If you have heard of the ‘man with the donkey’ then you’ll probably know about John (Jack) Simpson Kirkpatrick’s exploits at Gallipoli ferrying wounded comrades to safety on a donkey. That he was originally from South Shields is well known, but that he was one of a much larger body of men and women from the North East of England who served in various Dominion forces during the First World War is a less familiar aspect of the conflict.
In this project, we’re looking to recruit ‘citizen historians’ (i.e. volunteers) to research the lives and wartime service of ‘Geordies’ in the armies of Australia, New Zealand, Newfoundland, and Canada during World War One. Our ambition is to ‘crowdsource’ research (i.e. recruit a crowd of volunteers to tackle large-scale research projects), thereby collecting information that will help us to understand why ‘Geordies’ emigrated and how these journeys relate to their wartime movements and even post-war locations of settlement.
This website provides information about how to volunteer and resources to help volunteers research the lost lives of the ‘Geordies’ who fought in Dominion land forces in World War One. As research progresses, we will build up the database and make it available to the public.

http://dominiongeordiesinww1.co.uk/
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Conscription-

Quebec's battle against conscription was a defining moment, sowing the seeds of resentment that 50 years later would sprout into the independence movement

MONTREAL – Demonstrations turn violent as protesters smash windows and vandalize stores. A bomb rips through the home of a prominent anglophone newspaper publisher. A member of the provincial assembly tables a motion calling for Quebec independence. The federal government declares martial law. Troops fire on demonstrators, killing innocent bystanders.
No, we’re not talking about the turbulent 1960s and ‘70s, when the rise of the sovereignty movement roiled Quebec society.
Long before the Maple Spring student protests of 2012, long before the 1970 October Crisis, Quebec’s sense of alienation from the rest of Canada had its defining moment.
The 1917-18 conscription crisis bitterly divided French- and English-speaking Canadians and doomed the federal Conservative Party to spend most of the 20th century in opposition. It marked the point when leading Quebec intellectuals stopped believing in the dream of Canada as the union of two founding cultures. It sowed the seeds of resentment that 50 years later would sprout into the Quebec independence movement.

Front page of defunct Montreal newspaper La Patrie from April 2, 1918. The conscription crisis that gripped the province during the First World War came to a head during what has come to be known as the Easter Riots of 1918. During several days of rioting and street battles in Quebec City, four civilians were killed and dozens were injured.
Archive photo, Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec

But what was the conscription crisis really about? In fact, the social unrest in Quebec over compulsory military service defies easy interpretation, says historian Béatrice Richard, an associate professor and head of the department of humanities and social science at St-Jean Royal Military College.
Canadians tend to perceive the Great War through the lens of cultural stereotypes, she said.
“When you read an English-Canadian version of the First World War, it is very much focused on military operations, heroic feats and especially Vimy,” she said, referring to the battle of Vimy Ridge on April 9-12, 1917, a brilliant victory that cost 10,000 Canadian lives and came to symbolize Canada’s emergence as an independent nation.
The fact that French-Canadians resisted conscription “reinforces the idea that they were cowards, that they didn’t want to fight, that they were not loyal,” Richard said.
In contrast, for many Quebec francophones, the conscription crisis is the pre-eminent event of the First World War.
“In Quebec, Vimy means absolutely nothing to people. But for Quebec francophones with a bit of education, the First World War was about the conscription crisis,” she said.
“For French-Canadians, it’s a marker of identity, and also of pride, for having resisted,” she added.

First World War recruitment poster aimed at French-Canadians
Rare Books and Special Collections, McGill University Library

As historian Desmond Morton has noted, in Quebec, the deaths of the four people killed during the Easter riots of 1918 in Quebec City loom larger than those of the 60,000 Canadian soldiers who died and the countless more injured in the Great War.
“We’re stuck with this storyline, that the French-Canadians rebelled against a law forcing them to take up arms to fight overseas to defend an imperialist war,” Richard said.
“It’s much more complicated than that,” she said, “And I would say that is true as much on the English-Canadian side as on the French-Canadian side.”
On May 13, 1918, Mme. Paul J. Cloutier, a widow with eight children in Notre-Dame-du-Lac, near Rivière-du-Loup, wrote to Colonel Joseph-Philippe Landry, the commanding officer for the Canadian Forces in Quebec City, begging him to spare her eldest son from military service.
Without the help of her boy, who had just turned 20, she could not support the family, wrote Cloutier, who ran a temperance hotel (one where no alcohol was served) and had a small farm. “If my sole support is taken away, which would certainly contribute to killing me, what would become of my other children in the difficult circumstances we are in?” she pleaded, adding she was placing her letter “under the protection of the Sacred Heart.”
Such stories were legion in a province with a large rural population facing rising prices and a shortage of manpower because of the war.

Madame Paul J. Cloutier, a widow with eight children in Notre-Dame-du-Lac near Rivière-du-Loup, wrote to Colonel J.P. Landry, the commanding officer for the Canadian forces in Quebec City, begging him to spare her eldest son from military service. Without the help of her boy, who had just turned 20, she could not support the family, wrote Cloutier, who ran a temperance hotel (one where no alcohol was served) and had a small farm. “If my sole support is taken away, which would certainly contribute to kill me, what would become of my other children in the difficult circumstances we are in?” she pleaded, adding she was placing her letter “under the protection of the Sacred Heart.” Such stories were legion in a province with a large rural population.
Handout photo, Library and Archives Canada

“We shouldn’t forget that Quebec in that era was still a largely rural, pre-industrial society where subsistence farming was predominant, a type of agriculture with little mechanization that required abundant male labour. That meant that every pair of arms counted,” Richard said.
Jingoistic appeals to British imperial pride fell on deaf ears in Quebec, while the idea that Quebecers should spring to the defence of their former mother country, France, failed to galvanize support.
“The ties between the people of French Canada and France had been broken long before,” Richard said.
“On top of that, there’s the fact that French-Canadians’ religious education had left them with the memory of a France that had abandoned them, a France that had had a revolution, that was a secular republic, a republic with no religion, an anti-clerical republic,” she said.

Related stories:

Francophones, who represented almost 30 per cent of the population, made up only about four per cent of Canadian volunteers. Many of those who did sign up were scattered into different English-speaking units where they had few chances to speak their own language and few opportunities for advancement.
Minister of Militia and Defence Sam Hughes distrusted francophones and Catholics and at first refused to authorize any French-language units.
But the second contingent of troops included the 22nd Infantry Battalion, a French-speaking unit which went to France in 1915 and fought with distinction in every major Canadian engagement until the end of the war.
“The 22nd Battalion was French-Canadians’ star battalion. They are very proud of it. It was the battalion that proved that they were not cowards, so it is enormously important,” Richard said.

First World War recruitment poster aimed at French-Canadians. Help the French rooster defeat the Prussian eagle, it reads.
Rare Books and Special Collections, McGill University Library

While the disparity in rates of enlistment between French- and English-Canadians is well known, few people are aware that fully two-thirds of the Canadian volunteers who signed up at the start of the war were born in Britain, noted military historian Desmond Morton.
“The key thing about them is that they’re mostly British-born. This was a period of a great deal of emigration from Britain,” said Morton, Hiram Mills emeritus professor at McGill University.
With high unemployment in the wake of an economic downturn in 1910-11, British immigrants jumped at the chance of steady pay in the Canadian Expeditionary Force, he said.
But as the war dragged on, with staggering loss of life, enrolment sagged, and Prime Minister Robert Borden turned to conscription — the main issue in the bitterly fought election of December 1917, where Conservative Borden’s Unionist team swept English Canada but was shut out in Quebec.

First World War recruitment poster aimed at French-Canadians
Rare Books and Special Collections, McGill University Library

Anglophone voters sent the message that “conscription is something they want for Frenchmen, for the French are yellow, cowardly,” Morton said.
The issue “tore the country apart because here was the majority using its power to enforce service through conscription on young French-Canadians whose parents and friends (didn’t want them to go), and who they themselves didn’t want to go,” he said.
While the issue polarized French- and English-Canadians, Richard noted that the impact of conscription on ordinary people in Quebec and the rest of Canada was not that different.
“The fact is that we know there were people across Canada who didn’t want to submit to conscription, for all kinds of reasons,” she said.
There was also resistance to conscription in rural Ontario and the West and some minorities, like the Doukhobors, a religious group of Russian descent, lost the right to vote in 1917 because of their pacifist beliefs.
But in English Canada — where women handed white feathers, symbolizing cowardice, to men who were not in uniform — there was much greater public pressure to serve.
“The French-Canadian elite in Quebec cooperated much less with the war effort than the elites in English Canada. That’s what made the difference,” Richard said.

First World War recruitment poster aimed at French-Canadians
Rare Books and Special Collections, McGill University Library

Opinion leaders like Henri Bourassa, a grandson of Patriote leader Louis-Joseph Papineau who is best remembered as the founder of Le Devoir, attacked the Borden government for calling on Quebecers to defend the French in Europe while failing to stand up for the rights of francophones at home.
Ontario had recently adopted Regulation 17, eliminating French schooling beyond Grade 2. For Bourassa, a Canadian nationalist who saw Confederation as a pact between the two founding language groups, it was an abject betrayal.
“French-Canadians are being exhorted to fight the Prussians of Europe in the name of religion, liberty and loyalty to the British flag. But shall we allow Ontario’s Prussians to impose their domination at the very heart of Canada’s Confederation, aided and abetted by the British flag and British institutions?” he asked.
The Ontario schools issue “mobilized nationalists like Henri Bourassa,” said Richard, who noted that Bourassa’s nationalism was pan-Canadian at a time when British imperialism was the dominant ideology in English Canada.
“He said yes, Canada has a moral duty to rescue France. But there is a little ‘but’ in there: it’s on the condition that Canada respect the rights of its own citizens at home, that is, Franco-Ontarians,” she said.
“And that issue, the schools issue and Regulation 17, becomes the bone of contention from the start of the war.”

First World War recruitement poster aimed at French-Canadians
Rare Books and Special Collections, McGill University Library

By June 1917, when the government tabled the Military Service Act, opposed by almost all of Quebec’s 53 MPs, anti-conscription sentiment was running high in Quebec, with nightly demonstrations in Montreal and civil disturbances across the province.
Enacted on Aug. 29, it made all male citizens between ages 20 and 45 subject to military service. Exemptions initially granted for farmers were later revoked.
Captain A. Fournier, who toured Montmagny, east of Quebec City, in May and June to recruit volunteers, encountered stiff resistance.
“I received more rocks and insults than new recruits, despite my hard work day and night throughout the county. People are very worked up; they are signing petitions, meetings against conscription are being held everywhere and the two or three recruits who have enrolled are being mistreated,” he reported.
In Shawinigan Falls, a recruiter, Lieutenant Léo van Borren, narrowly escaped being lynched by a mob of 400 chanting, “Down with conscription, down with the cowards, down with van Borren!” writes Jean-Pierre Gagnon in a 1986 history, Le 22e Batallion (canadien-français).
On Aug. 9, 1917, conscription opponents dynamited the summer home in Cartierville of Montreal Star publisher Sir Hugh Graham (shortly afterward granted a peerage as Lord Atholstan), a fervent imperialist and virulent critic of French Canadians’ lack of military spirit. No one was hurt.
On March 28-April 1, 1918, popular unrest climaxed with the Easter Riots in Quebec City, one of the most violent civil disturbances in Canadian history.
It started when two Dominion Police constables, sent to Quebec to track down people trying to evade conscription, stopped a young man, Joseph Mercier, in a bowling alley to ask for his exemption certificate. When Mercier said he didn’t have the paper with him, the constables arrested him. An angry crowd of 2,000 gathered, and refused to be appeased even when Mercier was later released. Rioters broke into a police station and beat up several officers. In the following days, violence spread as crowds hurling rocks and blocks of ice filled the streets.
The Borden government, which had been expecting civil violence, proclaimed martial law and dispatched 6,000 troops from Ontario and Western Canada to Quebec — a massive presence given the pressing need for soldiers on the European front. French-speaking troops were kept in their barracks because the government did not trust them to remain loyal. On April 1, troops fired on the crowd, killing at least four, with more than 150 injured, including soldiers.
The four victims, ranging from age 14 to 49, were all local residents with no known political affiliations. A coroner’s inquest concluded the main cause of the riot was the tactless way Dominion police enforced the Military Service Act.
The dénouement of the conscription crisis left lasting bitterness. For intellectuals like Bourassa, the vision of Canada as the partnership of two founding peoples had been shattered, Richard said.
An ardent Catholic who believed the pope should mediate an end to the war, Bourassa increasingly withdrew from politics into religion, she said.
“Basically, for French-Canadians, the First World War was the failure of Henri Bourassa’s conception of the country,” she said.
“What the First World War showed is that the Canada he believed in, that ideal Canada, was not possible,” Richard said.
“After Henri Bourassa, the person whose influence starts to rise is Lionel Groulx.”
Groulx — cleric, historian and polemicist — drew on the conscription debate to redefine French-Canadian nationalism as the narrative of a valiant people victimized by their French, British and finally Canadian masters: a viewpoint that would lay the foundations for the future independence movement, Richard said.

