteen battalions of the regiment which served on the Western Front, in Italy, Gallipoli, Mesopotamia, Palestine and Macedonia. The large appendices will however be invaluable for researchers, as having commenced with a summary showing the totals of dead officers and other rank totals by battalions, it is followed by the nominal rolls, with officers grouped alphabetically and other ranks in their battalions. The comprehensive 56-page list of Honours and Awards, including Mentions In Despatches, is arranged alphabetically and although the ranks of the recipients are not given, the citations for the VC, DSO, MC and DCM awards are. The final appendix, entitled `Mobilization', is useful too as it briefly provides the story of each battalion before it went overseasMore information on: History of the Cheshire Regiment in the Great War.
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Hearts & Dragons: the 4th Royal Berkshire Regiment in France and Italy During the Great War Charles R. M. F. Crutwell
The story of a territorial regiment, the 4th RoyalMore information on: Hearts & Dragons: the 4th Royal Berkshire Regiment in France and Italy During the Great War
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Fourth Battalion the Kings's Own (Royal Lancaster Regiment) and the Great War W.F.A. Wadham & J. Crossley
More information on: Fourth Battalion the Kings's Own (Royal Lancaster Regiment) and the Great War
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History of the Queen's Royal (West Surrey) Regiment in the Great War H.C. Wylly
More information on: History of the Queen's Royal (West Surrey) Regiment in the Great War
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History of the 1st and 2nd Battalions: The Leicestershire Regiment in the Great War H.C. Wylly
More information on: History of the 1st and 2nd Battalions: The Leicestershire Regiment in the Great War
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Invicta: With the First Battalion The Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment in the Great War C.V. Molony
More information on: Invicta: With the First Battalion The Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment in the Great War
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History of the Black Watch in the Great War A.G. Wauchope
More information on: History of the Black Watch in the Great War
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East Yorkshire Regiment in the Great War 1914-1918 Everard Wyrall
More information on: East Yorkshire Regiment in the Great War 1914-1918
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Digging Up Plugstreet Richard Osgood and Martin Brown
The compelling story of the Australian soldiers of the 3rd Infantry Division who journeyed to England in 1914, and who fought and died on the Western Front during the First World War. Using archaeology as the vehicle for their story, Martin Brown and Richard Osgood follow in the footsteps of the 'Aussies', from their training on windswept Salisbury Plain to the cheerless trenches of Belgium, where they 'dug-in' north-east of Ploegsteert to face the Germans. It presents a unique window into the world of the men who marched away to fight the so-called 'war to end warsMore information on: Digging Up Plugstreet
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Letters from the Trenches: A Soldier of the Great War Bill Lamin
Harry Lamin was born in Derbyshire in 1877 and left school at thirteen to work in the lace industry, but by December 1916 he had been conscripted into the 9th Battalion, York and Lancaster Regiment and sent to war. Harry's letters home to his family describe the conflict with a poignant immediacy, even ninety years on, detailing everything from the action in battle to the often amusing incidents of life amongst his comrades.Throughout the letters, Harry's tone is unwaveringly stoical, uncomplaining and good-humoured. "Letters From The Trenches" is a fitting tribute to the unsung heroes of the Great War who fought and endured and returned home, and the one in six who did not. The letters describe the war through the eyes of those who really lived it, bringing the horrors and triumphs to life for the twenty-first-century reader. Edited by Harry's grandson, Bill, "Letters From The Trenches" tells the moving story of a brave, selfless and honourable man who endured everything that the war More information on: Letters from the Trenches: A Soldier of the Great War
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Messines Ridge: Ypres Peter Oldham
The latest in the Battleground Europe series of books covers the terrible Battle of Messines which was p receded by 19 mine explosions, the biggest mining effort in history. Additional sections include maps & cover car tours, memorials & cemeteriesMore information on: Messines Ridge: Ypres
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Pillars of Fire: The Battle of Messines Ridge, June 1917 Ian Passingham
Gentlemen, we may not make history tomorrow, but we shall certainly change the geography.' So said General Plumer the day before 600 tons of explosives were detonated under the German positions on Messines Ridge. The explosion was heard by Lloyd George in Downing Street, and as far away as Dublin. Until 1918, Messines was the only clear cut Allied victory on the Western Front, coming at a time when Britain and her allies needed it most: boosting Allied morale and shattering that of the Germans. Precisely orchestrated, Messines was the first true all-arms modern battle which brought together artillery, engineers, infantry, tanks, aircraft and administrative units from a commonwealth of nations to defeat the common enemy. So why is its name not as familiar as the Somme, Passchendaele or Verdun? General Sir Herbert Plumer, perhaps the most meticulous, resourceful and respected British general of WW1, is also unfamiliar to many. This book examines the battle for the Messines-Wytschaete RidMore information on: Pillars of Fire: The Battle of Messines Ridge, June 1917
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Plumer: The Soldier's General Geoffrey Powell
Sir Herbert Plumer was one of the best-performing and best-regarded officers on the Allied side. He was famously thoughtful of his men and sparing of their lives.More information on: Plumer: The Soldier's General
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Ghosts on the Somme: Filming the Battle, June-July 1916 Alastair H. Fraser, Andrew Robertshaw and Steve Roberts
The Battle of the Somme is one of the most famous, and earliest, films of war ever made. The film records the most disastrous day in the history of the British army - 1 July 1916 - and it had a huge impact when it was shown in Britain during the war. Since then images from it have been repeated so often in books and documentaries that it has profoundly influenced our view of the battle and of the Great War itself. Yet this book is the first in-depth study of this historic film, and it is the first to relate it to the surviving battleground of the Somme. The authors explore the film and its history in fascinating detail. They investigate how much of it was faked and consider how much credit for it should go to Geoffrey Malins and how much to John MacDowell. And they use modern photographs of the locations to give us a telling insight into the landscape of the battle and into the way in which this pioneering film was created. Their analysis of scenes in the film tells us so much about thMore information on: Ghosts on the Somme: Filming the Battle, June-July 1916
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From Messines to Third Ypres: A Personal Account of the First World War by a 2/5th Lancashire Fusilier Thomas, Floyd
the story of just a few weeks between May 1917 and July 1917 as experienced by a subaltern of the Lancashire Fusiliers. It is a detailed account where personalities and small events seem to fifi ll its pages to become tellingly signififi cant-whole lifetimes seem to pass in months. Life in the trenches is recorded with all its dangers, tragedies and discomforts punctuated by lighter moments, as we share the inexorable build-up to the big attack and the fury of war that changed and ended lives in minutes. This is a first rate, intimate and personal account of the Western Front warfare the British infantry knew.More information on: From Messines to Third Ypres: A Personal Account of the First World War by a 2/5th Lancashire Fusilier
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History of the 51st (Highland) Division 1914-1918 F.W. Bewsher
The Highland Division was one of the pre-war Territorial divisions. Its HQ was in Perth with brigade HQs in Aberdeen, Inverness and Stirling. On mobilization the division moved down to its war station in Bedford where it remained, carrying out training till embarking for France in May 1915. During this period six of its battalions were sent to France, three in November 1914 and three in the following March, replaced by two Highland battalions and a brigade of four Lancashire battalions; it is not clear whether the latter were required to wear kilts. They were transferred to the 55th (West Lancashire) Division when that division reformed in France in January 1916 and were replaced, appropriately, by Scottish battalions. It was in May 1915, just as the division arrived in France, that it was designated 51st and the brigades 152nd, 153rd and 154th; by the end of the war the 51st (Highland) Division had become one of the best known divisions in the BEF.More information on: History of the 51st (Highland) Division 1914-1918
