Aviation was one of the most romanticised elements of the First World War. 'Air aces' in particular achieved celebrity status both during and after the war. French newspapers first coined the term 'l'as' to describe the high-scoring fighter pilot Adolphe...
Pages tagged with "First World War"
-
-
During the First World War, Britain came under air attack for the first time in its history. Britain’s home defence strategy initially focused on patrolling at sea and defending the shore with artillery. The threat of aerial attack was thus...
-
Europe in 1914 was an armed camp; its politics dominated by two rival alliances. The creation of a unified Germany in 1871 had disturbed the old 'balance of power' in Europe. Fear of Germany encouraged France and Russia to form an alliance. This pushed...
-
A contemporary of William Orpen, Anna Airy trained at the Slade School of Art. She was one of the first women war artists, employed by the newly founded Imperial War Museum in 1918. Although a well-respected and successful female artist of her generation...
-
In the autumn of 1918 the Central Powers were exhausted. Their armies were defeated and their hungry citizens were beginning to rebel. As early as 29 September Ludendorff decided that a cessation of hostilities must be sought. The need became more urgent...
-
The war on the Western Front had become one of attrition as 1917 drew to a close. The French Army was exhausted, having borne the brunt of the Allied effort and the trauma of Verdun. The British were beginning to suffer manpower shortages by early 1918,...
-
The daily routine of front line service varied from the mundane to the dramatic. A typical day would begin with 'stand to arms' at dawn, with all men manning the front line trench. Weapons would be cleaned, a tot of rum and breakfast consumed. Day...
-
David Lloyd George was British Chancellor of the Exchequer during Asquith’s pre-war Liberal government. He oversaw a series of enlightened social welfare reforms underpinned by his 'People's Budget' of 1909. Following the outbreak of war in August 1914,...
-
The outbreak of war brought many new rules and regulations, the most notable being the Defence of the Realm Act, (DORA), passed on 8 August 1914 'for securing public safety'. It regulated virtually every aspect of the British home front. Though it was...
-
A specific assault within the larger Dardanelles strategy, the Gallipoli campaign began at dawn on 25 April 1915. The campaign was intended to allow the Allied ships to pass through the Dardanelles and capture Constantinople (now Istanbul). General...