First World War recruitment poster aimed at French-Canadians Credit.
Rare Books and Special Collections, McGill University Library

In the end, fewer than 48,000 conscripts were shipped overseas and half of those served at the front. “Conscription when it actually came didn’t make as much difference as all that. The death rate among conscripts was very, very low,” Morton said.
“So the actual blood cost of the Military Service Act was rather smaller than you might imagine. But a grievance can exist whether it was based on much,” he said.
While the conscription crisis is a potent symbol for Quebec intellectuals, it is not entirely clear why it aroused such passions among rural and working-class Quebecers, Richard said.
“We don’t really know where it came from. For the most part, these were spontaneous expressions of anger in reaction to a situation that people found intolerable,” she said.
“I’m sure that on the other side of the Ottawa River, the war was also causing problems. We have the proof. The Winnipeg General Strike of 1919 shows that there were also very serious problems,” she said.

Related Stories:

Young Quebec francophones who did volunteer, like A.J. Lapointe, who joined the 189th Battalion in Gaspé in 1916 and served with the 22nd Battalion in France, faced incomprehension and even hostility from their own communities.
“And while we endure hardships, I know people back home in Canada who are gaily having fun today and don’t spare a thought for the little Canadian soldier who is valiantly doing the job he volunteered for,” Lapointe wrote in his memoirs, published in 1919.
“Others will spit scornfully when they think of us, and repeat for maybe the hundredth time that we were wrong to go and put our lives in danger for the sake of France and England.”
mascot@montrealgazette.com
Twitter: JMarianScott
http://ww1.canada.com/home-front/quebecs-conscription-crisis-divided-french-and-english-canada

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WW1 Remembrance Projects

Poppy growing on the Somme battlefield near Thiepval Memorial to the Missing.

This page lists a variety of projects and activities carried out in the spirit of “Remembrance”, specifically to remember the generation of 1914-1918 who lived through the Great War or who were casualties on land, at sea or in the air.
During the Centenary commemoration of the First World War in 2014-2018 many projects of Remembrance are being undertaken by communities, organizations, regional authorities and individuals. Researchers and family historians will undoubtedly be interested to know about the name lists and rolls of honour being researched and compiled. Have a look at the projects below - you may be able to help add some invaluable information to help keep the memory alive of the military personnel and civilians who were involved in the Great War of 1914-18.

Your Project

If you are involved in a project to further knowledge about the First World War, you are looking to find volunteers or you are hoping people can help to contribute information to your project, tell us about your project. Contact us at:

Email: info@greatwar.co.uk

Featured Remembrance Projects

Index to our featured Name Lists, Rolls of Honour, and War Grave Projects:

Arts and Research Projects, Personal Interpretations of Remembrance and more:

Programmes and collections of resources brought together to commemorate the centenary:

Our/Your War Stories (New South Wales State Library)

Australian War Graves Photographic Archive

Headstone for 4567 Serjeant E Beaton, MM, 4th Battalion Australian Infantry, killed 1^st July 1918.

Started in the year 2000 the Australian War Graves Photographic Archive (AWGPA) aims to procure a digital photograph of every single Australian casualty commemorated on a war grave throughout the world.
The AWGPA seeks volunteers to help with the project by way of being a supporter and/or a photographer. The majority of photographs of graves have been taken, but if you think the archive may not have a photograph please make contact. The archive is looking to add photographs of local Australian war memorials. Pages on the AWGPA website can be sponsored financially or in kind. Websites can link to the project to show support.
To find out more see our page at:
Australian War Graves Photographic Archive

British War Graves: War Graves Photographs

This is a project led by Mick McCann and other volunteers to establish an archive of photographs of British war graves in the United Kingdom and around the world. Photographs of the graves are supplied free of charge.

Website: www.britishwargraves.co.uk

Lijssenthoek Project (Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery)

The search is on for information about each of the 10,755 identified casualties in the cemetery.

A project to build a new visitors' centre at Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery was started in 2009 and the centre was completed in 2012. An important part of the project has been to collect stories about as many of the 10,000 casualties buried in the cemetery as possible.
If you have a relative or research information about a casualty buried in this cemetery the project would like to hear from you. For details of who to contact see our page at:
Lijssenthoek Project

Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum Database Project)

The IWM has launched a website to create a permanent digital memorial, asking people to add content onto the website to provide details of the men and women listed on this huge database. Help the IWM piece together the Life Stories of over 8 million men and women from across Britain and the Commonwealth who served in uniform and worked on the home front during the First World War.

Website: www.livesofthefirstworldwar.org

The Maple Leaf Legacy Project

This is a photographic project in memory of Canada's war dead. With the help of volunteers the aim is to photograph every Canadian war grave from the South African War (1899-1902) to the present day. To find out more and how you can help visit the website.

Website: www.mapleleaflegacy.ca

Names List Project (West Flanders, Belgium)

This project is co-ordinated by the In Flanders Fields Museum (Ypres) and GONEWEST (Westhoek Remembrance Programme 2014-18). The aim is to compile a register of all the civilian and military victims who died in the Westhoek (West Flanders) region of Flanders in Belgium as a result of the First World War. Students and school groups are invited to contribute to the work of this project as volunteers. For information, to search the list and find out how you can contribute see the In Flanders Fields Museum website:

Website: www.inflandersfields.be Name List

New Zealand War Graves Project

The New Zealand War Graves Trust is undertaking a project to compile a photographic and digital archive of New Zealand war memorials, graves and individuals who served in conflicts from the South African War of 1899-1902 to the present day. To find out more visit the website.

Website: www.nzwargraves.org.nz

North East War Memorials Project

The North East War Memorials Project was set up to record the war memorials located in the north-east of England encompassing the counties of Northumberland, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Durham. The NWEMP is working closely with the War Memorials Archive (formerly the National Inventory of War Memorials) and is now forming the north-east part of the national project to archive all the war memorials in the United Kingdom.
For more information about the project in the north-east and how you can get involved see the website:

Website: www.newmp.org.uk

Passchendaele Roll of Honour Project

The Memorial Museum Passchendaele 1917 in Zonnebeke, Belgium, is carrying out a project to put faces and stories to the names of the dead and missing of the Battle of Passchendaele 1917. Contributions to the Roll of Honour will help to create a personal record with photographs, family documentation and information from military sources.
If you have an ancestor who fought in the Third Battle of Ypres during July to November 1917 and if they died in action or died of their wounds and you have information about the person the Memorial Museum Passchendaele 1917 would like to hear from you. For more information you can email or visit the museum's website to download a questionnaire to fill in details of your ancestor.

Email: archives@passchendaele.be

Website: www.mmp.zonnebeke.be Archives Project

St. John Ambulance Volunteers Archive Records

The moving testimonial of a St John Ambulance nurse who volunteered to save soldiers’ lives during the First World War is soon to be given a new life in digital format, as part of a project funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF). The Museum of the Order of St John has received £69,400 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) to tell the story of Veronica Nisbet, a Voluntary Aid Detachment Nurse who served at the St John Ambulance Brigade Hospital in Étaples, northern France during the First World War.
Working in collaboration with staff at the Museum, St John Ambulance Cadets (aged between 10 and 17) will learn new skills as they explore the charity’s wartime heritage and create an interactive learning resource based upon Veronica’s memories. Once complete in September 2015 (the hundredth anniversary of the first convoy of patients arriving at the Hospital in Étaples), the learning resource will be made available in the Museum as well as online to commemorate the 45,000 St John volunteers who, by the end of the First World War, had answered the call for Voluntary Aid to support the Armed Services. Additionally, the funding received will enable the Museum to increase public access to the fascinating First World War materials in its St John Archive including diaries, photographs and official correspondence with the War Office.
To find out about the project and how to access the records you can visit the museum website:

Website: www.museumstjohn.org.uk

South Africa War Graves Project

The aim of the project is to photograh the grave of every South African and Rhodesian war grave from the 2nd Anglo-Boer War to the present day. Visit the website to find out more and to view the research compiled to date.

Website: www.southafricawargraves.org

The Thiepval Database Project

Some of the 600 photographs featured on the panel located in the Thiepval Visitor Centre.

Since 2004 Pam and Ken Linge have been compiling a database of photographic and biographical details for the 72,000 officers and men commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing. Anyone with information about a relative or research material for a soldier commemorated on this memorial is invited to contact the project. For more information go to our page at:
Thiepval Database Project

The War Graves Photographic Project

Flatiron Copse Cemetery, Mametz, Somme battlefield.

The War Graves Photographic Project is a voluntary project to create a photographic record of every British and Commonwealth war grave and memorial inscription from the First World War.
The War Graves Photographic Project

Artistic and Academic Projects, Personal Interpretations of Remembrance and more:

“And We Were Young” Animation Film Project

Animator Andy Smetanka has successfully achieved his goal of finding funding for a full length animated documentary about the experience of the United States Army in the Great War. Andy has the First World War as one of his main interests. He proposes making an animated documentary of the American involvement on the Western Front. This unusual and original interpretation of the soldiers in the First World War will combine animated silhouettes and cut paper with the words of soldiers who were there.
A trailer for the proposed animation project can be seen at:
Website: http://youtu.be/dIUlMwsikmg (47 seconds)
To find out more about Andy's project and his “Work in Progress” you can see a 4 minute video of Andy describing the project so far at:

Website: http://vimeo.com/48854875 Work in Progress

The Army Children of the First World War

“The Army Children of the First World War” project has been established by The Army Children Archive (TACA) as part of the First World War Centenary Partnership, led by IWM (Imperial War Museums).
TACA highlights the plight of the army children of the First World War primarily visually, using two online galleries of images accessed via Flickr:

The Army Children of the First World War: Faces and Families consists of a set of photographic portraits of army children and their families photographed between 1914 and 1918. Ten images have initially been posted, after which further images will be added weekly. Any known information about the faces and families pictured, or any clues offered by the photographs themselves, accompany the images. Viewers are invited to fill any information gaps and, if possible, to identify these forgotten faces.
The Army Children of the First World War: a Sentimental View displays a selection of First World War-era sentimental postcards and ephemera featuring army children, and children generally. Many of these images were intended to tug at the heartstrings; others, to arouse patriotic feelings; another category reflects, through the prism of childhood, national preoccupations during the Great War. The initial ten images will similarly be augmented weekly.

