The spark that lit a thousand fires: The assassination of Archduke Franz...
28th June 1914. Archduke Franz Ferdinand had an appointment in Bosnia to oversee some army manoeuvres. He didn’t expect to be welcomed with open arms on this trip, the Archduke was the heir to the...
View ArticlePeacocks & Chess Moves: The start of the First World War
100 years ago today the empire of Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia and officially started the First World War, but how did Europe go from relative peace to all out war in a matter of weeks? After...
View ArticleMons 1914: The big kick off
One Hundred years ago today the British Army fought its first battle of the First World War at Mons in Belgium. The initial contingent of soldiers and guns sent to stop the German juggernaut was tiny...
View ArticleMerry Christmas Fritz! The 1914 Truce
By the end of 1914 it was apparent that the First World War would be a war fought differently to those before. It would be a war with no glamour or glory, but one of grit and determination. It was a...
View ArticleSix VC’s Before Breakfast: The Gallipoli Landings
100 years ago today (25th April 2015) the Allies commenced seaborne landings on the Gallipoli peninsular (now named Gelibolu in modern day Turkey). There are many commemorations and services taking...
View Article14 facts on the Battle of the Somme
The battle of the Somme kicked off on 1st July 1916 after a massive eight day Allied artillery bombardment, the likes of which had never been seen before. Many of the men who went ‘over the top’ that...
View ArticleTwelve facts from the Battle of Verdun
One hundred years ago today the Battle of Verdun started. It would turn out to be one of the biggest, baddest and most costly battles in the history of battles. Here are twelve tremendous facts about...
View ArticleNot Quite Trafalgar: The Battle of Jutland
The Battle of Jutland was the largest naval battle of the First World War and has recently been described as the battle that won the war. This may be a bit over-optimistic but there is no doubt that...
View ArticleThird Ypres: Mud, Blood, But Not All Bad
Today is the 100th anniversary of the start of the Third Battle of Ypres. The press are giving it a lot of air-time today, which is always good but the general mood of the commentary has been somewhat...
View Article‘First Shot’ US Gun on display at West Point
On 23rd October 1917 the US Army fired its first shot in anger on the Western Front. One hundred years on and the field gun that did the shooting is on display at the US Army Military Academy Museum at...
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