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History of the 9th (Scottish) Division John Ewing
The division’s record is graphically described in this history - what Field Marshal Lord Plumer in his foreword referred to as “a record of wonderful development of fighting efficiency.” There are useful appendices giving the Order of Battle, command and staff lists with the various changes; a table showing periods spent in the line, with locations; a table of battle casualties and the VC citations. The maps are good with adequate detail for actions to be followed. More information on: History of the 9th (Scottish) Division
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Liverpool Scottish 1900-1919 A.M. McGilchrist
The story of the 1/10th, 2/10th and 3/10th (Scottish) Battalions of the King’s (Liverpool Regiment), referred to in this account as 1st, 2nd and 3rd Battalions Liverpool Scottish. The 1st and 2nd fought on the Western Front , the 3rd remained in the UK. Appendices include nominal roll of 1st Battalion on embarkment, list of Honours and Awards including the only VC and bar awarded, and Roll of Honour.More information on: Liverpool Scottish 1900-1919
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CROWN AND COMPANY 1911-1922. 2nd Battalion Royal Dublin Fusiliers Col. H. C. Wylly
This volume is concerned principally with the battalion’s service in the Great War during which it fought on the Western Front in 10th Brigade, 4th Division till the end of 1916 when it was transferred to 48th Brigade of 16th(Irish) Division. The last part gives a very full and often moving description of the disbandment of the battalion. 269 officers and 4508 WOs, NCOs and men of the Regiment died during the war and an appendix lists the names of the officers showing which battalion they were serving in. There is a full list of Honours and Awards including Mentions in Despatches and foreign awards for the whole regiment. Another appendix lists the officers of the 1st and 2nd battalions serving at the time of disbandment and shows which regiments they transferred to or whether they retired.More information on: CROWN AND COMPANY 1911-1922. 2nd Battalion Royal Dublin Fusiliers
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History of the London Rifle Brigade 1859-1919
A Detailed & readable history with num. anecdotes . Appendices inc. officers’ services, awards. The first 60 or so pages deal with the pre-war history,. The rest of book is devoted to the Great War in which three battalions served, the 1st and 2nd Battalions on the Western Front, the 3rd was a training battalion. Each battalion is covered separately concluding, in the case of the active service battalions, with a detailed itinerary. This is a very good history with many informative appendices including casualty lists by battalions, nominal roll of all officers who served between 1859 and 1919 with service, and in a number of cases biographical details, honours and awards including mentions More information on: History of the London Rifle Brigade 1859-1919
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Honourable Artillery Company in the Great War 1914-1919 G. Goold Walker
The history of this somewhat complex regiment has been admirably handled. Each of the units has a section to itself and each section has its own chapters numbered separately. The story begins with the 1st Battalion, then follow ‘A’ Battery. ‘B’ Battery, the Siege Battery, 2nd Battalion, 2/A Battery, 2/B Battery and finally the third line units and the regimental Depot. There is a combined regimental Roll of Honour, arranged alphabetically (officers and men together) There are three indexes, one of persons, one of places and one of units.More information on: Honourable Artillery Company in the Great War 1914-1919
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History of the Welsh Guards C.H.Dudley Ward
A very good history incorporating nominal roll of all WOs, NCOs and men who served with it, noting casualties and awards, records of service of all officers, chronology of every move from arrival in France to arrival in Cologne and list of enemy divisions engaged.More information on: History of the Welsh Guards
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Devonshire Regiment 1914-1918 C.T. Atkinson
The author is among the foremost of the Great War divisional and regimental historians and this book is typical of his standard of writing and composition. He has provided a continuous narrative in a chronological order, bringing in the various battalions as they came onto the stage in the relevant theatre of war. He has made use of war diaries, not only of the battalions but also, where appropriate of brigades and divisions. He was also able to make use of collected accounts of various actions and experiences of those who took part in them, giving the point of view of the man in the trenches. One third of the book, some 250 pages, contains the complete list of honours and awards, including Mention in Despatches, and the Roll of Honour, listed alphabetically by battalions.More information on: Devonshire Regiment 1914-1918
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Artists Rifles: Regimental Roll of Honour and War Record 1914-1919 S.Stagoll Higham
This remarkable book contains a complete record of all whose names have been inscribed in the regiment’s Muster Roll since August 1914, showing commissions obtained, when and in which corps/regiments; honours and decorations awarded with citations where published; and a list of all casualties. There is a total of 15,022 names, that is everyone who at one time or another served in the Regiment in any capacity. 10,256 received commissions, eight VCs were awarded, and the casualties suffered throughout the war numbered 6,071 of whom 2,003 were killed. There are summary tables of awards and of casualtiesMore information on: Artists Rifles: Regimental Roll of Honour and War Record 1914-1919
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History and Records of Queen Victoria's Rifles 1792-1922 C.A.Cuthbert Keeson
This is a good history with plenty of detail and with many names, covering the period from the earliest days up to the Great War in an appendix (185 pages) at the end of the book. It covers each battalion in turn - 1/9th, 2/9th, the amalgamated 9th and finally 3/9th. There is the Roll of Honour and a list of Honours and Awards, including Mentions in Despatches.More information on: History and Records of Queen Victoria's Rifles 1792-1922
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Cast-iron Sixth: A History of the Sixth Battalion, London Regiment (City of London Rifles) E.G. Godfrey
This history begins with the names of divisional and brigade commanders under whom the battalion served, followed by the Honours list where all recipients are named, except for Mention in Despatches where totals are given. The early history of the battalion is briefly narrated before the Great War, which takes up the bulk of the book. In addition to details of actions fought, in each chapter attention is given to some particular aspect of military training or operations, such as communications between front and rear, transport difficulties, individual exploits and so on, while to facilitate reading, at the head of each page appears the number of the battalion being discussed. The book ends with the Roll of Honour (1050 dead) and an index.More information on: Cast-iron Sixth: A History of the Sixth Battalion, London Regiment (City of London Rifles)
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Royal Fusiliers in the Great War H.C. O'Neill
Sourced frm the battalion diaries, personal diaries of officers, special accounts of particular actions contributed by soldiers actually involved, letters and conversations, the author explains in some detail how the regiment expanded and how each wartime battalion came to be formed. The appendix gives the Roll of Honour of officers (1054 names); a table showing the numbers of Warrant Officers, NCOs and Men on the Roll of Honour, by battalions; a table summarising decorations awarded, including foreign awards; brief biographies or notes on a number of RF general ranking officers; and several accounts of soldiers who took part in the various operations.More information on: Royal Fusiliers in the Great War
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Footprints of the 1/4th Leicestershire Regiment: August 1914 to November 1918 John Milne
This account is written primarily for those who served or whose relatives served in the battalion, which is a good thing as we get plenty of names and the details of daily life in the trenches, officer casualties and new arrivals are mentioned by name in the text other ranks by totals. A reprint of the 1935 original.More information on: Footprints of the 1/4th Leicestershire Regiment: August 1914 to November 1918