To find out more or to make a contribution to the project you can contact TACA at the website:

Email: www.archhistory.co.uk Contact Form

Website: www.archhistory.co.uk 14-18

Website (The Army Children Archive - TACA): www.archhistory.co.uk

Flanders Fields 1914-2014 Memorial Garden

The Guards Museum in London commissioned the Flanders Fields 1914-2014 Memorial Garden to be constructed in Wellington Barracks near the Guards Chapel. The garden was unveiled on 6 November 2014 at a special ceremony.
For more information about the Flanders Fields Memorial Garden see the website:

Website: www.memorial2014.duo.be Memorial Garden

Gateways to the First World War Project (University of Kent)

Gateways to the First World War is a centre for public engagement with the Great War centenary. The project is funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC). The aim of the project is to encourage and support public interest in the centenary through a range of events and activities. These include open days, study days, advice on access to materials, expertise and resources.

Website: www.gatewaysfww.org.uk

The LMS Patriot Project

LMS Patriot steam locomotive. (Photo by kind permission of The LMS-Patriot Project. Photographer: David Wilcock)

This is a project to build a Patriot Class steam locomotive from scratch. The project aims:

To build a new 'Patriot' steam locomotive to the original Sir Henry Fowler parallel boiler design compatible for running on the mainline.
To create the new National Memorial engine, which will be named “The Unknown Warrior”.
To complete the engine in time for the 100th Anniversary of the Armistice in 2018.

For further details see our page with links to the LMS Patriot Project at:
The LMS Patriot Project

Legacies of War

A project run by colleagues at the University of Leeds who have research interests in the First World War. The project will organize cultural events in Leeds during 2014-2018. The research and activities during the centenary years will be structured around 5 themes: Yorkshire and the Great War, Culture and the Arts, Science and Technology, War and Medicine and War and Resistance.
For more information about the project and the events see the website:

Website: arts.leeds.ac.uk Legacies of War

Military Boots Sewing Project: Trent to Trenches (Nottingham City & County 1914-1918)

Name tapes for the Military Boots project.

As Great Britain commemorates the centenary of World War One, artist Joy Pitts has created a work incorporating the names of 520 servicemen and women. The names have been sewn by hand and assembled into an image of a pair of military boots. Joy provided the materials for volunteers to hand-sew the names onto strips of cotton tape which then became part of an art work on canvas depicting a pair of military boots. During World War One it was common for both men and women to sew; repairing clothing at home and in the trenches, embroidering messages to send to loved ones and sewing bandages. This project recalls these activities. To see the finished work, visit Joy's website:

Website: www.joypitts.co.uk/blog/ Joy's Blog

Website: www.joypitts.co.uk Military Boots

Remembrance Image Project

Photographer Simon Gregor is creating a library of creative photographs documenting key sites associated with the First World War. Where possible the photos will be taken at a point in time close to the 100th anniversary of a battle action in the same location. By publishing the images it will create an archive for future generations to see and reflect on.
The images will also be used to create workshops, exhibitions, free resource packs and presentations for students and community groups. In addition to the images photographed for the project, a Twitter feed and a facebook page have been set up so that people can share their own photos with others. See the website for more about the project.

Website: riproject.wordpress.com

Surrey in the Great War: A County Remembers

Website: www.exploringsurreyspast.org.uk

Trench Brothers

Trench Brothers project.

Trench Brothers is a project set up by the independent music charity HMDT to commemorate the achievements and contributions made by ethnic minority forces. The project combines a wide range of curriculum-linked, arts and skills-based activities with a new music theatre work. Recently cited by David Cameron and described as “imaginative and inspiring” by the government’s representative for the First World War Commemorations, Dr Andrew Murrison MP, the project has had an amazing reception from the schools which have taken part in 2014. Trench Brothers (which is for Year 5 and/or 6 students), is now being offered to schools for the summer and autumn terms 2015, and will be repeated again in 2016.
For more information go to the HMDT website:

Website: www.hmdt.org.uk Trench Brothers

WW1 Collections & Resources

Our/Your War Stories

Collections in the New South Wales State Library, brought together in themes to reflect Australia's experience of war. Themes include daily life at the fighting front, love and friendship, children in war, and entertainment for the troops. The collections of archive material include diaries, letters, newspapers, posters and photographs. The library is interested to hear from anyone who may be able to add to the collection or can give additional detail to the stories, photos and mementoes already held there. See the website to find out more about the collections and how you can contribute.

Website: www1.sl.nsw.gov.au

http://www.greatwar.co.uk/organizations/remembrance-projects.htm

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First World War Websites

This list of links contains a multitude of online resources for pictures, audio files, maps, and other multimedia elements related to WWI.
Please note that this is a work in progress; suggestions for additional online academic sources are most welcome. To submit a new resource, please send the website address along with the website title, institutional sponsor, and a short description (see below) to info@1914-1918-online.net.

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General Information

Europe commemorates World War I, Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung
euro|topics provides a press review of the commemoration of World War I in Europe. The review is available in English, French and German.
http://www.eurotopics.net/en/home/debatten/links_2014-02-ersterweltkrieg/

Zeitmaschine 14/18
This website allows visitors to experience some of the elements of World War I first hand. The visitors of the site can choose a virtual character and determine their nationality, age and gender. They are then shown what this character might have felt, heard, tasted, smelt or seen. The website is available in French and German.
http://was-waere-wenn.14-tagebuecher.de/index

1914 - Tag für Tag, Arte
This website documents everyday life before and during the war in articles and pictures. The website is available in French and German.
http://1914tagfuertag.arte.tv/

Blog about Digital Projects on the First World War, Otto Vervaart
Historian Otto Vervaart’s blog presents various digital projects and resources concerning the First World War.
http://digital1418.wordpress.com/

History Guide
A subject catalogue of recommended websites for historians. The catalogue includes metadata from approximately 11,000 websites, including the Clio-Online web directory.
http://www.historyguide.de/

Paths of Memory: 1914-1918
A joint project of Le Mémorial de Caen (France), Haus der Geschichte der Bundesrepublik Deutschland Bonn (Germany), D-Day Museum Portsmouth (Great Britain), Centre Guerre et Sociétés contemporaires Bruxelles (Belgium), Museo de la Paz Gernika-Lumo (Spain) and Istituto per i Beni Culturali, Regione Emilia-Romagna, Bologne (Italy). The website is available in French, English, Flemish, German, Italian and Spanish. The section on World War I features short introductory texts on the war in Belgium, France, Germany, Great Britain and Italy, complemented by maps and images. The material focuses on military operations, the home front and occupation.
http://www.pathsofmemory.net/

Portal Militärgeschichte, Arbeitskreis Militärgeschichte e.V.
This website aims to provide information about all aspects of military history and to help connect those interested in military history. Portal Militärgeschichte has published a number of academic articles on military history, has a list of events, and offers a forum for researchers interested in military history.
http://portal-militaergeschichte.de/

The World War I Document Archive, The Great War Primary Documents Archive
An extensive online collection of conventions, treaties, papers, documents and other primary resources in various languages collected and made available by an American non-profit organization.
http://www.gwpda.org/index.html

The Great War and the Shaping of the Twentieth Century, Public Broadcasting Service
An interactive overview of WWI, complete with timeline, glossary, maps, educational resources, and commentary from historians.
http://www.pbs.org/greatwar/index.html

BBC History: World War One, British Broadcasting Corporation
An interactive overview of the people, places, and events of WWI.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwone/

World War I Centenary, University of Oxford JISC
This website has a collection of educational materials (articles, images, interactive maps, audio and video lectures, and ebooks) on World War I. It uses cross-disciplinary themes to examine the cultural, social, geographical and historical context of the War.
http://ww1centenary.oucs.ox.ac.uk/

La Grande Guerre
Blog reporting about the activities of the German Historical Institute Paris on World War I
http://grandeguerre.hypotheses.org/

International Society for First World War Studies
The website of the International Society for First World War Studies, the largest network of WWI scholars worldwide, provides WWI news, information about upcoming events, job and funding announcements, and a fast-growing collaborative bibliography of First World War Studies.
http://www.firstworldwarstudies.org

Centenary News
The website provides news and information about the upcoming 2014-2018 First World War Centenary and contains news items, videos, details of events, educational resources, and links to articles and blogs.
http://www.centenarynews.com

Mission du centenaire
The "Mission du centenaire de la Première Guerre mondiale" was created by the French Government in 2012 in order to coordinate the Centenary of the First World War.
http://centenaire.org/fr

Carnet du Centre International de Recherche
Historial de la Grande Guerre, Histoire(s) de 14-18 (A Blog from the International Center of Research on the Great War). This French-language blog details the activities of the research center and offers updates on the latest WWI research.
http://1418.hypotheses.org/

Historial de La Grande Guerre (Museum of the Great War)
The website of the Museum of the Great War located in Péronne, France.
http://www.historial.org/
Direct link

Home Front

Recipe for Victory: Food and Cooking in Wartime, University of Wisconsin Digital Collections
Recipe for Victory: Food and Cooking in Wartime is a collection of English and American wartime resources on cooking, gardening and nutrition. It includes titles such as “The eat-less-meat book, war ration cookery”, “Victory breads” and “Preserve eggs for winter use”.
http://uwdc.library.wisc.edu/collections/HumanEcol/WWIHomeCook

On the Homefront: America During World War I and World War II, Library of Congress
An educational site showcasing material such as photographs and posters that illustrate home front contributions during both World War I and World War II
http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/homefront/

Women

BBC Special on Women and World War One, BBC
This BBC special deeply probes experiences of Britisch women durin the First Wolrd War. It examines their roles on the home front, in factories and workplaces, as well as the war's lasting impact on women.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/z9bf9j6

The Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC), National Army Museum
An online exhibition containing WAAC photographs and posters.
http://www.nam.ac.uk/exhibitions/online-exhibitions/waacs-war

Women's War Work during the First World War, Imperial War Museum
A background article on women ion the British workforce during WWI
http://www.iwm.org.uk/history/the-women-war-workers-of-the-north-west

Economy, Industry

War Industry durin the First World War, Imperial War Museum
A background article on the British war industry during WWI
http://www.iwm.org.uk/history/war-industry-during-the-first-world-war

Interactions Front-Home

Bund Deutscher Philatelisten e.V.
A collection of fieldpost 1914-1918
http://www.exponate-online.de/e_exponat.asp?a=1&e=27
Direct link

Media

Art

Art of the First World War
“Art of the First World War” is an international digital collection of 100 paintings on the war. The paintings are categorised by theme, e.g. “The Battlefield”, or “Suffering”.
http://www.memorial-caen.fr/10EVENT/EXPO1418/gb/visite.html #mce_temp_url#

Audio

The Virtual Gramophone, Library and Archives Canada
The Virtual Gramophone hosts a sample of Canadian music from the First World War. It also provides biographical articles of musicians with digitized historical material which explain the musical developments of the time.
http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/gramophone/028011-3010-e.html

100 Jahre Erster Weltkrieg, 1914/2014, Deutschlandradio
This website commemorates the First World War with articles and essays, which can be read, listened to online or downloaded as podcasts. The website is in German.
http://www.deutschlandfunk.de/100-jahre-erster-weltkrieg.1952.de.html

Interaktive Zeitleiste, ARTE
This interactive timeline provides access to audio recordings and music from during the First World War. The content is mostly in German:
http://www.arte.tv/de/interaktive-zeitleiste/1346128.html

