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World War 1 One ww1 wwII greatwar great 1914 1918 first battalion regiment
Recomended reading on the subject of the Great War 1914-1918
At discounted prices.
Les Hughes & John Dixon
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Surrender be Damned: History of the 1/1st Battalion the Monmouthshire Regiment, 1914-18
Ted Bailey
A Major Soldier is part journey of discovery for the author and part history of the 1st Essex Battalion in the First World War. Frank Bailey was typical of many veterans of the era in that he never spoke of his exploits, despite having a long army career predating the war and being awarded the DCM. The author, his grandson, only found out the full details of his military service after his death. The author reminisces about his memories of his Grandfather before detailing his research into his life and military career, a journey that ultimately uncovered a hitherto unknown brother who had died in the war. The book then moves on to the actions of the 1st Essex battalion in the war, focusing on Gallipoli, the Somme, and Cambrai.More information on:
A Major Soldier
Robin Gregory
This book highlights a remarkable legacy and is surely unique in chronicling a continuous record spanning not just the whole of the Great War but also the inter-war years. The editor / author has done a fantastic job bringing to life the terse entries Tim scribbled in the trenches while the mortars fell around him and placing them into context with the bigger picture. This little book is a compelling Pandora's box showing at once the growth of an impetuous youth into a mature family man, of a society from imperial to modern and of the reality of life in both war and peace 100 years ago. The diary entries themselves start off being somewhat terse and I was grateful for Robin Gregory's witty and very personal narrative to knit it all together. Later on, starting around 1917, the diary entries are much longer (apparently Tim had a bigger notebook!) wise, and absolutely fascinating. Here is a man fresh from the trenches predicting that the treaty of Versailles will cause World War II.More information on:
Tim's Wars
Richard S Grayson
This is the story of men from either side of West Belfast's sectarian divide during the Great War. Richard S. Grayson follows the volunteers of the 36th and 16th divisions who fought on the Somme and side-by-side at Messines, recovering the forgotten West Belfast men throughout the armed forces, from the retreat at Mons to the defeat of Germany and life post-war. In so doing, he tells a new story which challenges popular perceptions of the war and explains why remembrance remains so controversial in Belfast today. 'Provocative, meticulously researched and referenced.' --Irish TimesMore information on:
Belfast Boys: How Unionists and Nationalists Fought and Died Together in the First World War
Ron James
This is the true life story of Private Frank James' life in the trenches during World War 1. He volunteered at the outbreak of war, aged 18, and saw much heavy fighting in battles at Neuve Chapelle, Aubers Ridge, Loos, The Somme, Flers-Courcelette, Vimy Ridge, Passchendaele, Cambrai, The Sambre and the Retreat and Advance of 1918. During that time he was wounded four times and he only returned to his home town of Northampton once. Although he describes the horrors and hardships of trench warfare, this is an upbeat, well written account which gives a Private's view of life at the time and provides a brief history of events, with photographs.More information on:
A Private's War
Ray Westlake
The Territorials 1908-1914 is a unique, comprehensive record of the part-time soldiers who made up the Territorial Force that supported the regular army in the years immediately before the outbreak of the First World War. Previously information on the history and organization of these dedicated amateur soldiers has been incomplete and scattered across many sources but now, in this invaluable work of reference, Ray Westlake provides an accessible introduction to the Territorial Force and a directory of the units raised in each county and each town.The origin, aims and organization of the Territorial Force are described as well as the terms of service, recruitment, equipment and training. But the bulk of the book consists of details of over 600 Territorial units plus a comprehensive account of every city, town or village associated with them. Essential information on the all the infantry formations is supplied, but also covered are the yeomanry, the artillery, the engineers, the Royal ArMore information on:
The Territorials 1908-1914: A Guide for Military and Family Historians
Ray Westlake
Ray Westlake has collated all the information so painstakingly gathered, to produce a comprehensive compendium of the exact movements of every battalion involved in the battle. This book is invaluable not only to researchers but to all those visiting the battlefield and anxious to trace the movements of their forbears.More information on:
Tracing British Battalions on the Somme
David Bilton