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Fifth Leicestershire: A Record of the 1/5th Battalion the Leicestershire Regiment, TF, During the War 1914-1919 J.D. Hills
This battalion history, based essentially on the War Diary supplemented by contributions from various battalion members. There is plenty of meat in this history, detailed accounts of actions and events in and out of the trenches, names of officers and other ranks, list of honours and awards.More information on: Fifth Leicestershire: A Record of the 1/5th Battalion the Leicestershire Regiment, TF, During the War 1914-1919
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East Yorkshire Regiment in the Great War 1914-1918 Everard Wyrall
This history covers all the battalions though only very briefly those that did not go overseas. The author, a prolific writer of divisional/regimental histories follows his customary pattern of arranging his story chronologically with chapters devoted to specific battles and periods of trench warfare. In the margins of the text describing events he notes the dates, as in a diary, and identifies the battalions involved. The Roll of Honour lists the officers alphabetically by ranks without indicating the battalion or date of death; the other ranks are shown by battalions and by ranks within each battalion. Given the number of battalions covered in this single volume the account of all the activities is necessarily compressed, based essentially on the War Diaries, without anecdotal contributions The maps are very good, uncluttered yet displaying tactical detail easy to follow. More information on: East Yorkshire Regiment in the Great War 1914-1918
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History of the Dorsetshire Regiment 1914-1919
This reprint covers the Regular and TF battalions, each with their own index; And deals with the Service battalions and includes the Roll of Honour and the list of Honours and Awards for all battalions. It also has a separate index. There are numerous sketch maps in the text. More information on: History of the Dorsetshire Regiment 1914-1919
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History of the Somerset Light Infantry (Prince Albert's) 1914-1919 Everard Wyrall
Wyrall arranges his record of the regiment in chronological order, following the course of the war from the arrival of the1st Battalion in France. As he describes the operations and events he indicates in the margin the date of the action he is writing about with the identity of the battalion involved; operations in other theatres have their own chapters. Appendices list, by name, Honours and Awards including Mention in Despatches, promotions for service in the field, summary of other rank casualties (deaths) in each battalion (officers are totalled together) and brief records of service.More information on: History of the Somerset Light Infantry (Prince Albert's) 1914-1919
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History of the Duke of Wellington's Regiment, 1st and 2nd Battalions 1881-1923 C.D. Bruce
The first two chapters in the book provide an historical outline of the raising of the 1st Battalion in 1702 and take its story through to 1923. The book recounts story of the 2nd Battalion on the Western Front, mainly by use of quotations from eyewitness accounts, letters, diaries and official documents supported by good maps. A good feature of this history is the recording by name of officers joining the battalion or leaving or becoming casualties, and the arrival of drafts with strengths.More information on: History of the Duke of Wellington's Regiment, 1st and 2nd Battalions 1881-1923
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United States Naval Aviation 1910-1918 Noel C Shirley
United States Naval Aviation 1910-1918 for the first time provides a comprehensive study of the formation and initial deployment of naval aviation in the first world war. The book covers not only the subject of naval aircraft, but also describes the activities of the Navy in the field of lighter-than-air craft. Specific information is provided on each of the Naval Air Stations constructed and operated, both domestically as well as in Foreign Service during the War. Detailed discussion is also provided regarding the role of Marine Corps aviation during this time period.More information on: United States Naval Aviation 1910-1918
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Brodick: Arran and the Great War 1914-1918 James Inglis
Account of war service of men and women from Brodrick, Isle of Arran and list of other Arran men on active service. This book begins with an account of the effect of the war on the island, especially preoccupation with the danger from U-boats threatening the communications and supply route with the Scottish mainland. The main part of the book consists of war service details of those who served, including nurses; some accounts are brief, others are much longer. There are separate headings for Nurses, Royal Navy and Merchant Navy, for regiments/corps, for Canadians and Australians and individuals are shown under the appropriate heading. At the end is list of names of other Arran men on active serviceMore information on: Brodick: Arran and the Great War 1914-1918
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Beneath Flanders Fields: The Tunnellers War 1914-1918 Peter Barton, Peter Doyle & Johan Vandewalle
Whilst the war raged across Flanders fields, an equally horrifying and sometimes more dangerous battle took place underground. "Beneath Flanders Fields" tells the story of the tunnellers' war, which still remains one of the most misunderstood, misrepresented and mystifying conflicts of the Great War. A wealth of personal testimonies reveal the engineering, technology and science behind how this most intense of battles was fought - and won. They speak of how the tunnellers lived a relentless existence in the depths of the battlefield for almost two and a half years, enduring physical and mental stresses that were often more extreme than their infantry counterparts. Their lives were reduced to a complex war of silence, tension and claustrophobia, leading up to the most dramatic mine offensive in history launched on 7 June 1917 at Messines Ridge. Yet, Messines was not the end of their story, which continued with the crafting of a whole underground world of headquarters, cookhouses and hosMore information on: Beneath Flanders Fields: The Tunnellers War 1914-1918
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Underground Warfare 1914-1918 Simon Jones
Simon Jones's graphic history of underground warfare during the Great War uses personal reminiscences to convey the danger and suspense of this unconventional form of conflict. He describes how the underground soldiers of the opposing armies engaged in a ruthless fight for supremacy, covers the tunnelling methods they employed, and shows the increasingly lethal tactics they developed during the war in which military mining reached its apotheosis. He concentrates on the struggle for ascendancy by the British tunnelling companies on the Western Front. But his wide-ranging study also tells the story of the little known but fascinating subterranean battles fought in the French sectors of the Western Front and between the Austrians and the Italians in the Alps which have never been described before in English. Vivid personal testimony is combined with a lucid account of the technical challenges - and ever-present perils - of tunnelling in order to give an all-round insight into the extraordMore information on: Underground Warfare 1914-1918
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The Other Side of the Wire. Volume 1 Ralph J. Whitehead
"The Other Side of the Wire" brings to life a period long forgotten in the decades that have passed since the Great War ended in 1918. Until recently most books written on the Battle of the Somme concentrated almost exclusively on the British effort with only a brief mention of the period before 1 July 1916 and the German experience in the battle. Most simply ignore the nearly two years of warfare that preceded the momentous offensive. By focusing on one of the principal German formations involved in the Somme fighting, author Ralph Whitehead brings to life this little-known period, from the initial German advance on the Somme in September 1914 through the formation of the front that became so well known almost two years later. - Ralph Whitehead is a member of the Plugstreet Project Team.More information on: The Other Side of the Wire. Volume 1
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No Labour, No Battle: The Labour Corps in the First World War John Starling & Ivor Lee