Library of Congress, National Jukebox, Historical Recordings
The National Jukebox of the Library of Congress makes historical sound recordings available to the public free of charge. The Jukebox includes more than 10,000 recordings made by the Victor Talking Machine Company between 1901 and 1925.
http://www.loc.gov/jukebox/

Deutsches Rundfunkarchiv (German Broadcasting Archive)
An online archive of doucments and audio files related to important people, events and topics, including some on WWI:
http://www.dra.de/online/index.html

Cartoons

British Cartoon Archive, University of Kent
The British Cartoon Archive at the University of Kent’s Templeman Library holds collections by over three hundred cartoonists. Many of these have been digitised and catalogued, and can be found among the 170,000 digitized items on the BCA website.
http://www.cartoons.ac.uk/

Correspondence

Canadian Letters and Images Project, Vancouver Island University, Department of History
An online archive of the Canadian war experience (various wars, including WWI) as told through the letters and images of Canadians themselves. The collections include correspondence, diaries, photographs, postcards and other miscellaneous items. All correspondence has been transcribed, retaining the original spelling, punctuation and paragraph formatting. When available, the transcriptions are accompanied by scans of the original pages.
http://www.canadianletters.ca

Diaries

Tagebücher und Briefe, Württembergische Landesbibliothek Stuttgart
The Württembergische Landesbibliothek Stuttgart hosts four diaries of participants in World War I, as well as some letters. The materials are in German.
http://www.wlb-stuttgart.de/sammlungen/bibliothek-fuer-zeitgeschichte/themenportal-erster-weltkrieg/tagebuecher-und-briefe/

Film

WW1 – The Definitive Collection, British PathéThis World War I film collection is provided by the British Pathé. It is sorted into over 50 categories and contains more than 100 historical films. The British Pathé was a film, newsreel and music company founded in Britain in 1910, and is now a newsreel archive containing 85,000 films.
http://www.britishpathe.com/workspaces/page/ww1-the-definitive-collection

The Australians at War Film Archive, Australian Government, Department of Veterans' Affairs
The Film Archive “The Australians at War” is an Australian Government initiative designed to film and record the stories of over two thousand war veterans who served from World War I to today in the Australian Defence Force.
http://www.australiansatwarfilmarchive.gov.au/aawfa/index.html

Der Erste Weltkrieg: Eine Filmchronik
This website commemorates the First World War with articles and essays, which can be read, listened to online or downloaded as podcasts. The website is in German.
http://www.deutschlandfunk.de/100-jahre-erster-weltkrieg.1952.de.html

1914-1918, ARD
This media library provides television programmes and articles about the First World War. The website is in German.
http://www.ard.de/home/wissen/ARD_de_Spezial_100_Jahre_Erster_Weltkrieg_1914___1918/629098/index.html

European Film Gateway
The EFG Portal provides access to hundreds of thousands of film historical documents as preserved in European film archives and cinémathèques: photos, posters, programmes, periodicals, censorship documents, rare feature and documentary films, newsreels and other materials.
http://www.europeanfilmgateway.eu/

Early Motion Pictures Collection, USA, 1897-1920, Library of Congress
A collection of film material from the pre-WWI and WWI era.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/paprquery.html

Der moderne Krieg im Film/Modern War on Screen, Erich Maria Remarque-Friedenszentrum Osnabrück
This database presents information on international war and anti-war films of all genres, from feature films to documentaries. It provides details (title, year of production, director, actors, etc.) as well as film abstracts and short biographies of those participating. Furthermore, the database offers information on the films’ whereabouts in national archives, their availability on various media platforms, and selected bibliographic references. A detailed keyword-index enables searching by war, topic, motif or certain film-specific expressions.
http://www.krieg-film.de/

Literature & Poetry

The First World War Poetry Archive, University of Oxford
An online repository of more than 7,000 items of text, images, audio and video. The archive consists of collections of primary material from major poets of the period. This is supplemented by a comprehensive range of multimedia artifacts from the Imperial War Museum, a separate archive of over 6,500 items contributed by the general public (see “The Great War Archive” at http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/ww1lit/gwa/), and a set of specially developed educational resources.
http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/ww1lit/

Newspapers & Magazines

Liste der digitalisierten Zeitungen, Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin
The Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin provides digital copies of 171 German and foreign German-language newspapers. The database and newspapers are in German.
http://zefys.staatsbibliothek-berlin.de/list/

Zeitungen, Universitäts- und Landesbibliothek Bonn
The University and State Library of Bonn provides access to digitalised newspapers from the Rhine region. The database and newspapers are in German.
http://s2w.hbz-nrw.de/ulbbn/nav/classification/229854

Aera
In 2014, the magazine Aera republished newspaper articles that had been published exactly 100 years ago in Germany.
http://www.aera-magazin.de/

British Periodicals
Digitized versions of British periodicals
http://britishperiodicals.chadwyck.co.uk/

The Stars and Stripes: The American Soldiers' Newspaper of World War I, 1918-1919, Library of Congress
The complete edition of the newspaper, “The Stars and Stripes,” published in France by the United States Army from February 1918 to June 1919. The eight-page weekly featured news, poetry, cartoons and sports coverage.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/sgphtml/sashtml/sashome.html

Photo Archive, LIFE Magazine
World War I photographs in the LIFE photo archive, hosted by Google
http://images.google.com/search?q=World+War+I+source:life&biw=1680&bih=899&sei=H6tDT7CyDZHHsga4j7G-BA&tbm=isch

Feldzeitungen aus dem 1. Weltkrieg – online, Universitätsbibliothek Heidelberg
An online archive of 19 German and French language “trench papers” from World War I, digitalized and published by the University of Heidelberg Library.
http://feldzeitungen.uni-hd.de

Die Kriegssammlung der Fürstlichen Bibliothek Detmold, Lippische Landesbibliothek
An online archive of 42 German soldier newspapers from World War I, digitalized by the Lippe State Library (Lippische Landesbibliothek).
http://s2w.hbz-nrw.de/llb/nav/classification/1086972

Jüdische Periodika 1806-1938, Compact Memory, RWTH Aachen University
An online archive of Jewish newspapers and periodicals from 1806 to 1938.
http://www.compactmemory.de/

ANNO – Austrian Newspapers Online, The National Austrian Library
An online archive of Austrian newspapers and periodicals from 1700 to 1941. There is also a section, “Extraausgaben des 1. Weltkrieges,” containing newspapers’ special editions – often only a single page – during WWI.
http://anno.onb.ac.at/

Luxemburgensia online, The National Library of Luxembourg
An online archive of the Luxembourg National Library’s collection of newspapers, periodicals, literature, reference works and post cards. Of primary relevance for WWI research is the postcard collection.
http://www.luxemburgensia.bnl.lu/cgi/home.pl?

Dutch newspaper database 1618-1995, Koninklijke Bibliotheek/Historische Kranten
A collection of Dutch newspapers from 1618 to 1995; Dutch-language only.
http://kranten.kb.nl

World War I Centennial Gallery
An online archive of over 600 articles from English-language magazines that focus on various aspects of the First World War. All articles were published between 1914 and 1918.
http://www.worldwargallery.com

Pamphlets

World War I Pamphlet Collection, UNCG Digital Collections
This collection of 412 pamphlets from the First World War contains pamphlets on military campaigns, women's labour and civilian support of the war.
http://libcdm1.uncg.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/WWIPamp

World War I Pamphlet Collection, Penn Libraries
This collection of World World I pamphlets, hosted by Penn Libraries, contains pamphlets from America, Britain, France and Sweden.
http://dla.library.upenn.edu/dla/print/search.html?fq=collection_facet%3A%22World%20War%20I%20Pamphlet%20Collection%22

Posters

Allied Posters of World War I, Temple University Libraries
This collection, by Temple University Libraries, contains over 1,500 posters from the allied powers in World War I.
http://digital.library.temple.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16002coll9

The War Posters Collections, University of Minnesota Libraries and Hennepin County Library
This collection of war posters includes commercial, government and charitable posters.
http://umedia.lib.umn.edu/warsearch

French World War I Posters, University of Illinois Library
This website presents digitised versions of 105 posters from the University of Illinois Archives that were published in France during the First World War. Each poster is accompanied by a transcription of the French text and an English translation.
http://www.library.illinois.edu/hpnl/WWI_Posters

Canadian Wartime Propaganda, Canadian War Museum
This database of war posters is from the collection of the Canadian War Museum. The database is available in French and English.
http://www.warmuseum.ca/cwm/exhibitions/propaganda/collection_e.shtml

War Poster Collection, University of Washington Libraries Special Collections Division
This database of World War I and II posters, hosted by the University of Washington Libraries Special Collections Division, includes examples of Dutch, German, American and British posters.
http://content.lib.washington.edu/postersweb/

World War Poster Collection, UNT Digital Library
This collection of war posters includes French, American and German posters which exhort the civilian populations to buy war bonds, support the war and help to provide food aid.
http://digital.library.unt.edu/explore/collections/wwpc/browse/?fq=untl_decade%3A1910-1919

American War Posters from the First World War, Bancroft Library
168 digitized American posters from World War I, hosted by Bancroft Library.
http://content.cdlib.org/search?facet=type-tab;brand=calisphere;style=cui;institution=UC+Berkeley%3A%3ABancroft+Library;collection-title=American+war+posters+from+the+First+World+War

Plakat-Datenbank der Bibliothek für Zeitgeschichte: Ausschnitt Erster Weltkrieg, Württembergische Landesbibliothek Stuttgart
This collection of German posters from the First World War, hosted by the Württembergische Landesbibliothek Stuttgart, includes proclamations from German military authorities in the occupied territories. The database and posters are in German.
http://avanti.wlb-stuttgart.de/bfz/wk1plakat/

"TAKE UP THE SWORD OF JUSTICE," British Posters of World War One from the Roger N. Mohovich Collection, Georgetown University
The online exhibition displays 25 British posters created during WWI and held by the Roger N. Mohovich Collection
http://www.library.georgetown.edu/dept/speccoll/britpost/britpost.htm

The Poster War: Allied Propaganda Art of the First World War, Royal Alberta Museum
The virtual exhibit contains 46 posters representing some of the work of Allied poster artists and their Canadian counterparts during WWI.
http://www.royalalbertamuseum.ca/onlineExhibit/posterWar/english/home.htm

Canadian War Posters, McGill University Library Digital Collections
The holdings of the Print Collection in the Rare Books and Special Collections Division include some 250 Canadian posters from the two World Wars, accessible online. The website contains basic descriptions in French and English and images of each poster, an artist index, a search facility, and an essay about Canadian War Posters. The search facility enables users to search by World War, category, artist and keyword.
http://digital.library.mcgill.ca/warposters/

Postcards

14-18: La Suisse en cartes postales (14-18: Switzerland in Postcards), Université de Fribourg
The digital collection “14-18: La Suisse en cartes postales (14-18: Switzerland in Postcards)” was created at the Université de Fribourg with postcards from the holdings of the Swiss National Library in Bern. The postcards have been arranged around six themes, for example “propaganda & ideology” and “humour & satire”. The website is in French.
http://14-18.ch/

War Posters and Postcards, University of Minnesota Libraries and Hennepin County Library
This collection of posters and postcards contains materials from the University of Minnesota Libraries as well as the Hennepin County Library.
http://umedia.lib.umn.edu/node/22163

World War I Postcards from the Bowman Gray Collection, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
This collection of First World War postcards includes French, American and Russian postcards. The database is in English, and English translations are provided for postcards in other languages.
http://dc.lib.unc.edu/cdm/search/collection/graypc

Christmas cards, 1915-1919, National Library of Wales
This collection of 101 Christmas cards received by received by Sergeant Major Fear is held by the National Library of Wales.
http://cymru1914.org/en/view/archive_file/4039940