The Great War was the first in our history to have a deep impact on every aspect of civilian life. In an overdue attempt to portray the real effect of the War on life at home, David Bilton examines all the major events of the period and charts their effect on everyday life for those trying to live a normal existence. Examples are the air raids by Zeppelins and aircraft, rationing and shortages, recruitment, changes in employment habits, censorship. Extensive use is made of personal accounts and the author draws on many photographs, newspaper and magazine material and ephemera to make this very informative and atmospheric.More information on:
The Home Front in the Great War
Peter G. Cooksley
World War One continues to fascinate but little has been written on the civilian's war. From bombing to rationing, from civil defence to war work, the face of Britain was radically changed as a result of the conflict. More than once Britain was almost brought to its knees by unrestricted submarine warfare and by the end of the war German Zeppelins and Gotha bombers had managed to bomb many parts of Eastern England, while in 1914 the German High Seas fleet bombarded the East Coast destroying buildings in places as diverse as Hartlepool and Lowestoft. The First World War was the first war to have a huge impact on civilians and few were safe from attack. All endured hardship as rationing came into force. What was life like during the war for the civilian population? What hardships did they endure? How did they live? What was the feeling of those who stayed at home? Peter Cooksley tells us the true story of civilians at war on the Home Front.More information on:
The Home Front: Civilian Life in World War One
Peter Doyle
The First World War profoundly changed British society. The armed forces' need for mass recruitment saw the workforce severely depleted, with women stepping up to shoulder the burden; but nobody could ignore the social upheaval or the strains put upon daily life. With poverty a major issue at the outbreak of war, the extra wages put more food on the table for many families, in spite of rationing and shortages, and away from the front the nation prospered. The war intervened in all aspects of home life, and attacks from the sea and the air meant that civilians were caught up in 'total war'. Peter Doyle explores how British citizens met these challenges, looking at such aspects of daily life as clothing restrictions and popular arts, alongside broader issues like food shortages and industrial unrest.More information on:
First World War Britain
Lucy Adlington
Imagine stepping into someone else s shoes . Walking back in time a century ago, which shoes would they be? A pair of silk sensations costing thousands of pounds designed by Yantonnay of Paris or wooden clogs with metal cleats that spark on the cobbles of a factory yard? Will your shoes be heavy with mud from trudging along duckboards between the tents of a frontline hospital... or stuck with tufts of turf from a football pitch? Will you be cloaked in green and purple, brandishing a Votes for Women banner or will you be the height of respectability, restricted by your thigh-length corset? Great War Fashion opens the woman s wardrobe in the years before the outbreak of war to explore the real woman behind the stiff, mono-bosomed ideal of the Edwardian Society lady draped in gossamer gowns, and closes it on a new breed of women who have donned trousers and overalls to feed the nations guns in munitions factories and who, clad in mourning, have loved and lost a whole generation of men. ThMore information on:
Great War Fashion: Tales from the History Wardrobe
Thekla Bowser
This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.More information on:
Britain's Civilian Volunteers: Authorized Story of British Voluntary Aid Detachment Work in the Great War
Martin Steadman
Manchester proved able to raise eight Pals battalions. Initially, these battalions were composed of middle-class men who experience before the war years was within the commercial, financial and manufacturing interests which formed the foundations of Edwardian Manchester's life and prosperity. Manchester was undeniably proud of its pals battalions; that the area was capable of raising. Seven months after their arrival in France the battle of the Somme was launched, on the fateful 1st July, 1916. On the right of the British Army's extraordinary efforts that day, the Manchester Pals were part of one of the few successful actions, taking the villages of Montauban and Mametz and making a deep incursion into the German defences north of the River Somme.More information on:
The Manchester Pals
Ralph Gibson & Paul Oldfield
On the 10th September 1914 the City of Sheffield officially raised its own battalion, named the 12th (Service) Battalion York and Lancaster Regiment (Sheffield City Battalion). Just three and half years later in February 1918, the Battalion was disbanded, never to be reformed. In this short space of time over 3,000 men passed through the ranks of the City Battalion. Of these almost 700 were killed or died of their wounds, and over 500 were commissioned.The book covers the raising of the battalion , training, Egypt, early days in France, preparations for the Somme, 1st July (over 248 men killed, over 300 wounded), the aftermath of the battle, Neuve Chapelle, Arras, Vimy Ridge and finally disbandment and post war.The book also has extensive appendices, listing decorations, army organisations and ranks, biographical list, The Reserves Companies, Documents. With a unique selection of photographs this book is a tribute to the men who served in the Sheffield City Battalion.More information on:
Sheffield City Battalion
John Cooksey
A history of the two battalions raised by Barnsley and the story of the men who enlisted in them, culminating in their virtual destruction at Serre on 1st July 1916. A superbly researched work with many personal experiences of survivors, fascinating, contemporary photos and exceptionally fine maps.More information on:
Barnsley Pals
David Raw
The Comprehensive History of the 16th, 18th and 20th (Service) Battalions of the Prince of Wales Own West Yorlshire Regiment 1914-1918.More information on:
Bradford Pals
Dorothea Crewdson
In April 1915, Dorothea Crewdson, a newly trained Red Cross nurse, and her best friend Christie, received instructions to leave for Le Tréport in northern France. Filled with excitement at the prospect of her first paid job, Dorothea began writing a diary. 'Who knows how long we shall really be out here? Seems a good chance from all reports of the campaigns being ended before winter but all is uncertain.' Dorothea would go on to witness and record some of the worst tragedy of the First World War at first hand, though somehow always maintaining her optimism, curiosity and high spirits throughout. The pages of her diaries sparkle with warmth and humour as she describes the day-to-day realities and frustrations of nursing near the frontline of the battlefields, or the pleasure of a beautiful sunset, or a trip 'joy-riding' in the French countryside on one of her precious days off. One day she might be gossiping about her fellow nurses, or confessing to writing her diary while on shiMore information on:
Dorothea's War
Charles Herbert Lander
Written by a serving officer from 10th Battalion Royal Warwickshire Regiment in WW1 on the Western Front. This book provides detailed accounts of the Officers view of the war.More information on:
Lander's War: The War Diaries of Lt. Charles Herbert Lander 10th Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment
David Lister
'Die Hard, Aby!' tells Aby's story, rather than that of the historic times through which he lived. If a well known battle rages while Aby sits in a trench several miles away, writing to his mum - we are with Aby. We follow him from the Russian occupied land of his birth, across Europe to his East End home, and then through school days and the events that led to the Great War. One of the first to join, we see him through training and on to duty at the Front. We are with him in the mud of the trenches and share his deprivations through the cold of the winter of 1915. After 10 months in France, we see what led him to leave the Front without authority. We are with Aby again when as a 17-year-old boy he walks to his fate on a cold, March dawn in 1916. Finally we examine the impact his short life had on his times and on ours.More information on:
Die Hard, Aby!: Abraham Bevistein - The Boy Soldier Shot to Encourage the Others
Lieut.-Col. M. Kincaid-Smith
A history of the 25th Division, completed in February and in July 1918. The book contains 429 pages of fairly detailed history, including many statistics such as casualties, promotions and awards. The main periods are the Somme in 1916, the various battles of 1917 and the German and British offensives of 1918. From Amazon.co.uk: New Army division formed in September 1914. To France in September 1915. Armentieres, Vimy Ridge (1916), Somme, Messines. Third Ypres and the Aisne (1918). 48,289 casualties (623 officers and 12,623 other ranks dead). Reconstituted in England June 1918.More information on:
The 25th Division in France and Flanders
Alasdair Sutherland
This book follows the life of a crofters son from the Highlands of Scotland to Edinburgh and beyond and is a very rare example of a Brave man who secretely kept a diary during his military service from the Campaigns in Dardenelles, Egypt, the Somme, Ypres and every other battle he fought in, most not as memorable and probably long forgotten but every bit as Bloody. Angus's diary gives a modest and unique version of events he lived through and also the horrific conditions which he had to face on a daily basis. The author Alasdair Sutherland paints a bigger picture of what really took place on those diary entry dates looking back in time to the battlefields filling in the detail and giving the diary more depth and perspective. This is a unique story brought to life by a very knowledgeable author who researched the subject in great detail.More information on:
Somewhere in Blood Soaked France
Grace Pulvertaft
Grace Pulvertaft was born in Dublin of Irish parents. She was educated in London and at the out break of the Great War, aged 20, became a nurse by joining the Voluntary Aid Detachment. Working in busy hospitals in London and Brighton throughout the war, she kept a diary recording her experiences along with contributions from patients and colleagues. The daily round has its lighter moments never far removed from the shadow of a terrible war. 100 years later, edited by her son John Brunsdon, Grace's diaries are presented in this beautiful hard back, full colour book.More information on:
Reminiscences of a V.A.D.
