Download or read book Tunbridge Wells in the Great War written by Stephen Wynn and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2016-09-30 with total page 204 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Using original material and letters from the First World War, this captivating and eye-opening account uncovers the unnerving realities of the First World War and the impact it had on the town of Tunbridge Wells. It looks at world events, which ultimately determined the outbreak of the war, and how these same events affected the small town in Kent and the people who made up the community.From an early stage the hostilities of the war became very real for the people of Tunbridge Wells. Because of its geographical location, close proximity to major ports and rail links, the town became the headquarters of the nations Territorial Army, which brought with it 5,000 troops from all over the country.Out of nearly 3,000 people from Tunbridge Wells who enlisted in the military between 1914–1918, a staggering 801 did not return, and out of those who did, many suffered terrible wounds and injuries, both physically and mentally. Many moving stories are illustrated throughout, such as that of Private William Starks Vidler of the Royal Marines Light Infantry who became the town's first casualty of the war when his ship, HMS Amphion struck a mine and sunk. Ironically, eighteen others who died in the disaster were German sailors who had been rescued by the Amphion when their ship was sunk by the British Royal Navy.The book looks at letters sent from husbands and sons, who had seen action in the war, and how they were received by families on the Home Front, who were anxiously waiting for new of their loved ones. It documents the triumphs and tragedies of Tunbridge Wells' people as they sought to find normality amongst a reality far removed from anything they had ever known before

Download or read book Tunbridge Wells in the Second World War the Years of Austerity written by Ann Bates and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page 212 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Croydon and the Great War written by Henry Keatley Moore and published by . This book was released on 1920 with total page 610 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book British Generalship during the Great War written by Simon Robbins and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2016-04-15 with total page 352 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Following the career of one relatively unknown First World War general, Lord Horne, this book adds to the growing literature that challenges long-held assumptions that the First World War was a senseless bloodbath conducted by unimaginative and incompetent generals. Instead it demonstrates that men like Horne developed new tactics and techniques to deal with the novel problems of trench warfare and in so doing seeks to re-establish the image of the British generals and explain the reasons for the failures of 1915-16 and the successes of 1917-18 and how this remarkable change in performance was achieved by a much maligned group of senior officers. Horne's important career and remarkable character sheds light not only on the major battles in which he was involved; the progress of the war; his relationships with his staff and other senior officers; the novel problems of trench warfare; the assimilation of new weapons, tactics and training methods; and the difficulties posed by the German defences, but also on the attitudes and professionalism of a senior British commander serving on the Western Front. Horne's career thus provides a vehicle for studying the performance of the British Army in the first quarter of the Twentieth Century. It also gives an important insight into the attitudes, ethos and professionalism of the officer corps which led that army to victory on the Western Front, exposing not only its flaws but also its many strengths. This study consequently provides a judgment not only on Horne as a personality, innovator and general of great importance but also on his contemporaries who served with the British Armies in South Africa and France during an era which saw a revolution in military affairs giving birth to a Modern Style of Warfare which still prevails to this day.

Download or read book European Powers in the First World War written by Spencer Tucker and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2018-12-07 with total page 820 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: First published in 1996. The First World War was the single most important event of the twentieth century. This volume concentrates on non-U.S. aspects of the conflict. Organized alphabetically, its more than 600 detailed entries offer information and insight on such subjects as the causes of the conflict, major battles and campaigns, weapons systems (including military aviation, chemical warfare, the submarine, and the tank), and the terms of the peace. Some 350 biographies provide information on the roles played in the conflict by generals, admirals, and civilian leaders. There are also biographies of individuals who were shaped by the war, such as Charles De Gaulle, Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, and Joseph Stalin; essays on each of the countries involved in the conflict; new appraisals of such subjects as military medicine and artillery tactics; and essays on such diverse subjects as art, literature, and music in the war. Each entry has references for additional reading, and a subject index provides easy access. The volume is an excellent reference source for scholar and neophyte alike.