Les Cartes Postales dans les Fonds de la BDIC, Mission Centenaire 14-18
This website displays postcards from the Bibliothèque de documentation internationale contemporaine (BDIC) collections. They are grouped by theme, with categories such as “Kitsch” and “Barbarians, ogres and assassins … anti-German propaganda in post cards”. The website is in French.
http://centenaire.org/fr/les-cartes-postales-dans-les-fonds-de-la-bdic

Picture Postcards from World War I, zeno.org
An online collection of picture postcards from WWI, grouped by categories such as “regimental jobs” and “beer and games”.
http://www.zeno.org/Bildpostkarten/M/Erster+Weltkrieg

Historische Bildpostkarten, Universität Osnabrück, Sammlung Prof. Dr. S. Giesbrecht: Der Erste Weltkrieg auf der Bildpostkarte
The database contains more than thousand picture postcards produced during WWI, sorted by categories such as “war propaganda” and “music and songs”
http://www.bildpostkarten.uni-osnabrueck.de/index.php?cat=142
Direct link

Post-war

Fronterlebnis und Nachkriegsordnung
This collection of articles focusses on the effects and perception of the First World War. The articles are in German.
http://www.zeitgeschichte-online.de/md=EWK-Inhalt

The Deadly Virus: The Influenza Epidemic of 1918, US National Archives and Records Administration
An online archive of documents and photos showing the course and consequences of the 1918 Spanish flu epidemic that killed 50 million people worldwide.
http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/influenza-epidemic/
Direct link

Power

Parliaments & Politicians

Revolutions

The 1916 Rising: Personalities and Perspectives, National Library of Ireland
The online exhibition/educational resource provides context information as well as a rich variety of material including books, newspapers, photographs, drawings, maps, proclamations and manuscript material (approx. 500 items) on the Irish Easter Rising in 1916.
http://www.nli.ie/1916/1916_main.html
Direct link

Violence

Warfare in General

The Wider War during the First World War, Imperial War Museum
A background article on the war beyond the Western Front
http://www.iwm.org.uk/history/the-wider-war-during-the-first-world-war

The War against Civilians during the First World War, Imperial War Museum
A background article on civilians as targets in war
http://www.iwm.org.uk/history/the-war-against-civilians-during-the-first-world-war

War in the Air during the First World War, Imperial War Museum
A background article on aerial warfare in WWI
http://www.iwm.org.uk/history/war-in-the-air-during-the-first-world-war

Air Aces, Imperial War Museum
A background article on the romanticizing of aviation during WWI
http://www.iwm.org.uk/history/air-aces

Fronts and Campaigns

Campaign Atlas to the Great War, West Point Academy, Department of History
A database of campaign and battle maps from WWI
http://www.westpoint.edu/history/SitePages/WWI.aspx

The Western Front 1918, National Army Museum
An online exhibition displaying photographs with context information on the Western Front in 1918
http://www.nam.ac.uk/exhibitions/online-exhibitions/western-front-1918

The Western Front, Imperial War Museum
A background article on the Western Front in WWI
http://www.iwm.org.uk/history/the-western-front

The Battle of the Somme, Commonwealth War Graves Commission
An online exhibition on the 12 battles of the Somme providing background information, together with campaign maps and photographs from the Imperial War Museum.
http://www.cwgc.org/somme/

Focus on film: The Great War, National Archives Learning Curve
A collection of approx. 10 short clips with background information from The National Archives’ Film Archives. The material is predominantly from 1915-16 and focuses on the Battle of the Somme.
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/focuson/film/film-archive/archive.asp?catID=2&subCatID=3

Virtual Exhibition on the Gallipoli Campaign, Auckland City Libraries
A virtual exhibition on the Gallipolli campaign comprising of contemporary newspaper accounts, photographs and other images.
http://www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/dbtw-wpd/virt-exhib/gallipoli/index.html

Gallipoli: The Drama of the Dardanelles, Imperial War Museum
A collection of video and audio material and photographs, complemented by illustrated documents on key aspects of the campaign
http://archive.iwm.org.uk/upload/package/2/gallipoli/navigate.htm

Soldiers

The Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center (Library of Congress)
A project collecting, preserving and making accessible the personal accounts of American war veterans
http://www.loc.gov/vets/

The Archives of Ontario Remembers Our Canadian War Heroes, The Archives of Ontario
A selection of letters, documents, drawings and photographs from the Archives’ WWI collections
http://www.archives.gov.on.ca/en/explore/online/gray/index.aspx

Prisoners of War in the First World War, Imperial War Museum
A background article on POWs in WWI
http://www.iwm.org.uk/history/prisoners-of-war-in-the-first-world-war

Maps

Atlas of World War I, Wikimedia Commons
This atlas on Wikimedia Commons contains maps of the progression of the First World War, organised by location, date and battle.
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Atlas_of_World_War_I

David Rumsey Map Collection, Cartography Associates
A digitized sample (32,000 items) of the David Rumsey Map Collection (150,000 maps), allowing viewers to access and then compare, analyze and view items in new and experimental ways. The collection focuses on rare 18th and 19th century maps of North and South America but also has maps of the world, Asia, Africa, Europe and Oceania. The collection includes atlases, wall maps, globes, school geographies, pocket maps, and more. Items range from about 1700 to the 1950s.
http://www.davidrumsey.com/

Map Archive, University of Halle-Wittenberg
A German-language collection of more than 100,000 maps, including many relating to WWI
http://bibliothek.uni-halle.de/sammlungen/kartensammlung/

The Geography of the Great War, Frank McMurray
Digitized copy of the 1919 edition of Frank McMurray’s book The Geography of the Great War, containing various maps, photos, and charts listing population and military statistics.
http://freepages.military.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~worldwarone/WWI/TheGeographyOfTheGreatWar/index.html
Direct link

Africa

Image Collection of the German Colonial Society, University Library, Frankfurt a. M.
The collection comprises of approx. 50,000 images and covers the following regions: Togo, Cameroon, Namibia, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, China, Papua New Guinea, Palau, Micronesia, Mariana Islands, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Western Samoa.
http://www.ub.bildarchiv-dkg.uni-frankfurt.de/

Africa and the First World War
International Network for the Study of the Great War in Africa
http://africagreatwar.wordpress.com
Direct link

Austria-Hungary

Erster Weltkrieg, Wienbibliothek
The digital collection “Wienbibliothek Digital: Erster Weltkrieg” provides access to 116,000 newspaper cuttings as well as 1,600 posters and official proclamations about World War I. The website is in German.
http://www.digital.wienbibliothek.at/nav/classification/454168

Technisches Museum Wien mit Österreichischer Mediathek
This website provides a timeline of World War I with audio-visual elements. The website is in German.
http://www.mediathek.at/erster-weltkrieg

ANNO – Austrian Newspapers Online, The National Austrian Library
An online archive of Austrian newspapers and periodicals from 1700 to 1941. There is also a section, “Extraausgaben des 1. Weltkrieges,” containing newspapers’ special editions – often only a single page – during WWI.
http://anno.onb.ac.at/

Austria-Forum
A German-language online encyclopedia containing a wealth of information about all things Austria. The site includes several different lexicons and dictionaries with tens of thousands of entries.
http://austria-lexikon.at/

Bildarchiv (Photo Archive), The National Austrian Library
An online archive of multiple photo collections, including Europeana Travel, Rübelt-Negativarchiv and Esperanto, containing tens of thousands of photos
http://www.bildarchivaustria.at/default.aspx?card=bildarchiv&ausstellung=1695764

The First World War and the End of the Habsburg Monarchy
Online exhibition of Schloß Schönbrunn in Vienna, an innovatice approach to showcasing WW1 history
http://ww1.habsburger.net/en
Frontlines and Hinterland, Institute of Political History, Hungary
Frontlines and Hinterland publishes Hungarian Great War newspaper and periodical excerpts alongside commentaries and short articles. Longer blogposts on selected issues supply the reader with a broader thematic overview. The website is available in English and Hungarian.
http://elsovh.hu/english/
Direct link

Belgium and Luxembourg

Belgium

14-18, RTBF
This website, provided by the RTBF, is a multimedia resource on the First World War in Belgium. The website is available is French and English.
http://www.rtbf.be/14-18

The Belgian War Press
The Belgian War Press presents a digitized collection of over 100 Belgian newspapers which were written or distributed secretly during the First and Second World Wars. In addition, the website offers information on clandestine Belgian newspapers as well as on Belgian press censored during the First World War.
http://warpress.cegesoma.be/en

In Flanders Fields Museum, Ieper, Belgium
The museum’s website contains brief information on WWI in Flanders in French, Dutch, German and English, including a timeline, casualty database, short biographies and poems.
http://www.inflandersfields.be/

Belgian Historical GIS, University of Ghent
Two databases, one of which contains statistics for population, agriculture and industry in Belgium between 1800 and 1961, the other of which consists of hundreds of digitized historical maps documenting the boundary changes between 1800 and 2000.
http://www.hisgis.be/start_en.htm
News of the Great War

A digital collection of press material published in Belgium during the First World War. Users can browse through 360,000 pages worth of trench papers, underground press, newspapers, magazines, pamphlets and leaflets.

https://hetarchief.be/en

Luxembourg

Luxemburgensia online, The National Library of Luxembourg
An online archive of the Luxembourg National Library’s collection of newspapers, periodicals, literature, reference works and post cards. Of primary relevance for WWI research is the postcard collection.
http://www.luxemburgensia.bnl.lu/cgi/home.pl
Direct link

British Dominions

Australia

The Australians at War Film Archive, Australian Government, Department of Veterans' Affairs
The Film Archive “The Australians at War” is an Australian Government initiative designed to film and record the stories of over two thousand war veterans who served from World War I to today in the Australian Defence Force.
http://www.australiansatwarfilmarchive.gov.au/aawfa/index.html

100 Years of Anzac, Australian Government, Department of Veterans' Affairs
This website, run by the Australian Government's Department of Veterans' Affairs, commemorates Anzacs. It provides histories of Australia in World War I and II as well as teaching materials, and tells the stories of veterans.
http://www.anzacportal.dva.gov.au/

Australian War Memorial Collection, The Australian War Memorial
A digitalized collection of war diaries, documents, artwork, photographs, keepsakes and other items detailing the Australian experience of war in a number of different war and peacekeeping operations, including WWI.
http://www.awm.gov.au/search/collections/

First World War Records, National Archives of Australia
Provides digital records of non-operational aspects of Australian involvement in WWI; collection includes images, war correspondence, war diaries and internment camp records, etc.
http://www.naa.gov.au/collection/explore/defence/conflicts.aspx

Canada

Wartime Canada
The educational website “Wartime Canada” features photographs, advertisements, music scores, cartoons, and many other documents that provide insight into Canadians' lives in wartime. The items are organized into ten different categories (e.g. fighting, eating, and working) and accompanied by a brief description. The website is available in French and English.
http://wartimecanada.ca/

Canada and the First World War, Library and Archives Canada
A collection of documents, photographs and maps detailing Canadian involvement in WWI
http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/firstworldwar/index-e.html

Canadian Letters and Images Project, Vancouver Island University, Department of History
An online archive of the Canadian war experience (various wars, including WWI) as told through the letters and images of Canadians themselves. The collections include correspondence, diaries, photographs, postcards and other miscellaneous items. All correspondence has been transcribed, retaining the original spelling, punctuation and paragraph formatting. When available, the transcriptions are accompanied by scans of the original pages.
http://www.canadianletters.ca

