Uncategorized: Facts - First World War

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Poland didn't even exist, but they formed Polish army during the First World War
The small group of graves is different from the others in St. Vincent de Paul cemetery. Surrounded by a small iron fence, the 25 graves bear the emblem of a white eagle, the symbol of a free Poland. In these graves are some of the bravest men in Poland's history, says Henry Radecki. They were newly emigrated Polish-Americans when they travelled from the U.S. to Niagara-on-the-Lake to train for an independent Polish army. Poland didn't even exist at the time, having been occupied for 123 years by other countries. 20,000 trainees went through Niagara-on-the-Lake 1917-1919, outnumbering the town's residents. [ stcatharinesstandard :: 2008-06-04 :: Uncategorized: Facts ]

Restored First World War barracks hut will open to the public in UK
A newly-restored World War I barracks hut will open to the public - over 90 years after it was constructed. The Cannock Chase Great War Hut is one of the few remaining WWI barracks huts left in the UK. The opening ceremony will be the culmination of several years of hard work by local enthusiasts to bring the historical landmark back to life. A group of 40 historical re-enactors will show visitors how the hut would have been used. History buffs will be able to see the past with displays of infantry and cavalry, and period vehicles on show. [ expressandstar :: 2008-04-24 :: Uncategorized: Facts ]

The famous Zeebrugge raid of 1918
The Zeebrugge Raid was a secret attack that took place on April 23, in 1918. The mission aimed to disarm a German submarine base, letting ships to reach UK and relieve a nation low on food supplies. One of the men who died in the raid was Able Seaman Eduardo Tolra. He joined the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve at the start of WWI and fought at Antwerp in 1914 and in the Gallipoli campaign. "The Royal Marines were told to apply for the Zeebrugge mission, but we think men in the Navy who took part were volunteers," said historian Paul Kendall, who has written "Zeebrugge Raid 1918: The Finest Feat of Arms." [ hamhigh :: 2008-04-04 :: Uncategorized: Facts ]

American WWI Soldier's message in a bottle surfaces
A message in a bottle, which has drifted on the waves of time for 90 years, has been discovered by French archaeologists at Messein - by accident. The bottle contained a letter sent to an American soldier fighting in World War 1 from his "Aunt Pete" in Oklahoma City. The letter gives a jaunty, racist account of life in the US Midwest in July 1918. The letter seems to have reached Sergeant Morres Vickers Liepman, of D Battery, 130th Field Artillery, who was serving with the 35th Division of the American expeditionary force. Sgt Liepman, who survived the war, placed the letter in the bottle and buried it - maybe to preserve it during a German bombardment. [ independent :: 2008-02-10 :: Uncategorized: Facts ]

Swingers make love, not war, at Vimy Ridge WW1 Memorial
The Canadian National Vimy Memorial in France has become a meeting place for those looking for kinky sex. A couple appeared at the court in Arras on charges of sexual exhibitionism at the First World War memorial. A spokesman for Veterans Affairs Minister said the Canadian govt hopes court will send a message that "inappropriate behaviour will not be tolerated." La Voix du Nord noted the inconsideration of people indulging in acts on sacred grounds. "In the minds of Canadians, the historical site of Vimy nearly marks the birth of their country. If we dare sully the memory of those soldiers who died during WWI, it's the whole country that we sully." [ theglobeandmail :: 2008-01-23 :: Uncategorized: Facts ]

7 Hearts players died after the entire squad enlisted
Hearts players wore a commemorative strip in honour of the club's war dead at game against Aberdeen. Seven Hearts players died following the entire first team squad's decision to enlist for the Great War in 1914 - the first British club to do so. "At that time in November 1914 many people believed that the team was the best ever to wear maroon." [ scotsman :: 2007-11-20 ]