Download or read book Fighter Aces of the Great War written by Stephen Wynn and published by Pen and Sword Aviation. This book was released on 2020-04-30 with total page 138 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A look at the transformation of aerial combat during World War I and the pilots of every country who were celebrated for shooting down enemy aircraft. By the time of the outbreak of the First World War, aviation was only eleven years old. The daddy of battlefield warfare until that point in time had been the cavalry, a position it maintained even as war was declared on the Western Front. Aircraft were not initially seen as an offensive weapon and were instead used by both sides as observation platforms or to take aerial photographs. Even when they were eventually used in an offensive capacity, they did not have machine guns attached to them; if the crew wanted to open fire then they had to use a pistol or rifle. As the war progressed so the use of aircraft changed from being an observational tool, to that of a fighter and bomber aircraft—something that had never been foreseen at the outbreak of the war. This book looks at the fighter aces from all sides. These were pilots who had been credited with shooting or forcing down a minimum of five enemy aircraft, of which there were hundreds. While some of these aces survived, many of them were killed. The most famous fighter ace of all is without doubt the German pilot known as the Red Baron, Manfred von Richthofen. “It’s the legendary stuff I was brought up on, reading about first world war dogfights . . . Stephen Wynn and Tanya Wynn weave a good tale between them—absolutely enthralling.” —Books Monthly

Download or read book The Last Great War written by Adrian Gregory and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2008-10-16 with total page 355 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A groundbreaking new history of the British home front during the First World War.

Download or read book Enduring the Great War written by Alexander Watson and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2008-04-17 with total page 377 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is an innovative comparative history of how German and British soldiers endured the horror of the First World War. Unlike existing literature, which emphasises the strength of societies or military institutions, this study argues that at the heart of armies' robustness lay natural human resilience. Drawing widely on contemporary letters and diaries of British and German soldiers, psychiatric reports and official documentation, and interpreting these sources with modern psychological research, this unique account provides fresh insights into the soldiers' fears, motivations and coping mechanisms. It explains why the British outlasted their opponents by examining and comparing the motives for fighting, the effectiveness with which armies and societies supported men and the combatants' morale throughout the conflict on both sides. Finally it challenges the consensus on the war's end, arguing that not a 'covert strike' but rather an 'ordered surrender' led by junior officers brought about Germany's defeat in 1918.

Download or read book Rugbeians in the Great War written by Daniel J McLean and published by Pen and Sword Military. This book was released on 2020-02-08 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Few schools can claim to have had such a deep and diverse effect on British history as Rugby. Its influence on the sporting field is well-known, but this book examines the roles played by Rugbeians in many different spheres during the Great War. Politicians and academics, Olympians and artists all left their ordinary lives to fight for their country and it was their school which bound them together. Some such as Ernest Swinton, inventor of the tank, and Maurice Hankey, Cabinet Secretary, had direct influence on the shaping of the conflict, whereas others such as Duncan Mackinnon (Olympic gold medal-winning rower) and the Cawley brothers (both Members of Parliament) are remembered primarily for their pre-war achievements. Until now there has never been a volume which traces the extent of Rugby’s influence, but this book showcases the extraordinary range of individuals from the school who left their mark on the war and the world at large.

Download or read book Wirral in the Great War written by Stephen McGreal and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2014-09-30 with total page 166 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On 4 August 1914 Britain declared war on Germany. Originally perceived as a short campaign to curtail Germanic imperialism, it developed into a four-year long war of attrition. The Great War is justifiably associated with the horrors of trench warfare and the death of a generation but history has overlooked the home fronts' colossal contribution to victory.??On the outbreak of war thousands of troops arrived in Wirral to defend the coast from invasion and guard the docks and shipyards under the watchful eyes of the gunners of the Bidston Hill artillery batteries. The transition to a military garrison also led to the conversion of schools to military hospitals, predominately financed by the community. Thousands of wounded service men arriving at Woodside station were dispersed and administered to by a plethora of military or auxiliary hospitals. Voluntary organizations also procured funds for ambulances and comforts for those at the front. ??At the beginning of hostilities, the Government swiftly introduced draconian regulations to restrict liberty, particularly for those of foreign extraction. Following the 1915 sinking of the Lusitania, the xenophobia vented itself in Wallasey and Birkenhead where riots resulted in the destruction of German owned business premises. The resentment was further fueled by the German submarines attempt to destroy the British merchant fleet and starve Britain into submission _ they almost succeeded. As vital cargoes plunged to the sea bed, food became the latest rationed commodity; consequently unused tracts of Wirral land were turned over to food production and German prisoners of war helped clear the river Birkett. ??The local shipyards and factories came under the control of the Ministry of Munitions and unlikely companies were involved in the national preoccupation of producing artillery shells. Following the 1916 introduction of compulsory military service, female workers increasingly replaced the men thereby making undreamed of advances in female emancipation. Also involved in the war effort were school children who collected food for wounded soldiers, boy scouts patrolled the coastline, 'sister Susie famously sewed shirts for soldiers' and a Dad's Army was established to repel invaders. Their activities and others are generally overlooked by twentieth century chroniclers.??This is the fascinating, but forgotten story of how Wirral provided the sinews for war, and made a significant contribution to the comprehensive defeat of Germany.