The Archives of Ontario Remembers Our Canadian War Heroes, The Archives of Ontario
A selection of letters, documents, drawings and photographs from the Archives’ WWI collections
www.archives.gov.on.ca/en/explore/online/gray/index.aspx

Canvas of War: Masterpieces from the Canadian War Museum, Canadian War Museum
A virtual exhibition displaying works of art related to Canadian military history, listed according to both war and artist
http://www.warmuseum.ca/cwm/exhibitions/canvas/cwint01e.shtml

The Birth of a Regiment, University of Victoria
This website covers the history of Princess Patricia’s Light Infantry. It includes data on over 5,000 soldiers who served in the regiment and a good selection of primary source documents and photos. Sponsored by the University of Victoria, this site was accepted as the MA Thesis for Colonel James S Kempling.
www.birthofaregiment.com

Newfoundland

The Newfoundland Regiment and the Great War, The Rooms Corporation of Newfoundland and Labrador
This website tells the story of the Newfoundland Regiment in World War I. It includes photographs, maps and war diaries, which are integrated into the articles. It also hosts a database containing the military files of many of the regiment’s soldiers.
http://www.rnr.therooms.ca/part1_entering_the_great_war.asp

Newfoundland and the Great War, Newfoundland and Labrador Heritage Web Site
A guide to the Newfoundland experience of the First World War. The website is divided into four sections: articles, images, audio and video
http://www.heritage.nf.ca/greatwar/home.html

Newfoundland Regiment History, Newfoundland’s Grand Banks
This website provides transcripts of Newfoundland military documentation from World Wars I and II. The website also hosts photographs and lists the burial sites of soldiers.
http://ngb.chebucto.org/NFREG/index_main.shtml

New Zealand

Find WW1 Content, First World War Centenary Programme Office
WW100 provides a New Zealand perspective on World War I. The feature “Find WW1 Content” helps with finding audio, video and images related to New Zealand's role in the war.
http://ww100.govt.nz/find-WW1-content

New Zealand and the First World War (Ministry for Culture and Heritage)
This website highlights New Zealand’s role in World War I and the many ways in which the New Zealand population experienced the war. Articles on the website discuss different aspects and events of the war, focusing on New Zealand’s participation.
http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/war/first-world-war

Cenotaph database (Auckland War Memorial Museum)
This database has information on the servicemen who fought in World War I for New Zealand.
http://muse.aucklandmuseum.com/databases/Cenotaph/locations.aspx

Archives New Zealand, World War one records
This website makes the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) Personnel Files for New Zealanders who served in the First World War accessible online.
http://archives.govt.nz/world-war-one
Direct link

European Neutrals

Denmark

1914-1918 Hverdagsliv i krigens skygge (1914-1918 Everyday life in the shadow of war), Skoletjenesten Københavns Befæstning og Greve Museum
The website “1914-1918 Hverdagsliv i krigens skygge“ (1914-1918 Everyday life in the shadow of war) focuses on the impact of the First World War on Denmark. It is divided into eight categories. The website is in Danish.
http://1914-1918.dk/

Den Store Krig (The Great War)
Den Store Krig (The Great War) aims to tell the story of Southern Jutland and South Jutlanders in the First World War. The website is in Danish.
http://www.denstorekrig1914-1918.dk/

Første Verdenskrig 1914-1918 (First World War 1914-1918), Det Kongelige Bibliotek
This project explores Danish neutrality in the First World War. It aims to show the many different grounds for neutrality through describing the lives of seven different people. The website is in Danish.
http://www.kb.dk/da/nb/tema/historie/ww1/index.html

The Netherlands

Amsterdam en de Eerste Wereldoorlog (Amsterdam and the First World War), Stadsarchief Amsterdam
This website on Amsterdam in the First World War is split into five categories: Culture, Daily Life, The Great War, Miltary, Social and Refugees. It is hosted by the Stadsarchief Amsterdam (Amsterdam Municipal Archive) and available in Dutch.
http://amsterdam-eerstewereldoorlog.nl/

Dutch newspaper database 1618-1995, Koninklijke Bibliotheek/Historische Kranten
A collection of Dutch newspapers from 1618 to 1995; Dutch-language only.
http://kranten.kb.nl

Switzerland

France

French World War I Posters, University of Illinois Library
This website presents digitised versions of 105 posters from the University of Illinois Archives that have been published in France during the First World War. Each poster is accompanied by a transcription of the French text and an English translation.
http://www.library.illinois.edu/hpnl/WWI_Posters

Fusillés de la Première Guerre mondiale, Ministère de la défense
This is a database of the soldiers and civilians who were executed summarily or as a result of a military judiciary decision during the First World War. The website is available in English, French, German and Spanish.
http://www.memoiredeshommes.sga.defense.gouv.fr/en/article.php?larub=213

The Bibliotheque de Documentation Internationale Contemporaine (BDIC)
The Bibliotheque de Documentation Internationale Contemporainehas an important collection of photographs, newspapers, and objects related to the First World War, some of which is now available online.
http://www.bdic.fr/la-bdic-et-la-grande-guerre
Material on the First World War from the collections of the Bibliothèque de documentation internationale contemporaine (BDIC) on Flickr.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/98069937@N05/

14-18, Une Guerre Photographique
“14-18, Une Guerre Photographique” provides issues of a “photo-illustrated weekly” as well as an essay on photographic methods during the war. Available in French and English.
http://www.uneguerrephotographique.eu/fr/miroir-menu.php

La Mission du centenaire de la Première Guerre mondiale
La Mission du centenaire de la Première Guerre mondiale was founded in 2012 by the French government to organize, coordinate, and publicize commemorations of the First World War. Contents are available in French, English, and German.
http://centenaire.org/fr

Digitale Bibliothèque Gallica, Bibliothèque nationale de France
A digitalization project containing millions of documents, books, maps, manuscripts, photographs, newspapers, notes and audio clips from the French national library
http://gallica.bnf.fr/

Remembrance Trails of the Great War in Northern France, Comité Régional de Tourisme en Nord-Pas de Calais
The website can be navigated via a map, timeline or different thematic chapters. The articles include external links and archive pictures and are available in French, English, German and Dutch.
http://www.remembrancetrails-northernfrance.com/

Archives Photographiques, La Médiathèque de l’Architecture et du Patrimoine
The online, French-language photo archive provide access to photograph negatives from various wars, including WWI
http://www.mediatheque-patrimoine.culture.gouv.fr/fr/archives_photo/index.html

The Western Front 1918, National Army Museum
An online exhibition displaying photographs with background information on the Western Front in 1918
http://www.nam.ac.uk/exhibitions/online-exhibitions/western-front-1918

The Battle of the Somme, Commonwealth War Graves Commission
An online exhibition on the 12 battles of the Somme providing background information, together with campaign maps and photographs from the Imperial War Museum
http://www.cwgc.org/somme/
Direct link

Germany

Die Julikrise 1914, Auswärtiges Amt
Digitalized documents on the July Crisis from the Political Archive of the Federal Foreign Office. This material is in German.
http://www.archiv.diplo.de/Vertretung/archiv/de/03a-Digitalisate/03a-digitalisate.html

100 Titel "Baden im Ersten Weltkrieg", Badische Landesbibliothek
The Badische Landesbibliothek (BLB) is digitizing 100 books and brochures that were published between 1914 and 1918 and were released by publishers in Baden or had the war in Baden as a subject. The books are in German.
http://digital.blb-karlsruhe.de/Drucke/nav/classification/1300074

Grosser Bilderatlas des Weltkrieges, University of Wisconsin
The University of Wisconsin provides three editions of the “Grosser Bilderatlas des Weltkrieges”, from 1915, 1916 and 1919. The atlas is in German.
http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi-bin/History/History-idx?type=browse&scope=HISTORY.BILDERATLAS

Der Erste Weltkrieg, 1914 – Der Weg ins Verderben, ZDF
This timeline contains pictures, video material and articles about World War I. The timeline is in German.
http://www.1914.zdf.de/#

Der Erste Weltkrieg, Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung
A collection of articles on the First World War with accompanying videos and pictures. The website is in German.
http://www.bpb.de/geschichte/deutsche-geschichte/ersterweltkrieg/

Erster Weltkrieg, Süddeutsche Zeitung
This feature in the “Süddeutsche Zeitung” commemorates the First World War. The newspaper is in German.
http://www.sueddeutsche.de/thema/Erster_Weltkrieg

Themenportal Erster Weltkrieg, Clio-online
This project aims allow easy access to World War I resources. It has a focus on the effect of the war on German and European history. The German-language website provides a metasearch engine and publishes current research and sources in electronic form.
http://www.erster-weltkrieg.clio-online.de/site/lang__de-DE/1/Default.aspx

Wilhelmine Germany and the First World War (1890-1918)
A collection of primary source documents, articles, pictures and maps about the Wilhelmine Period (1890-1918) and the First World War. Available in German and English.
http://germanhistorydocs.ghi-dc.org/section.cfm?section_id=11&language=english

100 Jahre Erster Weltkrieg, Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
This website hosts the First World War Collection of the Deutsche Bücherei. The collection has been partially digitized and published along with short explanatory articles. The website is available in English and German.
http://erster-weltkrieg.dnb.de/WKI/Web/EN/Home/home.html

1914 - Mitten in Europa. Das Rheinland und der Erste Weltkrieg, Landschaftsverband Rheinland
This project commemorates World War I with events, publications and online exhibitions about the war in Rhineland, Germany. The website is in German.
http://www.rheinland1914.lvr.de/de/intro.html

The Bundesarchiv’s (German Federal Archive) portal on the First World War
This portal on the First World War has an impressive digitized collection of over 700,000 documents and photos related to World War I. The website also contains a number of online galleries that focus on specific aspects and events of the war, as well as a collection of panoramic photos from the war.
https://www.ersterweltkrieg.bundesarchiv.de/

First World War Commemoration Website Ettlingen, Germany
A local initiative from the town of Ettlingen, this website offers photos, soldiers’ letters from the battlefield, diaries, newspaper articles, and material cultural objects documenting the experience of soldiers from Ettlingen in the First World War.
http://www.ettlingenww1.blogspot.de

100 Years First World War: Against Forgetting, German War Graves Commission (Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge)
This project from the German War Graves Commission offers a variety of online material, ranging from virtual memorial exhibitions, photos and educational materials on the First World War to a search engine of German war graves and memorial sites.
http://www.100-jahre-erster-weltkrieg.eu/

Europeana 1914-1918 (Erster Weltkrieg in Alltagsdokumenten), European Union
A collection of (photographed) daily objects, as well as digitalized posters, maps, letters, photographs and other items, with accompanying descriptions and background
http://www.europeana1914-1918.eu/de

Images from the Deutsches Bundesarchiv (German Federal Archive) in Wikimedia Commons
A collection of more than 80,000 image files relating to German history, uploaded by the German Federal Archives to Wikimedia Commons in 2008
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:Bundesarchiv
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Images_from_the_German_Federal_Archive

Deutsche Geschichte in Dokumenten und Bildern (DGDB)/German History in Documents and Images (GHDI): Wilhelmine Germany and the First World War (1890-1918), Edited by Prof. Roger Chickering and Dr. Steven Chase Gummer with Seth Rotramel
A comprehensive collection of original historical materials documenting German history from the beginning of the early modern period to the present. The project comprises ten sections, one of which addresses Wilhelmine Germany and the First World War (1890-1918). Each section includes an introduction to key developments in Germany's social, political, and cultural history during the period, as well as a selection of primary source documents (in German and English), images and maps.
http://germanhistorydocs.ghi-dc.org/section.cfm?section_id=11&language=german