Children of the Great War 1914-1918
The First World War saw the biggest loss of fathers in modern British history - and those that did return carried the mental and physical scars. When war began in 1914 over 2million men volunteered to serve King and country. Fathers enlisted alongside young, single men in a wave of patriotic fervour, resulting over 500,000 children lost their father in WWI. But what of the children haunted by the heroism of dads they barely knew? "She told me my father was dead and I would have to be the man of the house. I thought 'mum, I'm only 5 years old'. But I had to stand up and be counted - and I did." said Donald Overall. [ bbc :: 2007-11-10 ]

Whatever happened to Armistice Day?
Armistice: the temporary suspension of hostilities by agreement between opponents - a prelude to peace negotiations. Truce. Veterans Day wasn't always Veterans Day, and it was originally as much about peace as it was about veterans. It was America sighing a big sigh of relief at the outcome of a horrendous endeavor. In 1919 President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed Nov. 11 the first Armistice Day, and it came about this way: The War to End All Wars had ended. This "Great War For Civilization," so named on the back of the US Victory Medal, ended with an armistice between Germany and the Allies, signed at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918. [ readitnews :: 2007-11-08 ]

Army begins Washington dig for WWI-era munitions, mustard gas
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is beginning a major dig for First World War chemical munitions near American University and the South Korean Ambassador's residence. It is the 4th excavation on or near the Washington, D.C., campus in 15 years, since the discovery of disposal pits from the Army's former chemical warfare station - used for developing and testing weapons. The artillerary could contain toxic agents such as mustard gas. The latest site is the "last known burial pit." [ iht :: 2007-11-02 :: Chemical Warfare ]

Thelma Bonnett used live artillery shell as a doorstop for 20 years
For decades the 7-inch-long shell had been a memento, polished and given pride of place on the mantlepiece. World War 1 relic also served as a toy and for the past 20 years as a front doorstop. At any time during those years it could have exploded. The German squat shell was live, packed with its original payload and with its firing mechanism primed, experts said. It was only when a neighbour saw the shell outside her door that the danger became clear and the Royal Navy bomb disposal experts summoned. [ dailymail :: 2007-07-06 :: Uncategorized: Facts ]

World War I tunnel 'messages' exhibition
A photographer David Gepp hopes to solve the mysteries behind messages left in a railway tunnel by soldiers before they went to fight in WWI. He is to exhibit pictures of the graffiti scrawled by recruits at Berwyn, Denbighshire, in the hope their families will come forward. One message, written by a soldier who died in the war, is believed to read: "I want this baby." Some locals have known of the existence of the messages, but their history has never been publicly examined. "...a great number were written by the young men of the town heading off to WWI. It became a real obsession trying to discover who they were and what fate befell them in the trenches." [ bbc :: 2007-07-06 :: Uncategorized: Facts ]

Soldier's son documents history, wants others to get involved
Henry Beaver guarded the Texas border against raids by the bandit Pancho Villa, trained at a Camp Cody, and went overseas as part of a WW1 signal corps. Photographs record those early camp days, and letters tell of sandstorms, drills and mountain trips. Now Larry Beaver is making sure Camp Cody is preserved. He hopes locals will share the stories of their ancestors via a Camp Cody website. "Many of them have little knowledge of grandpa's involvement in World War I. Others have a box or more of memorabilia they don't know what to do with ... There is a lot of great military history, genealogical data, postcards that should find a good home..." [ fremonttribune :: 2007-05-23 :: Uncategorized: Facts ]

After 88 years, golf club finally lifts its ban on Germans
It was just after World War 1 and at Filton Golf Club they were in an unforgiving mood. In May 1919, members voted to ban Germans and Austrians from playing at the 18-hole course in Bristol, or even entering the clubhouse. Now, however, rule has finally been scrapped. 9 members of the club were killed in the war. "It must have been passed because there was so much hatred of the Germans for causing such loss of life during the war." [ thisislondon :: 2007-05-19 :: Uncategorized: Facts ]

