First World War in the News -- WW1 History from causes to trenches

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Frank Woodruff Buckles - Last living WWI vet from Missouri [long article]
After Harry Richard Landis died Frank Buckles was left to present the living legacy of the millions who made up the American military might in the Great War. As late as 1997, the U.S. had about 6,800 WWI vets. After failed attempts to join the U.S. Marines and U.S. Navy, Buckles was able to outlast the scrutiny of the U.S. Army recruiting office in Oklahoma City and enlisted Aug. 14, 1917. An old sergeant told that the quickest way to the action was in the Army Ambulance Service, so he signed up and was sent to Fort Riley for training in Ambulance Service and Trench Retrieval. His 102-man unit (the First Fort Riley Casual Detachment) set sail from Hoboken in Dec. 1917. [ ozarksnewsstand.com :: 2008-07-29 :: Last Living Veterans ]

German u-boat 38 moved to deeper waters to protect ships in the English Channel
A German submarine wrecked in the English Channel during the First World War has been moved to deeper waters to reduce the risk to passing ships. The U-boat - which contains the remains of 27 crew members, 6 torpedoes and deck gun ammunition - has been located the coast of Dover in Kent since 1918. The increasing deep draught of vessels using the Channel led to concern about the location of the boat. At first it was believed the submarine was the UB33, which also sank in nearby waters in April 1918. But a probe found out it to be the UB38 which ran into a minefield while attempting to flee British destroyers. [ bbc.co.uk :: 2008-07-29 :: WW1 Submarines ]

Help needed to index all Oklahoma First World War veterans
June Stone, a member of the Oklahoma Genealogical Society (OGS), is requesting help in collecting information about Oklahoma WWI veterans for an index to honor these veterans. There are some lists, by county, that are available at the Oklahoma Historical Society Library. The Department of Veterans Affairs has a list of those who were killed in action and the American Legion Department of Oklahoma does not have a list. Requested data includes full name, date and place of birth, date and place of death... rank, branch of service, medals earned, obituary, photos and anything that would contribute to the veteran's file. [ normantranscript.com :: 2008-07-29 :: Archives ]

Film of Somme to be shown - First World War footage
Archive footage of Manchester soldiers during the Battle of the Somme is being shown at a one-off screening in the Imperial War Museum. The 80-min film features the Manchester Regiment in a seized German trench as well as Lancashire Fusiliers under heavy gunfire. Released in 1916 the film has been digitally remastered. Experts think that the footage is the earliest in existence showing soldiers being killed in battle. Screening will be set against a background of WWI collections and live music. The footage will run alongside portraits of 125 fallen soldiers and a stop-frame propaganda film made for British Home Front audiences. [ manchestereveningnews.co.uk :: 2008-07-26 :: Films, Movies & Footage ]

History buffs who pleaded for WWI militaria get 2ft German bayonet
History buffs who called for First World War memorabilia got more than they asked for when they were offered a 2ft bayonet which once belonged to a German soldier. The Great War relic was handed over to Ladywood History Group by Gertie Grice, who was handed the bayonet by her dad Frank Webster, who served in the trenches of Western Front. The bayonet will go on show in an exhibition to mark the 90th anniversary of the end of the conflict. [ birminghammail.net :: 2008-07-26 :: WWI Combat Knives ]

Museum honors WWI hero with action miniature figure - With Enfield rifle and a helmet
An 11 1/2 -inch-tall action figure of First World War hero Alvin C. York, custom-made for the Liberty Memorial, is available in the museum store and online at www.libertymemorialmuseum.org. The action figure has a miniature Enfield rifle, a pistol and a helmet modeled after items in the National World War I Museum's collection. Numbered, limited-edition figures for collectors are $40, non-numbered ones are $30. [ -kansascity.com :: 2008-07-26 :: National WW1 Museum in America ]

First World War veteran John Babcock marks 108th birthday - feted in Canada, US
Canada's last living World War I veteran will mark his 108th birthday with parties in two countries. John Babcock lied about his age and enlisted when he was only 15. His age was discovered before he was shipped for Europe and he was placed in a boys brigade, where he was serving when armistice was declared. He plays down questions about whether he should get a state funeral. Babcock said he never saw action and does not see himself deserving of such an honour. "I don't think it should be just for me, there should be something for all veterans. There should be something recognizing all WWI soldiers and all the boys who died. They were a fine, fine bunch of guys." [ thewhig.com :: 2008-07-24 :: Canada and Native Indians ]

Tracking down a member of First World War tank crew
Military historians are tracking down relatives of Private William Galway - a gunner in the Tank Corps who died during the Battle of Cambrai in 1917. Galway was a crew member in one of the new weapons which breached the German Hindenburg Line at a village Flesquieres. "10 years ago, one of the 378 fighting tanks which took part in the British attack was recovered from the battlefield... D51, known as Deborah, was in remarkably good condition... She was traced by a local historian Philippe Gorczynski, who has now installed Deborah as the centrepiece of what he hopes will be a permanent museum to mark the battle," explained Rob Kirk. [ belfasttelegraph.co.uk :: 2008-07-22 :: WWI battle tanks ]

The First World War (August 1914 to November 1918) is also known as the Great War, The War to End All Wars, World War I and WW1.

Many of the bloodiest battles in military history occurred during the First World War. In trench warfare hundreds of soldiers died for each yard of land captured. Artillery with fragmentation shells caused the most casualties and made massed infantry attacks futile.

First World War in the News is an edited review of hand-picked World War I 1914-1918 articles.