In the news...

As the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War approaches, a lot is currently appear in the media on many aspects of the war. Below are my recommendations on a range of topics from food to fools!

How accurate is the history in Blackadder?

'As fans of Blackadder celebrate the 30th anniversary of the comedy's first broadcast, its stars Tony Robinson and Rowan Atkinson are recognised in the Queen's Birthday Honours. Its fast-and-loose attitude to real events and characters is part of the appeal, but how close is any of it to real history?'

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-22887110

What did soldiers eat in the trenches?

'In the BBC series Blackadder Goes Forth, Baldrick memorably described the finest culinary delight available in the trenches of the First World War as “rat-au-van” – rat that had been run over by a van. In fact, new research suggests the standard of fare on offer to the men on the Western Front was, if perhaps repetitive, at least nutritious, plentiful and, on occasions, flavoursome.'

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/britain-at-war/10066467/Beef-tea-potato-pie-and-duff-pudding-How-to-eat-like-a-WW1-Tommy.html

Trench humour - the story of the Wipers Times

'Before Private Eye there was The Wipers Times, a satirical newspaper which found comedy in the adversity of the First World War’s frontline.'

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/trenches-humour-the-satirical-newspaper-that-was-a-masterclass-in-use-of-comedy-against-industrialised-death-8691232.html

Generals of the FWW - Heroes not fools!

A very good article which outlines the historiography of the First World War and explains why it is important that the centenary events challenge the accepted myths and set the record straight!

http://www.politics.co.uk/comment-analysis/2013/07/10/comment-the-generals-of-the-first-world-war-were-heroes-not

Did Kitchener help or hinder the expansion of the army in 1914?

A really interesting article from the Western Front Association regarding Kitchener's role in the expansion of the British Army at the start of WW1.

Was Kitchener the hero who helped raise Britain's New Armies to face the challenge of a continental war, or did he in fact disrupt carefully made plans for the expansion of the army?! Well worth a read as it looks at both the Cardwell and Haldane Reforms as well.

To read the full article click here

WW1 in the News

In the last few days there have been a number of interesting WW1 related items in the news.


Firstly, there was the report that two WW1 soldiers had finally been laid to rest. Lt John Pritchard and Pte Christopher Douglas Elphick of the Honourable Artillery Company (HAC) were killed on 15 May 1917 in an attack on Bullecourt on the Western Front. Their remains were discovered in 2009 and have now been laid to rest in marked graves. More on this story is available from the BBC and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22253147

http://www.cwgc.org/news-events/news/2013/4/reburial-of-british-soldiers-at-hac-cemetery,-france.aspx

Secondly, a recent aerial archaeological study in Kent has uncovered a British Army training ground, which shows that as early as 1915 the British Army were experimenting with trench design and preparing their soldiers for trench warfare. This video tell the story...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-22019091 

WW1 Podcasts from the IWM

The Imperial War Museums' Centenary website continues to add to its podcasts. There are now 26 podcasts available about many aspects of the First World War. Many are directly relevant to the Experience of Warfare course and therefore are a great way of both learning more about the topic and also for revising.

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

Topics covered include;

Joining Up
Trench Life
The First Day of the Somme

Tanks on the Somme

Munitions

New weapons of WW1 - Tanks

The Imperial War Museum has a new online exhib on Tanks in WW1.

http://www.iwm.org.uk/history/tanks-in-the-first-world-war#lightbox-object-205087388

Also this link to the IWM Research blog and a posting about Tanks and the Battle of the Ancre in 1917.

http://blogs.iwm.org.uk/research/2012/11/restoring-the-first-world-war-film-the-battle-of-the-ancre-and-advance-of-the-tanks-1917/

Both well worth having a look at!

The eyes of the Army - 1914...

This article discusses the role of the Royal Flying Corps, formed 100 years ago.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-17954439

Also from the BBC History team is an excellent article on the development of the British Army between 1916 and 1918. It focuses on 9 key areas including artillery and new technologies. Well worth a read!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwone/gallery_tactics_01.shtml

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 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

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

National Army Museum website

Some excellent resources and information is available on the National Amy Museum's website

http://www.national-army-museum.ac.uk/

Some useful links are...

Crimea
Florence Nightingale
Early photography (including Fenton)
Boer War
The Victoria Cross

WW1
Tanks -

Western Front 1918
Finding the Fallen
Specific teacher links for visits and resources - http://www.national-army-museum.ac.uk/education/secondary13.shtml

The Unknown Warrior

Published today on the BBC News website is the story of the Unknown Warrior.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-11710660

The story is also told in pictures here...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-11713676

Lest we forget.

Remembrance

A couple of links to give some background as to how we commemorate the war dead at this time of year.

Why 11th November?
http://www.firstworldwar.com/features/armistice.htm

A history of the Poppy Appeal
http://www.britishlegion.org.uk/about-us/history-of-the-poppy-appeal

The Last Post - Why do we sound 'The Last Post'
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Last_Post

Search for your own family at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission site.
http://www.cwgc.org/

Nursing in the Crimea...

.. a recommendation from one of my students whislt comparing the roles of Mary Seacole and Florence Nightingale.

Angels and Citizens,  British Women as Military Nurses, 1854-1914 By Anne Summers

Available to read on Google Books - click the title to read the book online. Also looks at the Boer War and WW1 for later parts of the course!

Thanks Isobel!

A new WW1 Cemetery

Today, more than 90 years since the First World War, a new cemetery has been dedicated in northern France. In May 2009 work began to exhume the remains of 250 British and Australian soldiers who has been killed at the Battle of Fromelles in July 1916.

On 19th July 2010 the final re-burial took place and Fromelles (Pheasant Wood) Military Cemetery was formally completed, the first CWGC cemetery to have been built for 50 years. Of the bodies recovered, 205 have now been identified as belonging to Australian soldiers, three served with the British army and 42 are still classified as unknown.

Some of the artefacts recovered - here

Details of the process of identification - here

Video clips here

Remembering Fromelles website - here

New book on the Somme battles

Bloody Victory: The Sacrifice on the Somme and the Making of the Twentieth Century

Newly released in paperback, 'Bloody Victory' is getting rave reviews!

"The battle is firmly fixed in the collective British memory as a futile massacre, in spite of a number of efforts to argue that the matter was rather more complex. Dr Philpott’s book is the latest, and perhaps the most ambitious and impressive, attempt to buck this trend... this is an important and powerful book that deserves to be read and its arguments debated. " Dr Gary Sheffield in BBC History Magazine

"Required reading . . . A thoughtful and important book by a first-rate historian . . . It is a proper history of the battle, not simply an agonising account of its first day . . ." Richard Holmes

"A sweeping and authoritative re-examination of the battle . . . Bloody Victory is a magnificent and powerful book, destined to become the standard work on the subject" Christopher Silvester, Daily Express

The review speak for themselves... maybe some useful summer holiday reading?! Click here to buy and read further reviews.