Der Erste Weltkrieg, LeMo, Deutsches Historisches Museum (German Historical Museum)
An educational resource providing background information on WWI, sponsored by the German Historical Museum
http://www.dhm.de/lemo/html/wk1/

Objektdatenbank, Deutsches Historisches Museum (German History Museum)
An online data bank containing more than 18,000 documents, maps, posters, postcards, photographs and other items, sponsored by the German History Museum
http://www.dhm.de/datenbank/

Digitaler Bestandskatalog (digital inventory), Germanisches Nationalmuseum Nürnberg
An online inventory of more than 30,000 items held by the Germanic National museum, the largest museum of cultural history within the German-speaking region
http://objektkatalog.gnm.de/
HGIS Germany, Institut für Europäische Geschichte Mainz (IEG)/Institut für Raumbezogene Informations- und Messtechnik (i3mainz) der Fachhochschule Mainz
A geographic information system that displays, stores and analyses data of past geographies and track changes in time. It covers Germany and Central Europe from 1820 onwards.
http://www.hgis-germany.de/

German Picture Post Cards from World War I, zeno.org
An online collection of picture postcards from WWI, grouped by categories such as regimental jobs and beer and games
http://www.zeno.org/Bildpostkarten/M/Erster+Weltkrieg

Image Collection of the German Colonial Society, University Library, Frankfurt a. M.
The collection comprises of approx. 50,000 images and covers the following regions: Togo, Cameroon, Namibia, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, China, Papua New Guinea, Palau, Micronesia, Mariana Islands, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Western Samoa.
http://www.ub.bildarchiv-dkg.uni-frankfurt.de/

Library of Contemporary History: First World War Portal
The Library of Contemporary History (Bibliothek für Zeitgeschichte, BfZ) is the biggest special library of the history and politics of the 20th century in Germany. The library has been marking the centenary of the First World War with launching a First World War Portal (Themenportal Erster Weltkrieg). The portal provides information on the library’s activities and digital collections concerning the Great War.
http://www.wlb-stuttgart.de/sammlungen/bibliothek-fuer-zeitgeschichte/themenportal-erster-weltkrieg/
Themenbibliothek Erster Weltkrieg und Novemberrevolution, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek (Bavarian State Library)

A digital research tool providing access to the Bavarian State Library’s World War collection (founded in 1914) as well as its extensive research literature corpus on the Great War and subsequent German November Revolution.
https://www.historicum.net/metaopac/start.do?View=wk1
Direct link

Great Britain and Empire, Ireland

Great Britain and Empire

The Cabinet Papers 1915-1986, The National Archives
A selection of British cabinet papers from 1915 to 1986. The documents are divided into three categories: The United Kingdom and the World; The Economy, Business and Resources; and Society and the Welfare State.
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/cabinetpapers/default.htm

Lions Led by Donkeys, University of Birmingham
This project documents British generals in the First World War. A career description has been written for each general, detailing matters such as their recruitment, promotion and dismissal.
http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/research/activity/warstudies/research/projects/lionsdonkeys/index.aspx

British Cartoon Archive, University of Kent
The British Cartoon Archive at the University of Kent’s Templeman Library holds collections by over three hundred cartoonists. Many of these have been digitised and catalogued, and can be found among the 170,000 digitized items on the BCA website.
http://www.cartoons.ac.uk/

Operation War Diary: Reports from the Front, The National Archives and The Imperial War Museum
This remarkable online project has digitized 1.5 million pages of unit war diaries from the British Army on the Western Front during the First World War. Its unique crowd-sourcing features allow users to help tag and classify this vast collection.
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/first-world-war/centenary-unit-war-diaries.htm

First World War Project of The National Archives
Offers a vast collection of digitized images and documents on British involvement in the First World War. The collection includes digitized soldiers’ service and pension records, British war diaries, Women’s Auxiliary Service records, to name just a few.
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/first-world-war/

BBC Special on Women and World War One, BBC
This BBC special deeply probes experience of British women during the First World War. It reexamines their roles on the home front, in factories and workplaces, as well as the war’s lasting impact on women.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/z9bf9j6

The First World War: Sources for History, National Archives & the Imperial War Museum
The online exhibition makes available a selection of varied WWI source material (documents, film and sound) held by The National Archives and the Imperial War. The main galleries, “The First World War, 1914-18” and “Aftermath,” feature documents giving an insight into the overall history of the war and its consequences. “Britain and the War” looks at its effect on Britain. “The Military Conflict” provides examples of records relating to the fighting, while “Service Records for the First World War” introduces visitors to the main categories of service records.
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pathways/firstworldwar/index.htm

Focus on film: The Great War, National Archives Learning Curve
A collection of approx. 10 short clips with background information from The National Archives’ Film Archives. The material is predominantly from 1915-16 and focuses on the Battle of the Somme.
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/focuson/film/film-archive/archive.asp?catID=2&subCatID=3

Collections Search, Imperial War Museum, London
A catalogue of more than 600,000 items, including aircraft, weapons, interviews, music, posters, letters and more from the Imperial War Museum’s collections. 90,000 objects also have digitized images, sound or video.
http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/search

Learning Resources for Teaching History, Imperial War Museum, London
An online exhibition of 35 documents covering various aspects of WWI
http://theirpast-yourfuture.org.uk/server.php?show=nav.24416&type=category&events=00300q003001&page=all

The First World War Poetry Archive, University of Oxford
An online repository of more than 7,000 items of text, images, audio and video. The archive consists of collections of primary material from major poets of the period. This is supplemented by a comprehensive range of multimedia artifacts from the Imperial War Museum, a separate archive of over 6,500 items contributed by the general public (see “The Great War Archive” at http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/ww1lit/gwa/), and a set of specially developed educational resources.
http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/ww1lit/

World Wars, World War One, BBC History
A collection of articles on the causes, events and people of WWI, as well as virtual tours, animated maps and other, largely copyrighted, material such as photographs.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwone/

British Periodicals, ProQuest
A database of hundreds of British newspapers and periodicals covering everything from literature and history to science, music and art. The database contains articles from the 17th to the 20th century.
http://britishperiodicals.chadwyck.co.uk/

HANSARD 1803-2005, Hansard Digitization Project, Directorate of Information Services of the House of Commons & the Library of the House of Lords
An online archive of British parliamentary debates, written answers and statements, Lords and Grand Committee reports, lists of speakers, constituencies, offices, acts, bills, and divisions, digitalized by Hansard, the Official Report of debates in the British Parliament.
http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/

World War One Website of the British Library
This website contains numerous articles, digitized sources, photos, and teaching materials on all topics related to World War One. It has a particularly extensive section devoted to the historiography of the First World War.
http://www.bl.uk/world-war-one/themes/historical-debates

Ireland

The 1916 Rising: Personalities and Perspectives, National Library of Ireland
An online exhibition/educational resource providing context information, as well as a rich variety of material including books, newspapers, photographs, drawings, maps, proclamations, and manuscript material (approx. 500 items) on the Irish Easter Rising in 1916.
http://www.nli.ie/1916/1916_main.html

Digital Humanities Observatory, Royal Irish Academy
A gateway to Irish digital collections and resources, information and knowledge, with a small collection of WWI material
http://dho.ie/

Documents on Irish Foreign Policy, Royal Irish Academy
An online collection of original documents concerning Irish foreign policy, including many on WWI
http://www.difp.ie/
Direct link

Italy

La Grande Guerra più 100
“La Grande Gurra più 100” provides an online calender which follows the war month for month, one hundred years later. The calender has a narrative as well as historical material. The website is in Italian.
http://www.lagrandeguerrapiu100.it/

100 Cento Anni Grande Guerra
This website allows for students and teachers to share their work on the First World War. It also provides multimedia resources and teaching materials. The website is available in Italian and English.
http://www.centoannigrandeguerra.it/en/

Vedere la Grande Guerra, Istituto per la Storia del Risorgimento Italiano
This website provides images of the First World War, including art, film and photography. It is in Italian.
http://movio.beniculturali.it/mcrr/immaginidellagrandeguerra/

“14 18. documenti e immagini della grande Guerra”, Ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali
Documents from contemporary popular journals and contemporary photographs relating to the WWI, focusing on the Italian Army and the Italian front.
http://www.14-18.it/

World War I Bridges
The frequently updated non-alphabetical index of recommendations about Great War books, movies, artists, web resources, digital projects, places, battlefield itineraries, museums, exhibitions, events and other initiatives.
http://worldwarone.it
Direct link

Ottoman Empire / Middle East

Virtual Exhibition on the Gallipoli Campaign, Auckland City Libraries
A virtual exhibition on the Gallipolli campaign comprising of contemporary newspaper accounts, photographs and other images
http://www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/dbtw-wpd/virt-exhib/gallipoli/index.html

Gallipoli: The Drama of the Dardanelles, Imperial War Museum
A collection of video and audio material and photographs, complemented by illustrated documents on key aspects of the campaign
http://archive.iwm.org.uk/upload/package/2/gallipoli/navigate.htm
Direct link

Portugal

Portugal 1914-1918, Instituto de História Contemporânea da Faculdade de Ciências Sociais e Humanas da Universidade Nova de Lisboa
“Portugal 1914-1918” focuses on the impact of the First World War on Portugal. The website is in Portuguese.
http://www.portugal1914.org/

Direct link

Russian Empire

Russia’s Great War & Revolution Project
Russia’s Great War & Revolution Project is an international collective of leading historians and research institutions dedicated to reevaluating the role of the First World War in Russian history. This website offers information about the project as well as a variety of articles on various aspects of Russia in the First World War.
http://russiasgreatwar.org/index.php
Direct link

South East Europe

Veliki Rat
The project Veliki Rat (the Great War) aims to group together resources related to the Serbian people. It provides access to several collections of First World War materials, such as books, periodicals and images, as well as learning materials for teachers and students.
http://velikirat.nb.rs/en/
Direct link

USA

Digital Public Library of America
The Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) brings together more than 8 million digitized items from America’s libraries, archives, and museums including around 5,000 items related to the First World War.
http://dp.la/

Prints & Photographs Online Catalogue Photo Collection, Library of Congress
The Library of Congress’ online collection of photos
http://www.loc.gov/pictures/
For an overview of the LoC collections on WWI see “A Guide to World War I Materials” at
http://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/wwi/wwi.html
In particular: World War I Posters, Library of Congress
A collection of approx. 1,900 posters created between 1914 and 1920. The majority of the posters were printed in the United States. Posters from Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, the Netherlands, and Russia are also included.
http://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/wwipos/

The Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center (Library of Congress)
A project collecting, preserving and making accessible the personal accounts of American war veterans
http://www.loc.gov/vets/

American Leaders Speak: Recordings from World War I and the 1920 Election, Library of Congress
The Nation's Forum Collection from the Motion Picture, Broadcasting, and Recorded Sound Division consists of 59 sound recordings of speeches by American leaders. The speeches focus on issues and events surrounding WWI and the subsequent presidential election of 1920.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/nfhtml/nfhome.html

The Stars and Stripes: The American Soldiers' Newspaper of World War I, 1918-1919, Library of Congress
The complete edition of the newspaper, “The Stars and Stripes,” published in France by the United States Army from February 1918 to June 1919. The eight-page weekly featured news, poetry, cartoons and sports coverage.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/sgphtml/sashtml/sashome.html

On the Homefront: America During World War I and World War II,Library of Congress
A selection of materials such as photographs and posters that illustrate homefront contributions during World War I and World War II.
http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/homefront/

National Archives Homepage, US National Archives and Records Administration
A website containing access to some of the US’ important national documents and material
http://www.archives.gov/
In particular: The Digital Vault, US National Archives and Records Administration
A collection of 1,200 digitalized items, including many from the WWI period, from the National Archives’ physical collection of US documents and artefacts
http://www.digitalvaults.org/