From 1917 British Soldiers who were unfit or too old for front line service were to serve unarmed and within the range of German guns for weeks or even months at a time undertaking labouring tasks. The vital, yet largely unreported role played by these brave soldiers was crucial to achieving victory in 1918. For this book John Starling and Ivor Lee have brought together extensive research from both primary and secondary sources. It traces how Military Labour developed from non-existent in 1914, to a Corps in November 1918 some 350,000 strong, supported by Dominion and foreign labour of more than a million men. The majority of the Labour Corps did not keep war diaries, therefore this work provides vital information for those wishing to acquire information about an ancestor who served in the Corps.More information on: No Labour, No Battle: The Labour Corps in the First World War
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Tea, Rum and Fags: Sustaining Tommy 1914-1918 Alan Weeks
It is said that 'an army marches on its stomach', but histories of the First World War usually concentrate on its political and military aspects. The gargantuan task of keeping the British Expeditionary Force fed and watered is often overlooked, yet without adequate provision the soldiers would never have been able to fight. Tommy couldn't get enough tea, rum or fags, yet his commanders sent him bully beef and dog biscuits. But it was amazing how 2 million men did not usually go short of nourishment, although parcels from home, canteens and estaminets had a lot to do with that. Incredibly, Tommy could be in a civilised town supping, beer, wine, egg and chips, and a few hours later making do with bully beef in a water-filled trench. Alan Weeks examines how the army got its food and drink and what it was like.More information on: Tea, Rum and Fags: Sustaining Tommy 1914-1918
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The Steel of the DLI (2nd Bn 1914/18) John Sheen
Sheen's history has all of the insight and detail we have come to expect of modern scholarship, drawing deeply on official, regimental and private records. With many excellent photographs, most of which will not have been seen before, and lacing the battalion's history with the stories of individual officers and men, he takes us through the whole war from the battalion's first searing experiences on the Aisne, right through to the honour of advancing into Germany as part of the army of occupation. In between, the 1915 nightmares of Hooge, the latter stages of the Somme, Hill 70, Cambrai and ceaseless engagement in 1918. The story also brings out how the nature of the battalion inevitably changed, from wholly regular through mostly volunteer to conscript, yet managed to maintain an ethos and professional air throughout.More information on: The Steel of the DLI (2nd Bn 1914/18)
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Machine-Guns and the Great War Paul Cornish
More information on: Machine-Guns and the Great War
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Messines 1917 Alexander Turner
Osprey Campaign book exploring the Battle of Messines. At 0310 hours on 7 June 1917, the pre-dawn gloom on the Western Front was shattered by the 'pillars of fire' - the rapid detonation of 19 huge mines, secreted in tunnels under the German lines and containing 450 tonnes of explosives. Admitted by the Germans to be a 'masterstroke', the devastating blasts caused 10,000 soldiers to later be posted simply as 'missing'. Launching a pre-planned attack into the carnage, supported by tanks and a devastating artillery barrage, the British took the strategic objective of Messines Ridge within hours. A rare example of innovation and success in the First World War, this book is a fresh and timely examination of a fascinating campaign.More information on: Messines 1917
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The Attack of the British Ninth Corps at Messines Ridge (1917) The War Department
More information on: The Attack of the British Ninth Corps at Messines Ridge (1917)
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BENEATH HILL 60 tells the extraordinary true story of Oliver Woodward, the legendary Australian metal scientist. In 1916, Woodward faced the most difficult decision, ultimately having to separate from his new young love for the deadly carnage of the Western Front. On treacherous territory, behind the German enemy lines, Woodward and his secret platoon of Australian tunnelers face a suicidal battle to defend a leaking, tunnel system. A tunnel packed with enough high explosives to change the course of the War.More information on: Beneath Hill 60 [DVD]
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Artillery Operations of the Ninth British Corps at Messines, June 1917 Army War College (U.S.)
More information on: Artillery Operations of the Ninth British Corps at Messines, June 1917
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Hill 60: Ypres (Battleground Europe) Nigel Cave
The shell-ravaged landscape of Hill 60, some three miles south east of Ypres, conceals a labyrinth of tu nnels and underground workings. This book offers a guide to the memorials, cemeteries and museums at the site 'More information on: Hill 60: Ypres (Battleground Europe)
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New Zealand and the Great War: A Photographic Record of New Zealanders at War 1914-1918 Glyn Harper
They shall not grow old...In 1914, despite being forbidden, many a Kiwi soldier's kitbag included a portable camera, known as 'The Soldiers' Kodak'. In a major research project, Glyn Harper and the Queen Elizabeth II Army Memorial Museum have combined official war photographs with more informal images to produce a moving visual history. While primarily drawn from the Museum's collection, many photographs from private sources have been included. From more than 25,000 photographs, just over 800 have been selected - most of which have never been published. Chosen to depict each theatre of the 1914-18 war, including Gallipoli, Sinai-Palestine and the Western Front, poignant images from the home front are also included, along with graphic portraits of wounded soldiers, whose treatment marked the beginnings of modern plastic surgery. Despite the First World War being described as the most important and far-reaching political and military event of the twentieth century, pivotal in forging ourMore information on: New Zealand and the Great War: A Photographic Record of New Zealanders at War 1914-1918
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Beneath Hill 60 [Paperback] Will Davies
'Ten seconds, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one - fire! Down goes the firing switch. At first, nothing. Then from deep down there comes a low rumble, and it as if the world is spliting apart...' On 7th June 1917, nineteen massive mines exploded beneath Messines Ridge near Ypres. The largest man-made explosion in history up until that point shattered the landscape and smashed open the German lines. Ten thousand German soldiers died. Two of the mines - at Hill 60 and the Caterpillar - were fired by men of the 1st Australian Tunnelling Company, comprising miners and engineers rather than parade-ground soldiers. Drawing on the diaries of one of the key combatants, "Benealth Hill 60" tells the little-known, devastatingly brutal true story of this subterranean war waged beneath the Western Front - a stygian battle-ground where men drowned in viscous chalk, suffocated in the blue gray clay, choked on poisonous air or died in the darkness, caught up up in vicious hand-to-hanMore information on: Beneath Hill 60 [Paperback]
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Border Regiment in the Great War Col. H. C. Wylly
Tightly written regimental history of the Border Regiment in the Great War, which blends the story of its 13 battalions in six theatres of war into one continuous narrative. lllustrated by 14 photographic plates and seven maps.More information on: Border Regiment in the Great War
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Diary of 2/4th Battalion the Border Regiment, 1914-19
Reproduction of a book published before 1923More information on: Diary of 2/4th Battalion the Border Regiment, 1914-19
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Lander's War: The War Diaries of Lt. Charles Herbert Lander 10th Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment. Charles Herbert Lander
Charles Lander, had to wait until the chest measurement was reduced before he could apply as a private soldier with the Royal Warwickshire Regiment. Upon his commission, Charles was to serve in the 10th Battalion which was a part of 57th Brigade, 19th (Western) Division. Read on, and let Charles take you into the tumultuous world of the Great War, where moments of comedy, low points and sheer terror combine; and wonder as to how humans could endure, go home and live again in everyday society. Lt. Charles Herbert Lander truly had the skill to pull back the curtains on the window of time; with his words, he will take you to the now quiet fields of France and Flanders, now transformed from the most dangerous places on Earth to their former rural peace. He tells us how it was and who were the players in the great game, as they appear and all too often disappear from these pages.More information on: Lander's War: The War Diaries of Lt. Charles Herbert Lander 10th Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment.
