9781904897538
“The war had begun and my heart beat then as it had neverbeaten before.”—Rosie Neal on the outbreak of war, 1914
“Soon the wounded began to arrive: some walking, some carried, some just helped along; the usual bloody, patient, battered crowd.”—Lawrence Gameson at the Battle of the Somme 1916
“There was a huge sheet of flame, and then the awful pall of yellow smoke, and the ship was gone. There were no survivors.”—Kit Caslon, the Battle of Jutland, 1916
World War I was arguably the defining event of the twentieth century. Claiming the lives of over sixteen million people across the globe, it had an enormous impact on every country, city, and person who experienced it. No nation in Europe was left untouched—even neutral states felt its devastating impact.
Yet as In Their Own Words reveals, it was truly the ordinary people who were most affected by the war, such as citizens like Flora Sandes, the only British woman to serve in the military; Captain V.D. Siddons, who served with the RFC in Arabia supporting T.E. Lawrence; and Sidney Lewis, who, at twelve, was the youngest boy soldier in the army. In Their Own Words offers a gripping, poignant collection of memories that tell the story of World War I from the perspective of those who were there, using letters, diaries, and memoirs from the Imperial War Museum’s unparalleled archives.
“Soon the wounded began to arrive: some walking, some carried, some just helped along; the usual bloody, patient, battered crowd.”—Lawrence Gameson at the Battle of the Somme 1916
“There was a huge sheet of flame, and then the awful pall of yellow smoke, and the ship was gone. There were no survivors.”—Kit Caslon, the Battle of Jutland, 1916
World War I was arguably the defining event of the twentieth century. Claiming the lives of over sixteen million people across the globe, it had an enormous impact on every country, city, and person who experienced it. No nation in Europe was left untouched—even neutral states felt its devastating impact.
Yet as In Their Own Words reveals, it was truly the ordinary people who were most affected by the war, such as citizens like Flora Sandes, the only British woman to serve in the military; Captain V.D. Siddons, who served with the RFC in Arabia supporting T.E. Lawrence; and Sidney Lewis, who, at twelve, was the youngest boy soldier in the army. In Their Own Words offers a gripping, poignant collection of memories that tell the story of World War I from the perspective of those who were there, using letters, diaries, and memoirs from the Imperial War Museum’s unparalleled archives.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Acknowledgements
1 Rosie
Outbreak of war, August 1914
2 Hugh
Gallipoli, May – September 1915
3 Eric
The Battle of Loos, September – October 1915
4 Herbert
Captivity and escape, November 1915 – April 1916
5 Fred
Conscientious objection, March 1916 –1918
6 Kit
The Battle of Jutland, May – June 1916
7 Lawrence
The Battle of the Somme, July – November 1916
8 Bobby
War work and the home front
9 Bert
The Third Battle of Ypres, July – November 1917
10 Gilbert
The German Spring Offensive, March 1918
11 Arthur
Armistice, November 1918
Sources
Credits
Acknowledgements
1 Rosie
Outbreak of war, August 1914
2 Hugh
Gallipoli, May – September 1915
3 Eric
The Battle of Loos, September – October 1915
4 Herbert
Captivity and escape, November 1915 – April 1916
5 Fred
Conscientious objection, March 1916 –1918
6 Kit
The Battle of Jutland, May – June 1916
7 Lawrence
The Battle of the Somme, July – November 1916
8 Bobby
War work and the home front
9 Bert
The Third Battle of Ypres, July – November 1917
10 Gilbert
The German Spring Offensive, March 1918
11 Arthur
Armistice, November 1918
Sources
Credits
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