Download or read book The Irish regiments in the Great War written by Timothy Bowman and published by Manchester University Press. This book was released on 2013-07-19 with total page 258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The British army was almost unique among the European armies of the Great War in that it did not suffer from a serious breakdown of discipline or collapse of morale. It did, however, inevitably suffer from disciplinary problems. While attention has hitherto focused on the 312 notorious ‘shot at dawn’ cases, many thousands of British soldiers were tried by court martial during the Great War. This book provides the first comprehensive study of discipline and morale in the British Army during the Great War by using a case study of the Irish regular and Special Reserve batallions. In doing so, Timothy Bowman demonstrates that breaches of discipline did occur in the Irish regiments but in most cases these were of a minor nature. Controversially, he suggests that where executions did take place, they were militarily necessary and served the purpose of restoring discipline in failing units. Bowman also shows that there was very little support for the emerging Sinn Fein movement within the Irish regiments. This book will be essential reading for military and Irish historians and their students, and will interest any general reader concerned with how units maintain discipline and morale under the most trying conditions.

Download or read book Indian Voices of the Great War written by D. Omissi and published by Springer. This book was released on 2016-07-27 with total page 409 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Indian soldiers served in France from 1914 to 1918. This book is a selection of their letters. By turns poignant, funny, and almost unbearably moving, these documents vividly evoke the world of the Western Front - as seen through 'subaltern' Indian eyes. The letters also bear eloquent witness to the sepoys' often unsettling encounter with Europe, and with European culture. This book helps to map the imaginative landscape of South Asia's warrior-peasant communities.

Download or read book Dartford in the Great War written by Stephen Wynn and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2016-01-31 with total page 184 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Dartford was a hive of activity during the Great War years, with most in the community doing their bit for the war effort in what ever way that they could. For men that meant enlisting in the armed forces, and for women that they were to take up roles that previously belonged to men. They worked in industry, delivered post, drove buses and taxis, and became carpenters and plumbers. They were also heavily relied on by volunteer organizations, such as Voluntary Aid Detachments, the Women's Auxiliary Army Corps and later in the war, the Women's Land Army. Nearby, there was a large munitions factory in the town, which maintained a large yet productive, mostly female, workforce to ensure it met the ever-increasing demand for shells and bullets and, throughout the town, hospitals to cared for the wounded servicemen of Britain, Australia, America and even Germany, whose captured military personnel were held at one of many local prisoner of war camps. Joyce Green Aerodrome was home to units of the Royal Flying Corps and latterly the Royal Air Force, who protected both Dartford and London from air raids. This book cover how Dartford endured thirty-seven German air raids. Miraculously, not one local resident was killed.At the end of the war, the people of Dartford returned to the normality of life as best as they could, but the world had changed forever. For those who had lost loved ones, and over 300 local families had, the changes would always be a painful reminder of the terrible price of the war.Dartford in the Great War is a meticulous and compelling account of this town and its dedicated people, who sacrificed so much in their effort to thrive in one history's most difficult periods.