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Mud, Blood and Bullets: Memoirs of a Machine Gunner on the Western Front. Edward Rowbotham
It is 1915 and the Great War has been raging for a year, when Edward Rowbotham, a coal miner from the Midlands, volunteers for Kitchener's Army. Drafted into the newly-formed Machine Gun Corps, he is sent to fight in places whose names will forever be associated with mud and blood and sacrifice: Ypres, the Somme, and Passchendaele. He is one of the 'lucky' ones, winning the Military Medal for bravery and surviving more than two-and-a-half years of the terrible slaughter that left nearly a million British soldiers dead by 1918 and wiped out all but six of his original company. He wrote these memoirs fifty years later, but found his memories of life in the trenches had not diminished at all. The sights and sounds of battle, the excitement, the terror, the extraordinary comradeship, are all vividly described as if they had happened to him only yesterday. Likely to be one of the last first-hand accounts to come to light, Mud, Blood and Bullets offers a rare perspective of the First World WMore information on: Mud, Blood and Bullets: Memoirs of a Machine Gunner on the Western Front.
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Durham Pals: 18th, 19th, 20th and 22nd Battalions of the Durham Light Infantry in the Great War John Sheen
The Durham Pals were the volunteer Geordie battalions of the Durham Light Infantry raised in the north-east in the Great War. The 18th Durhams had the proud distinction of being the first unit of Kitchener's New Armies to come under enemy fire before even leaving Blighty when German ships shelled Hartlepool in December 1914. The 19th were raised as Bantams ( men blow the minimum height requirement) ; the 20th (Wearside) hailed from Sunderland; while the 22nd was the last raised - and fought through the hard battles of 1918. After their baptism of fire while training in Hartlepool, the 18th were seriously blooded on July 1st 1916 as the battle of the Somme opened, when they fought in support of the Leeds and Bradford Pals. After fighting in the successful Messines offensive in June 1917 the 20th were sent to the Italian front; while the 19th distinguished themselves in Flanders during the final Allied advance of 1918. This book pay tribute to them all.More information on: Durham Pals: 18th, 19th, 20th and 22nd Battalions of the Durham Light Infantry in the Great War
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A World Undone: The Story of the Great War, 1914 to 1918 G. J. Meyer
The First World War is one of history’s greatest tragedies. In this remarkable and intimate account, author G. J. Meyer draws on exhaustive research to bring to life the story of how the Great War reduced Europe’s mightiest empires to rubble, killed twenty million people, and cracked the foundations of the world we live in today.
More information on: A World Undone: The Story of the Great War, 1914 to 1918
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Flying for France James R. McConnell
This a fun aviation story detailing the day-to-day adventures of a young American pilot who volunteered to join the French air force at the beginning of World War I. There were several Americans who did this, as America was not directly involved in the war, and the French military assembled them all together in an Escadrille (squadron). The trials of day to day flight using Nieuport fabric and wood airplanes, fighting German Bosches and Fokkers, are all charmingly explored in this short, easy read.More information on: Flying for France
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Packed with photos on every double-page spread and dense with facts and snippets of analysis, this large-size volume in the Eyewitness series provides a quick, informative overview of WWI: how it started; who fought and why; the equipment used; what it was like in the trenches and at home; the horrific final cost. Even seasoned Web browsers accustomed to busy formats may sometimes feel bombarded by all the bits and pieces, especially when the tiny type is printed over colored pictures. It's the dramatic photos (many from London's Imperial War Museum) that will make readers pause and bring them close to the soldiers' experiences. Then there's John Singer Sargent's realistic painting Gassed, showing blinded soldiers led by their sighted colleagues toward a dressing station in northern France in 1918More information on: World War I
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To End All Wars: A Story of Loyalty and Rebellion, 1914-1918 Adam Hochschild
World War I stands as one of history’s most senseless spasms of carnage, defying rational explanation. In a riveting, suspenseful narrative with haunting echoes for our own time, Adam Hochschild brings it to life as never before. He focuses on the long-ignored moral drama of the war’s critics, alongside its generals and heroes. Thrown in jail for their opposition to the war were Britain’s leading investigative journalist, a future winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature, and an editor who, behind bars, published a newspaper for his fellow inmates on toilet paper. These critics were sometimes intimately connected to their enemy hawks: one of Britain’s most prominent women pacifist campaigners had a brother who was commander in chief on the Western Front. Two well-known sisters split so bitterly over the war that they ended up publishing newspapers that attacked each other.
More information on: To End All Wars: A Story of Loyalty and Rebellion, 1914-1918
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Hard as Nails: The Sportsmen's Battalion of World War One Michael Foley
This is the history of the Sportsmen's Battalion, Royal Fusiliers 23rd service battalion, which consisted almost entirely of men from the world of sport or entertainment. The battalion was privately raised and took men up to the age of 45. The battalion included a champion boxer, cricketers, footballers, MPs and the author John Chessire. They were men who did not need to serve in the First World War but had an unquestioning sense of duty. The history is enhanced by the letters and drawings by John Chessire, giving a first-hand account of their experiences. A man from the upper classes, a writer, poet and artist, he chose to serve as a private so he could do his duty, even when it conflicted with his religious beliefs and love for his family. The book covers the battalion's beginnings in London and progression to Hornchurch, France and then Germany. It includes their time at Vimy Ridge, at the Somme and at the Battle for Deville Wood. More information on: Hard as Nails: The Sportsmen's Battalion of World War One
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In Flanders Fields: And Other Poems of the First World War Brian Busby
a book that shows the reality of war through the poems of many soldiers who didn't return.