Antique Cars of Russian Rulers Displayed
An exhibition of antique machinery has opened in Moscow. The exposition "For the 100th anniversary of the Emperor's Garage" presents over 30 unique cars, which served country's rulers, from Nikolas II to Mikhail Gorbachev. Majority of exhibits will be displayed for the first time. A hundred years ago, on March 1, 1907 Russia saw the creation of the Emperor's Garage with the most luxurious cars, such as Delaunay-Belleville, Mercedes, Rolls-Royce, and Russo-Balt. By the beginning of World War 1, Nikolas II had the biggest personal garage among all European monarchs. [ russia-ic :: 2007-03-10 :: Uncategorized: Facts ]

UE Theatre presents an engaging '1918'
Doughboys who've survived French trenches and no-man's lands can look forward to glinting medals, patriotic speeches and triumphant parades when they return home from World War 1. There's no fanfare for Horace and Elizabeth Robedaux who've lived through an influenza pandemic as deadly and devastating as the shells, gases, bullets and bayonets braved by the boys in Europe. These hometown survivors include unheralded heroes who may quietly question their faith and fate but soldier on with an unspoken courage, grace and humanity in the University of Evansville Theatre's production of Horton Foote's "1918." [ courierpress :: 2007-02-20 :: Uncategorized: Facts ]

Postcard from World War 1 trenches delivered 90 years late
A postcard sent 90 years ago from a soldier fighting in France to his girlfriend in Colerne has turned up in a Chippenham postal office. The card, sent by Walter Butler as he fought in the trenches of the First World War, was found by Post Office sorting staff. How the postcard turned up so long after it was sent is still a mystery. Butler's daughter Joyce Holbert said: "The soldiers couldn't send much back to their families when they were fighting, so all the card would have told my mother was that he was okay and had his signature on it, but that was about it. This is obviously one that she never got." [ thisiswiltshire :: 2007-02-16 :: Uncategorized: Facts ]

WW1 poet's last post of hope from a tiny cellar - Wilfred Owen
After 4 years of trench warfare, only a few days of fighting were left. The Germans were falling back, although putting up a stiff rearguard defence, and the Allies were in hot pursuit. Poet Wilfred Owen describes the scene in the crammed cellar as his unit cavort around. There he wrote to his mother. Four days later, Owen was killed as he and his men came under machinegun fire trying to cross the Sambre-Oise canal. His mother opened the War Office telegram informing her of his death on Nov 11 - just as bells were ringing out to celebrate the Armistice. The cellar is set to open, providing a meeting point of the poetry of war. [ nzherald :: 2007-01-29 :: Uncategorized: Facts ]

Oral Histories of the First World War - Veterans 1914-1918
Library and Archives Canada, in collaboration with the Department of Veterans Affairs and the CBC, launched a web exhibition featuring recorded interviews of vets who served in the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the First World War. Oral Histories of WWI is divided into 7 sections: Second Ypres, Vimy Ridge, War in the Air, The Somme, Trench Warfare, Passchendaele and Perspectives on War. Each section is made up of 1-on-1 interviews from In Flanders Fields, a CBC radio broadcast that ran from Nov. 11, 1964 to March 7, 1965. The broadcast, divided into a 17 part-series and 350 hours long, was put together by the CBC. [ collectionscanada :: 2006-11-17 :: Uncategorized: Facts ]

Interviews of last surviving World War I vets to air
The two-hour program 'World War I Living History Project,' a series of interviews of the US' last surviving WW1 veterans, will air at 8 a.m. Saturday on 104.7 FM The Rocket and Armed Forces Radio Network. The show is an effort of historical preservation to record the stories of centenarians who fought during the 1914-1918 War. The interviews are being recorded in audio and video formats and will be archived in Library of Congress. [ enidnews :: 2006-11-10 :: Uncategorized: Facts ]