Download or read book Doctors in the Great War written by Ian R Whitehead and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2013-11-14 with total page 333 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Doctors played a bigger role in the First World War than in any other previous conflict. This reflected not only the War's unprecedented scale but a growing recognition of the need for proper medical cover. The RAMC had to be expanded to meet the needs of Britain's citizen army. As a result by 1918 some 13,000 doctors were on active service _ over half the nation's doctors.??Strangely, historians have largely neglected the work of doctors during the War. Doctors in the Great War brings to light the thoughts and motivations of doctors who served in 1914-1918, by drawing on a wealth of personal experience documentation, as well as official military sources and the medical press. The author examines the impact of the War upon the medical profession and the Army. He looks at the contribution of medical students, and the extent to which new professional opportunities became available to women doctors.??An insight into the breadth of responsibilities undertaken by Medical Officers is given through analysis of the work of various medical units on the Western Front, demonstrating the important role played by doctors in the maintenance of the Army's physical and mental well-being. The differences between civilian and military medicine are discussed with a consideration of the arrangements for the training of doctors, and an assessment of the difficulties faced by doctors in adapting to military priorities and dealing with new challenges such as gas poisoning, infected wounds and shell shock.??Doctors in the Great War will undoubtedly appeal to general readers, students and specialists in the history of war and society, as well as to those with an interest in the medical profession.??As featured in the Derby Telegraph, Dover Express and Kent & Sussex Courier

Download or read book Britain and Victory in the Great War written by Peter Liddle and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2018-06-30 with total page 729 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How can we begin to make sense of the Great War now that over 100 years have passed since it ended with the defeat of Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman empire and Bulgaria, and the collapse of Tsarist Russia? The conflict had such a profound influence on world history that is it difficult to reconcile the different perspectives and draw clear conclusions. That is why this thought-provoking collection of original essays on the outcome of the war and its aftermath is of such value.It completes the trilogy of ground-breaking volumes conceived and edited by Peter Liddle which presents the latest scholarly thinking about the Great War from an international perspective. The first two volumes Britain Goes to War and Britain and the Widening War made this stimulating new writing accessible to a broad readership and this final volume has the same aim.A group of over twenty expert contributors reconsider the military reasons for the outcome of the fighting and look at the consequences for the principal nations involved. They explore the way the war and the peace settlement shaped the twentieth century and had an enduring impact within Europe and beyond.

Download or read book Brighton in the Great War written by Douglas d'Enno and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2016-01-30 with total page 299 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Although the impact of the Great War on Brighton was profound, the seaside town was spared any direct attack by the enemy. The fear of spies and sabotage, however, was widespread at first and aliens were an issue which had to be swiftly resolved under new legislation. Allies, of course, were warmly welcomed, and accommodation was soon provided for those fleeing the catastrophic events in Belgium. Between 1914 and 1918, Brighton made major contributions to the war effort in many ways: by responding readily to the call to arms, by caring for great numbers of wounded (the story of the exotic Royal Pavilion being used as a hospital for Indian casualties is widely known locally) and by simply being itself an oPen & welcoming resort that offered sanctuary, respite and entertainment to besieged Londoners and to other visitors, from every stratum of society.

Download or read book The Royal Navy s Air Service in the Great War written by David Hobbs and published by Casemate Publishers. This book was released on 2017-09-30 with total page 493 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In a few short years after 1914 the Royal Navy practically invented naval air warfare, not only producing the first effective aircraft carriers, but also pioneering most of the techniques and tactics that made naval air power a reality. By 1918 the RN was so far ahead of other navies that a US Navy observer sent to study the British use of aircraft at sea concluded that any discussion of the subject must first consider their methods. Indeed, by the time the war ended the RN was training for a carrier-borne attack by torpedo-bombers on the German fleet in its bases over two decades before the first successful employment of this tactic, against the Italians at Taranto.Following two previously well-received histories of British naval aviation, David Hobbs here turns his attention to the operational and technical achievements of the Royal Naval Air Service, both at sea and ashore, from 1914 to 1918. Detailed explanations of operations, the technology that underpinned them and the people who carried them out bring into sharp focus a revolutionary period of development that changed naval warfare forever. Controversially, the RNAS was subsumed into the newly created Royal Air Force in 1918, so as the centenary of its extinction approaches, this book is a timely reminder of its true significance.