Beautifully written.More information on: In Flanders Fields: And Other Poems of the First World War
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Poems of the Great War: 1914-1918 Several
Published to commemorate the eightieth anniversary of Armistice, this collection is intended to be an introduction to the great wealth of First World War Poetry. The sequence of poems is random - making it ideal for dipping into - and drawn from a number of sources, mixing both well-known and less familiar poetry.
The work of 21 poets is represented: including Rupert Brooke, Robert Graves, Ivor Gurney, Thomas Hardy, Charlotte Mew, Alice Meynell, Wilfred Owen, Herbert Read, Isaac Rosenberg, Siegfried Sassoon and Edward ThomasMore information on: Poems of the Great War: 1914-1918
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Poetry of the First World War Various
Packed full of analysis and interpretation, historical background, discussions and commentaries, York Notes will help you get right to the heart of the text you’re studying, whether it’s poetry, a play or a novel.
You’ll learn all about the historical context of the piece; find detailed discussions of key passages and characters; learn interesting facts about the text; and discover structures, patterns and themes that you may never have known existed. In the Advanced Notes, specific sections on critical thinking, and advice on how to read critically yourself, enable you to engage with the text in new and different ways.
Full glossaries, self-test questions and suggested reading lists will help you fully prepare for your exam, while internet links and references to film, TV, theatre and the arts combine to fully immerse you in your chosen text.
York Notes offer an exciting and accessible key to your text, enabling you to develop your ideas and transform your studies!More information on: Poetry of the First World War
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York Notes on Poetry of the First World War Hana Sambrook
The York Notes series continues to be the leading range of GCSE and A-level study guides. If you are a GCSE student this will be invaluable for your coursework/exam preparation, as it covers all of the poems in the 'World War I' section of the AQA poetry anthology. Covering language, structure, form, style and context, amongst other useful exam information; the guide also offers a summary of each poem and some advice on how the poems can be compared. Essential book for students, and a competitive price on here.More information on: York Notes on Poetry of the First World War
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Out in the Dark: Poetry of the First World War in Context and with Basic Notes David Roberts
This anthology, based on "Minds at War" - by same author - has been prepared for the general reader who requires less background information, and for students, including GCSE and A Level. One of mankind's greatest tragedies was the First World War. For over four years whole nations unleashed the full might of their new-found destructive powers. Poets played their part in this war as promoters of it, soldiers, victims and onlookers. Their stories and their responses to their experiences are deeply moving, and their work includes some of the greatest poetry of the 20th Century. Many of the poems in Out in the Dark are currently selected by exam boards. The 19th Century poems, examples of the culture of Empire and militarism, help to explain both the rush to war and the nature of the early poetry of the First World War - 140 poems in all.More information on: Out in the Dark: Poetry of the First World War in Context and with Basic Notes
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Anthem for Doomed Youth Jon Stallworthy
This is an excellent introduction to the lives and work of twelve poets of WWI, many of whom were killed in action. The book was produced to accompany an exhibition at the Imperial War Museum and is illustrated with many photographs and original manuscripts. The famous are here - Owen and Sassoon- but there are also less well-known names - David Jones and Francis Ledwidge - whose work deserves recognition. I've read some of these poems many times, and I never fail to be moved by "Dulce et decorum est" (Owen), "Anthem for doomed youth" (Owen) and "When you see millions of the mouthless dead" (Sorley). The savagery and sarcasm of "The General" (Sassoon) and the grim humour of "Break of day" (Rosenberg), a meditation on a rat moving between the German and British lines, are also moving. Stallworthy tells the stories of their (mostly) brief lives sparingly, concentrating on the poetry and offering some interesting criticisms and insights. This poetry has influenced our imagery of the GreatMore information on: Anthem for Doomed Youth
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Journey's End Robert Cedric Sherriff
Set in the First World War, Journey's End concerns a group of British officers on the front line and opens in a dugout in the trenches in France. Raleigh, a new eighteen-year-old officer fresh out of English public school, joins the besieged company of his friend and cricketing hero Stanhope, and finds him dramatically changed ...
Laurence Olivier starred as Stanhope in the first performance of Journey's End in 1928; the play was an instant stage success and remains a remarkable anti-war classic.More information on: Journey's End
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Goodbye to All That Robert Graves
In 1929 Robert Graves went to live abroad permanently, vowing 'never to make England my home again'. This is his superb account of his life up until that 'bitter leave-taking': from his childhood and desperately unhappy school days at Charterhouse, to his time serving as a young officer in the First World War that was to haunt him throughout his life.
It also contains memorable encounters with fellow writers and poets, including Siegfried Sassoon and Thomas Hardy, and covers his increasingly unhappy marriage to Nancy Nicholson. Goodbye to All That, with its vivid, harrowing descriptions of the Western Front, is a classic war document, and also has immense value as one of the most candid self-portraits of an artist ever written.
About the Author
Robert Ranke Graves (1895-1985) was a British poet, novelist, and critic. He is best known for the historical novel I, Claudius and the critical study of myth and poetry The White Goddess.More information on: Goodbye to All That
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A World Undone: The Story of the Great War, 1914 to 1918 G.J. Meyer
One only has to look at a few of today's "hotspots" (the Balkans and the Middle East) to realize that World War I's effects remain a determining factor in international relations. It may seem impossible to write an "intimate" account of such a global catastrophe, but Meyer has succeeded in doing just that: a masterful narrative history that eloquently conveys the sense of a civilization engaged in massive self-destruction, while its leaders, blinded by hubris, nationalism, or outright ignorance, led the charge. Although Meyer pays ample attention to the broad themes of causation and military strategies, he consistently reminds us that the war was a compilation of millions of individual tragedies. He captures the horror and futility of trench warfare, the slaughter at Gallipoli, and the genocide of Armenians as experienced by those who were there. Meyer also offers interesting and controversial insights into the motivations of many of the key participants. This is an outstanding survey More information on: A World Undone: The Story of the Great War, 1914 to 1918
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The Beauty and the Sorrow: An Intimate History of the First World War Peter Englund
In this masterly, highly original narrative history, Peter Englund takes a revelatory new approach to the history of World War I, magnifying its least examined, most stirring component: the experiences of the average man and woman—not only the tragedy and horror but also the absurdity and even, at times, the beauty.