The First World War in Africa - Military Operations in the Colonies
Covering events in the German colonies of Togoland, the Cameroons, South-West Africa, and East Africa, The First World War in Africa was a chapter of the monumental 1200 page To Arms, the first volume of a planned trilogy on WWI. In it Hew Strachan describes military operations in their broader context, rarely delving into the details of battles. Medicine and logistics were critical: most casualties were the result of diseases, while even company-sized units required the support of porters in enormous numbers. Tens of thousands were employed as soldiers, but hundreds of thousands or even millions as porters. [ dannyreviews :: 2006-10-22 :: Uncategorized: Facts ]

German World War One Java connection
What do a German graveyard in Java and the World War One have to do with Indonesia? Geoffrey Bennett, a Canadian expatriate had discovered a German graveyard hidden high in the mountains of Java. He decided to research the site and put his discoveries into a book "The Pepper Trader." In the middle of this graveyard lies a monument dedicated to the men of the German East Squadron of the First World War. For those unfamiliar with German military designations, the East Squadron was a war ship fleet that included U-boats or submarines. [ rsi :: 2006-10-16 :: Uncategorized: Facts ]

The poets' battle -- Battle for Mametz Wood
When the battle for Mametz Wood came to an end, some 4,000 soldiers of the 38th (Welsh) Division was either dead or injured. Even though the Welsh prevailed, the 5-day battle would leave the 38th so badly mauled that it would not return to action for over a year. But few realise just how many of the greatest poets and writers of the age were fighting along that narrow front. Along with Llewelyn Wyn Griffith, there were the poets Siegfried Sassoon, David Jones and Robert Graves - who would write in A Dead Boche: "Today I found in Mametz Wood, A certain cure for lust of blood." [ icnetwork :: 2006-07-13 :: Uncategorized: Facts ]

The Somme and Tolkien -- Wilfred Owen and World War I
The first day of the Battle of the Somme was the bloodiest in the whole history of the British Army. One of those who survived that first assault was the young JRR Tolkien. We might expect those months of unremitting horror in the trenches of the Somme to have fed into, and coloured, the ferocious battles and scenes of slaughter in Tolkien's three-part Lord of the Rings. The poet Wilfred Owen was killed in the final week of WW1. His poems offered searing testimony to the way this new kind of war ended any possibility of romanticising personal sacrifice, or elevating the individual in combat to the status of hero. [ bbc :: 2006-07-04 :: Uncategorized: Facts ]

Gravediggers find huge WW1 bomb
Two gravediggers feared death when their shovel hit a 2ft-long unexploded bomb. They thought at first it was a stone and kept on digging. It wasn't until they teased the bomb out of the soil they discovered it was a Howitzer artillery shell. The pair called police and the army bomb squad was drafted in. Howitzers were used to bombard enemy trenches and communications lines during the two world wars. [ mirror :: 2006-06-11 :: Uncategorized: Facts ]

Poppies are a vivid symbol of the terrible bloodshed of war
US Veterans Day is called Remembrance Day in England where they also use the name, "Poppy Day." Artificial poppies were made and sold by the Royal British Legion to raise funds for the support of vets of all military conflicts. The poppy appeared in profusion in the battlefields of Northern France during the First World War. It's bright red color provided a vivid symbol of the terrible bloodshed on the Western Front. On 3 May 1915, Dr. John McCrae, serving with the Canadian Army Corps in Ypres, wrote a poem titled, "In Flanders Fields," which opens with the lines, "In Flanders fields the poppies blow -- Between the crosses, row on row, -- That mark our place." [ zwire :: 2006-05-25 :: Uncategorized: Facts ]

A boxcar that transported U.S. troops during WWI stops
A piece of World War I military history is parked on Seventh Avenue in Albany. There, anchored to a low-boy, is a narrow-gauge French boxcar, one of hundreds that transported American soldiers from French ports to the front during the Great War. The boxcar, known as a "Forty & Eight," will be in Albany until Monday morning when it leaves for its permanent home in North Bend. It got its name because it could hold either 40 men or eight horses or mules. The stenciled "40/8" insignia can still be seen at the top of the car. [ democratherald :: 2006-05-21 :: Uncategorized: Facts ]

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