WW1 Centenary site from the IWM

http://www.1914.org/

2014 will mark 100 years since the outbreak of WW1. This site has been created by the Imperial War Museum to collated resources and information surrounding that centenary event.

Already it has lots of great WW1 resources, including some excellent podcasts on various aspects of the war.

http://www.1914.org/podcasts/

Thankful Villages in WW1

At the end of the Great War there were just 52 'Thankful Villages' in Great Britain. These were towns and villages which had had all of their soldiers return home alive. By 1945 the number of villages which had survived both World Wars without loss had fallen to just 14. For the remainder of the country, war memorials would spring up to commemorate those who had lost their lives in the World Wars. Read a detailed account here...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-15671943

The UK National Inventory of War Memorials allows you to search for your nearest war memorial.

http://www.ukniwm.org.uk/

WW1 archaeology project - La Boiselle

I have posted about the archaeological study at La Boiselle a few times now, and have now found the website of the group carrying out the dig. It is well worth a visit and is updated regularly. It is very rare to be able to excavate a site of such importance as the 'Glory Hole' and the stories, images and finds are quite remarkable.

Interesting also for those with an interest in achaeology.

http://www.laboisselleproject.com/

WW1 Tunnels under the Somme



As work continues on the archaeological dig on the 'Glory Hole' sector at La Boiselle on the Somme, this BBC news item documents some of the work done so far. a fascinating insight into the underground war of camoflets and crumps fought more than 90 years ago.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-15568539

The British Army - is size important?

Following recent announcements that the size of the British Army is to be cut, this article from the BBC looks at the issues of size for the British Army since its formation in 1649.

Read the full article here... http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-14218909

The Underground War...

From the BBC, some facinating information about the war fought underground during WW1.

'Archaeologists are beginning the most detailed ever study of a Western Front battlefield, an untouched site where 28 British tunnellers lie entombed after dying during brutal underground warfare. For WWI historians, it's the "holy grail". '

Click on the link to read the full article.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-13630203

A guide to answering the questions...

I have written a detailed guide to how to answer each style of question, both Question a and Question b. Each has its own criteria and you should bear this in mind when answering them! It is vital that you are aware of the different Assessment Objectives. Each question assesses different things and therefore you must approach the sources differently.

See the new page links at the top of this page!

General advice for the exam...

1. Plan your answers before you start writing. Take 10 minutes to carefully read and review each of the sources and produce a plan. this will ensure you dont rush into your answer.

2. The number of marks is proportional to the time you have (20 marks = 20 minutes)

3. Use the sources as the basis of your answer. This will help keep you focussed. Remember to give examples from the sources to support your argument.

4. Develop inferences (what does the source suggest to you?) and support these with evidence.

Preparing for the exam...

I have added some new pages which contain examples of past exam papers on each of the various topics. Simply click on the links at the top of this page to access the new pages.

Now, I don't have a crystal ball and don't wish to start predicting what will appear this year. However, for reference this is how the papers have looked so far...

       Jan 2009     Summer 2009   Jan 2010     Summer 2010  Jan 2011
Q1  Crimea       WW1                WW1          Crimea             Crimea
Q2a Boer          Boer                 Crimea         Boer                 Boer
Q2b WW1        WW1 HF            Boer            WW1               WW1 HF

So, the best advice I can give... revise everything!!

Changing nature of warfare, 1917-1918

A brief outline of the major battles of 1917-1918 and their significance...

Arras, 1917 - An overview of the battle

Third Ypres (Passchendaele) - An overview of Third Ypres
The battlefield today

Cambrai, 1917 -
An overview of the Battle of Cambrai
An article challenging the 'myth' of Cambrai

Spring Offensive (Kaiserschlact), March 1918
An overview of the German attack
A film about the Spring Offensive (Part 1 of 4)

Amiens, 1918 and the 100 day advance
Battle of Amiens
100 day adavnce

A good summary of the nature of the British Army by 1918 -
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwone/gallery_tactics.shtml

Also see videos in WW1 quick links section...

Military Discipline in WW1

A very useful link which looks at the subject of British military discipline in WW1.


British military discipline

A few more links to look at the emotive and controversal issue of military executions in WW1.

A summary from BBC History
Daily Telegraph article on the pardons issued in 2006
Info from the Shot at Dawn campaign - this group campaigned for pardons for all those shot so be aware of that when reviewing their site

Recruiting Britain's Army in WW1

During the First World War, close to 6 million men served in the British Army. Men from all of the British Isles and her Empire answered the mother country's call for men. Roughly half of those were volunteers, the remainder were conscripted. Below are a few links to introduce the key themes involved in the recruitment of Britain's army in WW1.

A short movie from the BBC - http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/interactive/animations/wwone_movies/index_embed.shtml

An excellent overview from 1914-1918.net - http://www.1914-1918.net/recruitment.htm

Pals Battalions - http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/britain_wwone/pals_01.shtml

The Derby Scheme - http://www.firstworldwar.com/atoz/derbyscheme.htm

The Military Service Acts - http://www.1914-1918.net/msa1916.html

WW1 Recruitment posters here

Some hints for those doing the January exam

1. Read and analyse the sources carefully, making brief notes by the side to save you time later on. Relate what you have read back to the question.

2. Plan your answers before you start writing.

3. The number of marks is proportional to the time you have (20 marks = 20 minutes)

4. Use the sources as the basis of your answer. This will help keep you focussed. Remeber to give examples from the sources to support your argument.

5. Use contextual knowledge - on Qb 24 of the 40 marks are awarded for your own knowledge! Use this information to put the sources into context.

6. Cross reference individual points, rather than the sources as a whole.

7. Develop inferences (what does the source suggest to you?) and support these with evidence.

8. Analyse the provenance (Nature, Origin, Purpose). Evaluate the significance of the source and its reliabilty, if appropriate.

9. Weight up the evidence, especially if is asks you for a judgement, eg How far...

10. Dont generalise the sources. Judge each source on its own merits, eg, not all private letters are reliable.