The twenty people from whose journals and letters Englund draws are from Belgium, Denmark, and France; Great Britain, Germany, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire; Italy, Australia, and New Zealand; Russia, Venezuela, and the United States. There is a young man in the British army infantry who had been considering emigrating until the war offered him its “grand promise of change” and a middle-aged French civil servant, a socialist and writer whose “faith simply crumbled” at the outbreak of war. There is a twelve-year-old German girl thrilled with the news of the army’s victories because it means that she and her classmates are allowed to shout and scream at school. There iMore information on: The Beauty and the Sorrow: An Intimate History of the First World War
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In a riveting narrative that puts diaries, letters and action reports to good use, British military historian Keegan (The Face of Battle, etc.) delivers a stunningly vivid history of the Great War. He is equally at easeAand equally generous and sympatheticAprobing the hearts and minds of lowly soldiers in the trenches or examining the thoughts and motivations of leaders (such as Joffre, Haig and Hindenburg) who directed the maelstrom. In the end, Keegan leaves us with a brilliant, panoramic portrait of an epic struggle that was at once noble and futile, world-shaking and pathetic. The war was unnecessary, Keegan writes, because the train of events that led to it could have been derailed at any time, "had prudence or common goodwill found a voice." And it was tragic, consigning 10 million to their graves, destroying "the benevolent and optimistic culture" of Europe and sowing the seeds of WWII. While Niall Ferguson's The Pity of War (Forecasts, Mar. 8) offers a revisionist, economic intMore information on: The First World War
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A Coward If I Return, a Hero If I Fall: Stories of Irish Soldiers in World War I Neil Richardson
IRELAND'S FORGOTTEN LEGACY In 1914-1918, two hundred thousand Irishmen from all religions and backgrounds went to war. At least thirty-five thousand never came home. Those that did were scarred for the rest of their lives. Many of these survivors found themselves abandoned and ostracised by their countrymen, their voices seldom heard. The book includes: * The Irish soldier firing the first shot * The first Victoria Cross * Leading the way at Gallipoli and the Somme * North and South fighting side by side at Messines Ridge * Ireland's flying aces * Brothers-in-arms -- heart-rending stories of family sacrifice * The lucky escapes of some; the tragic end of others * The homecoming -- why there was no hero's welcomeMore information on: A Coward If I Return, a Hero If I Fall: Stories of Irish Soldiers in World War I
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The Complete Idiot's Guide to World War I Alan Axelrod Ph.D.
For history buffs, students, and anyone interested in the 20th century, this book reveals why World War I began, explores the "guns of August," describes the horrors of trench warfare and the first uses of poison gas, and explains why the Americans were so slow to enter the war. From the eastern front to the west, from Gallipoli to the Marne, from the Lafayette Escadrillo to Lawrence of Arabia, the book tells the whole story of "the war to end all wars."More information on: The Complete Idiot's Guide to World War I
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The Eastern Front 1914 - 1920 (History of World War I) Michael Neiberg David Jordan
Recreates the battles and campaigns that raged at The Eastern Front during World War I Updated for 2012 with a new foreward by Dennis Showalter The front in the East was much longer than in the West. The theatre of war was delimited by the Baltic Sea in the West and Moscow in the East, a distance of 1,200kms, and Saint Petersburg in the North and the Black Sea in the South, a distance of more than 1,600kms. While World War I on the Western Front developed into trench warfare, the battle lines on the Eastern Front were much more fluid; trenches never truly developed. The greater length of the front ensured that the density of soldiers in the line was lower so the line was easier to break. Once broken, the sparse communication networks made it difficult for the defender to rush reinforcements to the rupture in the line, to mount a counteroffensive and seal off a breakthrough. Also, the terrain in the Eastern European theatre was quite solid, often making it near impossible to construct aMore information on: The Eastern Front 1914 - 1920 (History of World War I)
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To the Last Man: A Novel of the First World War Jeff Shaara
Moving on from the American Revolution and the Civil War, Shaara (The Glorious Cause, etc.) delivers an epic account of the American experience in WWI. As usual, he narrates from the perspective of actual historical figures, moving from the complexity of high-level politics and diplomacy to the romance of the air fight and the horrors of trench warfare. Gen. John J. "Black Jack" Pershing commands all American forces in France in 1917–1918 and must prepare his army for a new kind of war while resisting French and British efforts to absorb his troops into their depleted, worn-out units. Two aviators, American Raoul Lufbery and German Manfred von Richthofen (the Red Baron) fly primitive aircraft in an air war that introduces new ways to die. And Pvt. Roscoe Temple, U.S. Marine Corps, fights with rifle and bayonet in the mud and blood of Belleau Wood and the Argonne Forest. These men and a supporting cast of other real-life characters provide a gruesomely graphic portrayal of the brutalityMore information on: To the Last Man: A Novel of the First World War
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Wipers: A Soldier's Tale From the Great War Jeff Simmons
The World War One battlefield that bulged out around Ypres, Belgium, was one of the most horrific killing grounds of the bloody, four-year conflict. Not familiar with the proper pronunciation of "Ypres," (EE-pruh), the Allied soldiers called the sector "Wipers." The Allies took thousands of casualties daily there from 1914 to 1918. Unable to break the German line, a plan was made to dig 5 miles of tunnels under No Man's Land, planting charges, and blowing up the enemy from below. This novel follows a British miner-turned-soldier and his unlikely companion: a mischievous, wisecracking soldier who was a magician in civilian life and joined the army under shady circumstances. Their struggle to survive is often tragic, yet often humorous. The story climaxes with the tunnel attack and the shocking aftermath. Ultimately, it shows war is not glorious; it ruins lives, even among those who survive.More information on: Wipers: A Soldier's Tale From the Great War
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The Guns of August Barbara W. Tuchman
Historian and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Barbara Tuchman has brought to life again the people and events that led up to World War I. With attention to fascinating detail, and an intense knowledge of her subject and its characters, Ms. Tuchman reveals, for the first time, just how the war started, why, and why it could have been stopped but wasn't. A classic historical survey of a time and a people we all need to know more about, The Guns of August will not be forgotten.
