Battles

Events

Chronology of the Great War

The fighting fronts

Click through to details of the battles and engagements in these theatres of war.

France and Flanders (the Western Front)

Mesopotamia

Gallipoli

Egypt and Palestine

Aden

The Western Desert

Salonika

German Cameroon

Italy

North Russia

To be added in due couse:
East Africa
Other West Africa
Ireland

Field commanders’ despatches

A valuable source of contemporary, official information about the fighting – although we must be aware of the personal and political points that the author of the despatch was sometimes trying to score.

Field commanders’ despatches

Background articles

Why Britain went to war in 1914

Parliament commits Britain to war in France

Public proclamations of mobilisation of the army

The King’s Message to the Army (August 1914)

Lloyd George commits the army to an unwanted extension of the line in 1918

Manpower crisis in 1918 forces reorganisation of the army in France

When did the Great War end?

Books

Recommended reading for those new to the subject