A Global War

We now call it the First World War or World War One. Contemporaries certainly thought it was a world war and called it that. The term “World War” (Weltkrieg) first appeared in Germany in 1914. The French and British referred to the war as “La Grande Guerre” or the “Great War”, but also adopted the term … Read more

The Western Front

While fighting during WW1 spanned the globe, the Western Front was the primary focus of Britain’s war. The ‘Western Front’ marked the furthest German advances. It was a 400 mile battle line, extending from the North Sea coast at Nieuwpoort, to the Swiss border. The French held about 360 miles of this line and carried much of … Read more

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OPPY WOOD, 3rd May 1917 – The Hull Pals Attack The Capture of Oppy Wood was an engagement, North East of Arras, between May and June 1917. The Germans were in possession of a fortified wood to the west of the village of Oppy, which overlooked British positions. The wood was 1-acre (0.40 ha) in area and contained many German observation … Read more

Influenza Epidemic 1918-1919

A separate, but related event to the Great War, was the great 1918 flu pandemic. It exclusively attacked human beings and not other animals. This deadly flu virus infected more than one-third of the world’s population, and within months had killed more than 50 million people – three times as many in World War I … Read more

Hull before 1914

Hull has been a port since medieval times. It was founded over 900 years ago, by Monks from Meaux Abbey, who used the deep, wide, Humber, to trade wool into Europe. Hull was recognised as a trading city by King William and became Kingston Upon Hull in 1299. Hull has since had a long and … Read more

The War at Sea

Keeping Britain supplied, the sea’s safe and the enemy blockaded became the primary tasks of World War 1. The war at sea is one of the lesser researched subjects of the 1914-18 War . The main focus is usually on the naval battle of Jutland in 1916, or the lesser known sea battles off the … Read more