More information on: The Guns of August
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The Oxford Illustrated History of the First World War Hew Strachan
This illustrated history is an outstanding summary of current scholarship on the war that was supposed to end all wars. Nearly two dozen contributors write smart and accessible essays on a range of subjects, including the military strategies of the Allies and the Central Powers, the war at sea, economic mobilization, politics on the home front, and the peace settlement. The chapters are full of intelligent insights. John Morrow, writing on the air war, notes that fighter pilots became "the ultimate heroes of the First World War" because their feats of individual combat could be easily romanticized, in contrast to the mass slaughter taking place in the trenches below.More information on: The Oxford Illustrated History of the First World War
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The Myth of the Great War: A New Military History of World War I John Mosier
Mosier (English, Loyola Univ.) offers a scathing indictment of the Allied military mindset that caused so many senseless deaths on the Western Front during the Great War. For example, Mosier argues that it took the slaughter of thousands of infantrymen before the British and French commands tried to use artillery as an effective offensive weapon. Even then, Allied artillery bombardments never matched their opponents' effective use of heavy-caliber howitzers. Mosier points out that from the very beginning the German General Staff attempted to minimize losses by making firepower central to its offensive tactics. Consequently, German casualties were half those of the Allies. Blind adherence to antiquated military doctrines is not a new criticism of Allied generalship, but Mosier's original scholarship does offer a fresh perspective on an old theme. Recommended for public and academic libraries with strong military history collections.More information on: The Myth of the Great War: A New Military History of World War I
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Adventures of a Motorcycle Despatch Rider During the First World War W.H.L. Watson
The Battle of Mons, The Battle of le Cateau, The Great Retreat, Over the Marne to the Aisne, The Battle of the Aisne, The Move to the North, Round la AssÉe, The Beginning of Winter 1914, St Jans Cappel, Behind the LinesMore information on: Adventures of a Motorcycle Despatch Rider During the First World War
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The Marne, 1914: The Opening of World War I and the Battle That Changed the World Holger H. Herwig
It is one of the essential events of military history, a cataclysmic encounter that prevented a quick German victory in World War I and changed the course of two wars and the world. Now, for the first time in a generation, here is a bold new account of the Battle of the Marne. A landmark work by a distinguished scholar, The Marne, 1914 gives, for the first time, all sides of the story. In remarkable detail, and with exclusive information based on newly unearthed documents, Holger H. Herwig superbly re-creates the dramatic battle, revealing how the German force was foiled and years of brutal trench warfare were made inevitable.
Herwig brilliantly reinterprets Germany’s aggressive “Schlieffen Plan”–commonly considered militarism run amok–as a carefully crafted, years-in-the-making design to avoid a protracted war against superior coalitions. He also paints a new portrait of the run-up to the Marne: the Battle of the Frontiers, long thought a coherent assault but really a series of hapMore information on: The Marne, 1914: The Opening of World War I and the Battle That Changed the World
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World War I: Contains a 16-Page Guide to WWI Battlefields and Memorials H. P. Willmott
beautifully produced and illustrated, an everything you need to know compendiumMore information on: World War I: Contains a 16-Page Guide to WWI Battlefields and Memorials
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Murder At Zero Hour Paul Westwood
Author's Note: The idea of a murder occurring during the middle of a war seemed like an interesting idea to pursue. I chose The Great War since it has a level of brutality that was unparalleled until later wars. Research for this novel was particularly dreadful since the war seemed so senseless. With that in mind, I had my character lose much, but still gain something in return for his sacrificesMore information on: Murder At Zero Hour
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The War to End All Wars: World War I Russell Freedman
Nonfiction master Russell Freedman illuminates for young readers the complex and rarely discussed subject of World War I. The tangled relationships and alliances of many nations, the introduction of modern weaponry, and top-level military decisions that resulted in thousands upon thousands of casualties all contributed to the "great war," which people hoped and believed would be the only conflict of its kind. In this clear and authoritative account, the author shows the ways in which the seeds of a second world war were sown in the first. Numerous archival photographs give the often disturbing subject matter a moving visual counterpart. Includes source notes, a bibliography, and an index.
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LETTERS FROM VERDUN: Frontline Experiences of an American Volunteer in World War 1 France Avery Wolfe
A beautifully written and fully illustrated experience of the Great War from a participant . . .Though the United States was late to enter the Great War, a number of idealistic young Americans wished to take part from the beginning. One of these was Avery Royce Wolf, a highly educated scion of a family in America's burgeoning industrial heartland.Volunteering as an ambulance driver with the French Army in the Verdun sector, Royce sent back a constant stream of highly detailed letters describing the experience of frontline combat, not excluding comments on strategy, the country he encountered, and the Allies' prospects for success. This treasure trove of brilliant letters, only recently discovered, is accompanied by several albums worth of rare, high-quality photos depicting aspects of the Great War in France never previously published. The book contains expert overviews to set the reader in Royce's time and place; however, the narrative is most gripping with his own day-to-day perceptiMore information on: LETTERS FROM VERDUN: Frontline Experiences of an American Volunteer in World War 1 France
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New York Times Current History: The European War from the Beginning to March 1915, Vol 1, No. 2 Who Began the War, and Why? Various
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.More information on: New York Times Current History: The European War from the Beginning to March 1915, Vol 1, No. 2 Who Began the War, and Why?
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Eye-Deep in Hell: Trench Warfare in World War I John Ellis
Millions of men lived in the trenches during World War I. More than six million died there. In Eye-Deep in Hell, the author explores this unique and terrifying world—the rituals of battle, the habits of daily life, and the constant struggle of men to find meaning amid excruciating boredom and the specter of impending death.More information on: Eye-Deep in Hell: Trench Warfare in World War I
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Faces of World War I: The Great War in Words and Pictures Max Arthur & Ian Hislop
This magnificent commemorative volume traces the tragedy of the Great War in words and pictures. Best-selling author Max Arthur brilliantly conveys not only the heroism, but also the universal horror, futility, absurdity and boredom of early 20th-century warfare. From the frontline troops and the daily dance with death, to the support lines, communications, enlistment, training, and propaganda, the story of the war is illustrated with over 200 images that have been handpicked from the world famous collection of the Imperial War Museum in London. Every aspect of the soldier's life is covered in this brilliant collection of images and eyewitness accounts that bring the Great War to life once more.More information on: Faces of World War I: The Great War in Words and Pictures
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Where Poppies Grow: A World War I Companion Linda Granfield
When World War I began in 1914, no one knew that millions of young people would die in the agonizing years ahead. No one imagined the effect it would have on family life, or that whole villages would disappear, or that entire nations would be changed forever. They believed their sons and daughters, mothers and fathers would be home by Christmas. They were tragically mistaken.
With photos, memorabilia, and anecdotes, Linda Granfield brings us face-to-face with people from all walks of life who risked everything for their country. These painstakingly-gathered bits and pieces are remnants of conflict on a scale never before witnessed. Hastily-penned letters, notes written in code, and prayers for deliverance form an eloquent portrait of humanity, and a startling comment on the devastation of war.
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Hell in the Holy Land: World War 1 in the Middle East David R. Woodward
In the modern popular imagination, the British Army's campaign in the Middle East during World War I is considered somehow less brutal than the fighting on European battlefields. A romantic view of this conflict has been further encouraged by such films as Lawrence of Arabia and The Light Horsemen. In Hell in the Holy Land, David R. Woodward uses graphic eyewitness accounts from the diaries, letters, and memoirs of British soldiers who fought in that war to describe in rigorous detail the genuine experience of the fighting and dying in Egypt and Palestine. The massive flow of troops and equipment to Egypt eventually made that country host to the largest British military base outside of Britain and France. Though many soldiers found the atmosphere in Cairo exotic, the desert countryside made the fundamentals of fighting and troop maintenance extremely difficult. The intense heat frequently sickened soldiers, and unruly camels were the only practical means of transport across the soft saMore information on: Hell in the Holy Land: World War 1 in the Middle East
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