The Deadly Virus: The Influenza Epidemic of 1918, US National Archives and Records Administration
An online archive of documents and photos showing the course and consequences of the 1918 Spanish flu epidemic that killed 50 million people worldwide
http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/influenza-epidemic/

Eyewitness, American Originals from the National Archives, US National Archives and Records Administration
A small collection of eyewitness accounts from key events in the past 150 years, including two on WWI
http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/eyewitness/

Panoramic, Photographs from the National Archives, US National Archives and Records Administration
A small sample of the wide variety of panoramic images in NARA’s still picture holdings. The exhibt photographs date from approx. 1864 to 1937, but the vast majority date from the WWI era.
http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/panoramic_photography/panoramic_home.html

Collections Search Center, Smithsonian Institution
A collection of more than 7.7 million catalog records with 568,000 images, video and sound files, electronic journals and other resources from the Smithsonian’s museums, archives and libraries
http://collections.si.edu/search/

New York Public Library Digital Gallery, New York Public Library
A collection of more than 700,000 images digitized from the New York Public Library's vast collections
http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/index.cfm

Campaign Atlas to the Great War, West Point Academy, Department of History
A database of campaign and battle maps from WWI
http://www.westpoint.edu/history/SitePages/WWI.aspx

The National Historical Geographic Information System (NHGIS), University of Minnesota
The National Historical Geographic Information System (NHGIS) provides, free of charge, aggregate census data and GIS-compatible boundary files for the United States between 1790 and 2010.
https://www.nhgis.org/

Military Resources: World War I, US National Archives
A collection of online resources and links to external websites containing photos, background articles, educational resources and biographies relating to primarily American involvement in WWI
http://www.archives.gov/research/alic/reference/military/ww1.html
Direct link

IMPORTANT: The individual images, maps, primary documents, etc., listed on these websites may be subject to copyright. It is the author’s responsibility to obtain written permission from copyright holders to reproduce copyrighted materials with their article. If the copyright holder charges a fee to grant permission, the fee is the responsibility of the author seeking permission. A copy of the written permission must be submitted along with the manuscript. All material submitted without such permission is under risk of being excluded from publication. Authors must provide accurate credit information, including names and copyrights, where applicable.

http://www.1914-1918-online.net/06_first_world_war_websites/index.html

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Experiences of colonial troops

Article by: Santanu Das
Theme: Race, empire and colonial troops

Dr Santanu Das gives an overview of the numbers and roles of colonial troops in World War One. Where did colonial troops serve and how was 'race' used as a factor in military policy?

Even by conservative estimates well over four million non-white men were mobilised into the European and American armies during the First World War, in combatant and non-combatant roles. What do we know about the daily lived war experiences of these men from former colonies and from different racial and ethnic groups? In spite of important work being done and the recent ‘global turn’ in First World War studies, the social and cultural history of the war still continues to maintain a neat symmetry to the war itself: the non-European aspects, like the non-European sites of battle, remain ‘sideshows’. The contours of the ‘Great War and modern memory’ start to look different if, instead of the writings of an ordinary European solider, let alone a poet like Wilfred Owen or a novelist like Erich Maria Remarque, we consider the memories of an Indian sepoy, a Chinese worker or an African askari.

[1/4th] Gurkhas at kit inspection

The 1st battalion of the 4th Ghurkha Rifles lined up for kit inspection, in Flanders, Belgium, 1915.
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Copyright: © Crown copyright material is reproduced with the permission of the Controller of HMSO and the Queen’s Printer for Scotland

A 'world' war

In 1906, in a fictional narrative, the German writer F.H. Grautoff warned that ‘a war in Europe… must necessarily set the whole world ablaze’. This was no Eurocentric boast. In 1914, the whole of Africa, except Ethiopia and Liberia, was under European rule and Great Britain and France controlled the two largest colonial empires. They would draw on them extensively during the war for both human and material resources.

'Are we afraid? No!' A propaganda postcard depicting the British Empire

This postcard uses the Union Flag and the icon of the Bulldog to show Britain, Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand and South Africa standing united against a common threat, 1915.

'Are we afraid? No!' - British propaganda showing the British Bulldog, with five others representing Australia, Canada, India, South Africa and New Zealand.
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We have been unable to locate the copyright holder for . Please contact copyright@bl.uk with any information you have regarding this item.

Among the various colonies of the British empire, India contributed the largest number of men, with approximately 1.5 million recruited during the war up to December 1919. The dominions (self-governing nations within the British Commonwealth) – including Canada, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and Newfoundland – contributed a further 1.3 million men. New Zealand’s mobilisation of more than 100,000 men may seem relatively small compared to India’s, but in proportionate terms New Zealand made one of the largest contributions to the British empire, with five percent of its men aged 15-49 killed. Indian and New Zealand troops fought together in Gallipoli, where out of a total of 3000 Indian combatants, some 1624 were killed, a loss rate of more than 50 per cent.

Soliders at the Dehra Dun Brigade signal station

A group of soldiers at a signal station for the Dehra Dun Brigade in 1915. The two men in the centre of the picture are on field telephones, taking messages.

Indian troops at a signal station, 1915.

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Fighting Australasia - a record of the Australasian forces in the Great War

The Glorious Story of the Fighting Australasians: an imperishable record of the great part played by our Kinsmen from "down under" in the World War

Fighting Australia, a souvenir record about the contribution of the Australia and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) to the conflict, published 1917.
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In addition to the 90,000 troupes indigènes already under arms when the war started, France recruited between 1914 and 1918 nearly 500,000 colonial troops, including 166,000 West Africans, 46,000 Madagascans, 50,000 Indochinese, 140,000 Algerians, 47,000 Tunisians and 24,300 Moroccans. Most of these French colonial troops served in Europe. However, the majority of the Africans served as labourers or carriers in Africa. In total, as Hew Strachan has noted, over 2 million Africans were involved in the conflict as soldiers or labourers; 10 percent of them died, and among the labourers serving in Africa, the death rates may have been as high as 20 percent. Additionally, nearly 140,000 Chinese contract labourers were hired by the British and French governments, forming a substantial part of the immigrant labour force working in France during the war.

With the entry of the United States into the war, nearly 400,000 African-American troops were inducted into the US forces, of whom 200,000 served in Europe.

Cavalry patrol of Moroccan Spahis in Belgium

Cavalry patrol of Moroccan Spahis fighting for the French army near Furnes, Belgium, 1914.
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Race and military policy

According to one native South African labourer, the most remarkable part of his war experience was ‘to see the different kinds of human races from all parts of the world’. This racial diversity on European soil was largely the result of French and British decisions to employ colonial non-white troops against Germany on the Western Front. Yet this decision was not straight forward in societies embedded with colour prejudices and doctrines of racial hierarchy - colour largely determined the life of the combatant and non-combatant in Europe. While France, with its assimilationist model, deployed these troops in Europe, a similar decision for Great Britain caused more soul-searching. The Times History of the World revealed contemporary thinking on the issue when in 1914 it wrote, ‘The instinct which made us such sticklers for propriety in all our dealings made us more reluctant than other nations would feel to employ coloured troops against a white enemy.’

The British had regularly used colonial troops for imperial defence, but not in Europe or against other white races. Indian troops were not allowed to fight in the Boer War in South Africa (1899 – 1902). If a ‘coloured’ man were trained to raise arms against another European, what guarantee was there, so the racial thinking went, that he would not one day attack his own white master? However, after heavy casualties were suffered by the British Expeditionary Force in August 1914, two Indian divisions were diverted to France. Among the colonial non-white troops of the British empire, only Indians were allowed to fight in Europe. This was predominantly due to racial categorisation in British military policy.

Our enemies: 96 character heads from German prisoner of war camps

Close up photographs of prisoners of war from different countries who were captured in Germany.

German publication, Our Enemies. Striking heads in the Prisoner of War camps in Germany, 1916.
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Racial categorisation, in the context of war, assumed one of its most sinister forms in the theory of ‘martial races’. Both England and France divided their subject people into ‘warlike’ and ‘non-warlike’ races, into races guerrières and races non-guerrières. For British military recruitment, this meant that some ‘races’ from Nepal and the North Indian provinces – particularly Punjab – were more likely to be recruited to fight as they were considered inherently more ‘manly’ and warlike than men from other parts of India. Racial theory was similarly important to the French General - Charles Mangin, and his theory of ‘La force noire’: the creation of a large reserve of African troops to counter France’s demographic imbalance in the face of Germany. To him, West Africans were ‘natural warriors’, ‘primitives… whose young blood flows so ardently, as if avid to be shed’. But it was not only Africans in combatant roles that suffered. There has been important work on the use of carrier corps in sub-Saharan Africa, where men were reduced to ‘beasts of burden’ and suffered very high casualty rates (as high as twenty percent), often from disease and malnutrition. Many other ethnic groups were also used as labourers in the various theatres of war. In recent years, there has been some interest, including an exhibition, on the approximately 140,000 Chinese workers who were hired by the British and French governments to clear WWI battlefields.

A hero - Bal Bahadur (Bhaz Gul)

Photograph taken in 1915 of Bal Bahadur (Bhaz Gul) who was wounded when rescuing his fellow soldiers in France.

Bal Bahadur of the 59^th Sinde Rifles, promoted for gallantry at Neuve Chapelle for carrying out a rescue mission, 1915.

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Copyright: © Crown copyright material is reproduced with the permission of the Controller of HMSO and the Queen’s Printer for Scotland

For the different dominions, colonies and racial groups around the globe, the war experience was profoundly transformative at different levels. What are often considered sideshows in the grand European narrative of the war were momentous events with enduring consequences for the local communities. Nor, for many of these groups, did the war – at the basic, physical level – end with the Armistice. For two weeks after the guns fell silent on the Western Front, the wily German commander General Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck carried on his campaign in East Africa. In Europe, Chinese labourers started clearing up the battlefields of the Western Front, and French African troops stationed in the Ruhr region until early 1921 became the target of vicious racist propaganda.

While in popular memory, the perception of the First World War remains narrowly confined to the Western Front, First World War fighting took place in Europe, Africa and the Middle East, with brief excursions into Central Asia and the Far East. The litany of the names of different theatres of battle often becomes the marker for the ‘world’ nature of the First World War. The colonial homefront – the lives of hundreds of thousands of women and children in villages across Asia and Africa who lost their husbands, brothers or fathers, and faced different kinds of hardships – remains one of the most silent and under-researched areas in First World War history. Part of the problem is one of sources: many of these people were non-literate and have not left us with the diaries and memoirs that we have in Europe. However, the global reverberations of this ‘world war’ become apparent when we consider the experiences of people, both men and women, combatants and non-combatants, from around the world who fought or laboured or whose lives were changed forever because of the war.

Adapted from the ‘Introduction’ to Race, Empire and First World War Writing edited by Santanu Das (Cambridge, 2011).

http://www.bl.uk/world-war-one/articles/colonial-troops

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Monday, February 8, 2016

Canada Military News: WW1- Remembrance Projects -TheCommonwealth Nations and USA/Conscription /Colonial Troops Gurkhas Aussies etc.

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Experiences of colonial troops

[1/4th] Gurkhas at kit inspection

A 'world' war

'Are we afraid? No!' A propaganda postcard depicting the British Empire

Soliders at the Dehra Dun Brigade signal station

Fighting Australasia - a record of the Australasian forces in the Great War

Cavalry patrol of Moroccan Spahis in Belgium

Race and military policy

Our enemies: 96 character heads from German prisoner of war camps

A hero - Bal Bahadur (Bhaz Gul)

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