World War 1 | War History

Good American Husbands Wanted:Strange Stories From WWI

In typical British humor, some recruitment efforts freely went tongue in cheek. One recruitment effort declared, “The country is arranging a trip to Germany for…

Over the Top: Why Were Whistles Used in the Trenches of WWI?

Artillery shells and bullets whizzing over the trenches created a cacophony of noise. With all of this noise, shouted commands could go unheard. Trench whistles…

Was Committed to a Mental Asylum: The VC Recipient Who Saved Over 20 Men in No-Mans Land

O’Meara managed to rescue over twenty men during those few days. He also carried much-needed supplies and ammunition to trenches under heavy bombardment. While war…

Lawrence of Arabia: Archeologist, Writer, Warrior, Spy

In an audacious desert crossing, Laurence and his Bedouin group reached Aqaba and launched an attack against the bastion on the morning of July 4,…

Australian Forces at the First & Second Battles of Villers-Bretonneux

Robert East

Then Germans bombarded the Australian troops with mustard gas. This had a devastating effect causing over 1,000 casualties with varying degrees of “blindness.” Villers-Bretonneux is…

The New Zealand War Memorials That Contain Incorrect Names

In total, 16,697 New Zealand soldiers lost their lives during the First World War, and a great many of them have never been found or…

The Australians & The Battle of Broodseinde Ridge

Robert East

Briefly put, the Battle of Broodseinde Ridge was one of many operations in the broader Ypres offensives. There were five Ypres offensives during World War…

Oskar Schindler Letter Among WWII Memorabilia to be Auctioned in April

There is also an extremely rare letter from industrialist Oskar Schindler, the man who put his own life at risk by rescuing hundreds of Jews…

A History Of The Trench Coat – A Military Garment With Origins Far Older Than WWI

Jay Hemmings

The WWI Burberry had evolved for war use, featuring D-rings on the belt to attach equipment, a pistol flap in the breast, epaulets to display…

The Australians at Pozieres: Battle of the Somme 1916

Robert East

This success came at a huge cost. The Australian 1st Division suffered 5,285 casualties — an inordinate number given a division normally consists of around…

The WWI Global Cholera Pandemic That was Unlocked 100 Years Later

Ian Harvey

During the trench fighting in the First World War, the world experienced a global cholera pandemic, now known as the sixth pandemic. Professor Nick Thomson,…

Insane Bravery: The Men Who Were Awarded the Victoria Cross Twice

With about 40 Boers pumping out their ammunition at any foe in sight, going to the man’s aid would be a brush with death. The…