Rudyard Kipling
This historical work by the great Kipling has all but been forgotten. As the title indicates, it covers the actions of the Irish Guards' First Battalion in World War I. Although Kipling was always a friend to the soldier, this book had special meaning to him since his son fought with and was killed in the unit. A towering piece of regimental history by one of our greatest writers.More information on:
The Irish Guards in the Great War: The First Battalion
Toni Holt
When noted author Rudyard Kipling pulled strings to get his son a commission in the Irish Guards at the beginning of World War I, he little realized he was sending the young man to his doom. Many years after Rudyard Kipling's own death in 1936, and after further decades of historical detective work, John Kipling's grave finally received a proper headstone in 1992.More information on:
My Boy Jack?: The Search for Kipling's Only Son
David Murphy
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Irish Regiments in the World War
Philip Lecane
It was the First World War's largest seaborne invasion and the Irish were at the forefront. Recruited in Ireland, the Royal Dublin Fusiliers were ordered to spearhead the invasion of Gallipoli in Turkey. Deadlocked in trench warfare on the Western Front, the British High Command hoped the assault would be Germany's ally out of the war. Using letters and photographs, this book tells the story of the 'Dubs' officers and men called from an idyllic posting in England. They then set off on what was presented as a great adventure to win glory and capture Constantinople. The book also gives the story of the Turkish defenders and the locality being invaded. Accomapnied by the Royal Munster Fusiliers, packed aboard the SS River Clyde, the 'Dubs' landed from boats on the fiercely defended beach at Sedd-el-Bahr. The song The Foggy Dew says, "It were better to die beneath an Irish sky than at Suvla or Sedd-el-Bahr." This book tells the story of the forgotten Irishmen who died beneath a TurkishMore information on:
Beneath a Turkish Sky: The Royal Dublin Fusiliers and the Assault on Gallipoli
Tom Burnell, Editor
Twenty-seven Irish newspapers for the period covering the Great War have been trawled through to deliver the amazing stories of those years which changed the world for ever. These are the accounts of local men at the front; of torpedoed ships; drunken wives; final letters and requests from the trenches. Also eyewitness accounts of the slaughter as it was happening; battle reports from officers serving in Irish regiments; quirky snippets; chaplains' sympathetic letters; P.o.W reports of conditions and war poetry. Here are the tales of the Leinster’s, Munster’s, Connaught’s and Dublin Fusiliers serving in the Ulster Division, 10th and 16th Irish Divisions. We read of medical breakthroughs, paranormal occurrences and miraculous escapes from death. After the Irish Rebellion of April, 1916, these type of articles and casualty lists dwindled to very few as Irish hearts became divided.More information on:
Irishmen in the Great War 1914-1918
Ray Westlake
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British Regiments at Gallipoli
Alasdair Sutherland
From the heat and dust of the Dardanelles to the mud of the Western Front, Corporal Angus Mackay had one constant companion, his diary. He wrote of the battles and campaigns he fought in, names that would go down in history: Gallipoli, the Somme, Ypres and Arras. Serving in the the 1st/5th Battalion (Queens Edinburgh Rifles) Royal Scots and later the 88th Brigade Machine Gun Corps, he left a record of one man's extraordinary and tragic war. In Somewhere in Blood Soaked France, Alasdair Sutherland reveals this previously unpublished account of the First World War, complete with historical context, orders of battle and extracts from official war diaries. This rare source - it was an offence to keep a record in a case of capture - offers a stirring insight into the bravery of Mackay and his companions, who were not afraid to die for their country. 'If I go under it will be in a good cause, so roll on the adventure.'More information on:
Somewhere in Blood Soaked France
Richard Llewellyn Davies
A narrative written from the notes and diary of Corporal Richard Llewellyn Davies of the 3rd Battalion of the Monmouthshire Regiment and the 9th Battalion The Royal Welch Fusiliers. He left his native village of Hollybush in the Sirhowy Valley Monmouthshire on the morning of the 5th of August 1914. Three times wounded and twice gassed he survived the whole of the main battles of the Western Front and returned home in January 1919. Of the nine volunteers that left the village with him, he was the only one to return home in 1919More information on:
Never so innocent again
- The Wartime Memories Project is the original WW1 and WW2 commemoration website.
- 1st of September 2023 marks 24 years since the launch of the Wartime Memories Project. Thanks to everyone who has supported us over this time.
Want to find out more about your relative's service? Want to know what life was like during the Great War? Our Library contains many many diary entries, personal letters and other documents, most transcribed into plain text.
Please see Family History FAQ's
Please note: We are unable to provide individual research.
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The free to access section of The Wartime Memories Project website is run by volunteers and funded by donations from our visitors.If the information here has been helpful or you have enjoyed reaching the stories please conside making a donation, no matter how small, would be much appreciated, annually we need to raise enough funds to pay for our web hosting or this site will vanish from the web.
If you enjoy this site please consider making a donation.
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- 9th May 2024
Please note we currently have a massive 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. If you have already submitted a story to the site and your UID reference number is higher than 264033 your submission is still in the queue, please do not resubmit.
Wanted: Digital copies of Group photographs, Scrapbooks, Autograph books, photo albums, newspaper clippings, letters, postcards and ephemera relating to the Great War. If you have any unwanted photographs, documents or items from the First or Second World War, please do not destroy them. The Wartime Memories Project will give them a good home and ensure that they are used for educational purposes. Please get in touch for the postal address, do not sent them to our PO Box as packages are not accepted.
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