• The first official photograph of a tank going into action at the Battle of Flers-Courcelette, 15 September 1916
    © IWM (Q 2488)
    First World War

    How Britain Invented The Tank In The First World War

    The concept of a vehicle to provide troops with both mobile protection and firepower was not a new one. But in the First World War, the increasing availability of the internal combustion engine, armour plate and the continuous track, as well as the problem of trench warfare, combined to facilitate the production of the tank.

  • British soldiers eat hot rations in the Ancre Valley during the Battle of the Somme.
    © IWM (Q 1580)
    First World War

    The Food That Fuelled The Front

    By 1918, the British were sending over 67 million lbs (30 million kg) of meat to the Western Front each month. Daily rations were meant to include fresh or frozen meat, but many meals would have consisted of tinned food, which became a familiar aspect of the British soldier’s diet.

  • The Underworld: Taking cover in a Tube Station during a London air raid, 1918 by Walter Bayes
    IWM ART 935
    First World War

    The Air Raids That Shook Britain In The First World War

    During the First World War, Britain came under attack from the air, putting civilians in the firing line for the very first time.  

    At the start of the war, Britain was ill-prepared to deal with the threat from enemy airships and aircraft. Traditionally its home defence focussed on defending the coastline rather than its airspace and with most of the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) operating overseas, few aircraft remained to defend Britain.

  • A woman brewer securing the lid of a barrel of beer.
    IWM Q 31065
    First World War

    10 Surprising Laws Passed During The First World War

    The outbreak of war in 1914 brought many new rules and regulations to Britain. The most important of these was the Defence of the Realm Act (DORA), passed on 8 August 1914 ‘for securing public safety’. 

  • A group of 'Leeds Pals' at their training camp in the Yorkshire Dales shortly after enlisting in September 1914.
    First World War

    From Civilian To First World War Soldier In 8 Steps

    After the outbreak of war in August 1914, Britain recruited a huge volunteer citizens' army. In just eight weeks, over three-quarters of a million men in Britain had joined up. Every volunteer had to undergo a series of medical and fitness tests before being accepted as a soldier. 

  • British recruitment poster, 1914.
    IWM PST 2734
  • Albert Ball was one of the United Kingdom’s highest-scoring air aces.
    First World War

    8 Celebrity Air Aces Of The First World War

    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 and their photographs regularly appeared in newspapers. Of the eight aces listed here, seven were killed in action between 1916 and 1918 or died in flying accidents during or after the war.

  • Wounded British soldier holding his steel helmet, which has been pierced by a piece of shrapnel, during fighting on the Somme Front near Hamel in December 1916.
    First World War

    Whizz Bangs And Wind-Ups: 10 Tommy Slang Terms

    During the First World War, British soldiers used language in inventive and often humorous ways. The words and phrases they used reflected everything from the dull routines of service to the traumas of front line action, often tinged with characteristic black humour and irony.

     

  • Battle traffic seen at Grevillers on 25 August 1918, following the village's capture by the British 37th Division and the New Zealand Division at the start of the Hundred Days Offensive, a few days earlier. Mark V tanks of the 10th Battalion the Tank Corps and British and New Zealand infantry going forward. Also seen are captured German 4.2 inch guns etc.
    First World War

    How The Deadlock On The Western Front Was Finally Broken

    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, having increasingly taken over from the French in 1917.

  • Men of the 3rd Nigerian Battalion on board SS Mendi leaving Calabar, 27th November 1916. This Battalion was picked up here by transport.
    First World War

    Why the sinking of the SS Mendi is remembered around the world

    On the night of 21 February 1917, more than 600 men of the South African Native Labour Corps (SANLC) lost their lives in the sinking of the SS Mendi- the largest single loss of life for the non-combatants in the SANLC during the First World War.

  • A coiled snake covered with pink, white, amber, blue, black and brown beads. In its mouth a beaded mouse-like animal of green, orange, purple, white, pink and red beads.
    First World War

    5 Handmade Objects Crafted By First World War POWs

    Within the first six months of the First World War, more than 1.3 million prisoners were held in Europe. Prisoners of war of all nations produced a wide variety of handmade items. Some of these filled practical requirements, some were a way of coping with the monotony of captivity, while others were intended as a means of earning money for cigarettes or other comforts. 

  • circular metal buttonhole badge with the inscription (around the circumference inlaid in gold within blue enamel band: 'ON WAR SERVICE 1915', in the centre of the badge is a King's crown in gold.
    First World War

    ‘On War Service’ Badge

    These small, metal pin badges were worn by civilians during the First World War in order to indicate that the person wearing it was on engaged in important war-work. Several of these badges were officially produced and distributed nationally but many more were produced privately by employing companies to support their employees.

  • Square hard tack 'army biscuit' with central section recessed to accommodate a family portrait photograph, a length of pink cotton thread is threaded through two of the perforations at the top of the biscuit to hang the 'picture'.
    First World War

    Life At The Front In 14 Objects

    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. A unit would spend a few days in the front line, followed by periods in reserve and rest. Here are 14 objects from life at the front.