Event    From 4/8/1914  To 11/11/1918

World War 1

Categories: Armed Forces, Tragedy

We'd always assumed that this war was known as the Great War until WW2 came along at which point it was renamed as World War One or the First World War. But the term was first used in print in 1920 as the title of a book, 'The First World War' by Charles à Court Repington. He was using it to emphasize the global nature of the war rather than its sequential nature.

Different memorials give different years for the end of WW1. The Armistice came into force at 11am on 11 November 1918 and fighting ceased on the western front but hostilities continued elsewhere. The Treaty of Versailles, signed by Germany and some of the allied powers following the Paris Peace Conference, was not until 28 June 1919.

The war did not officially end in the UK until 31 August 1921, as explained at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission: "When the Termination of the Present War (Definition) Act 1918 was passed by Parliament, it gave discretion to His Majesty in Council to declare the date of the termination of the war. Consequently, war with each of the Central Powers ended close to the date of the ratification of the various peace treaties. Although a treaty with Turkey had yet to be ratified, it was decided that 31 August 1921 ‘should be treated as the date of the termination of the present War’. As the Imperial War Graves Commission (IWGC) was charged with responsibility for the graves of service personnel who died between the outbreak and end of the War, this meant that those casualties of the First World War who died after 31 August 1921 fell outside the remit of the Commission."

Note - it seems to be just a lucky poetic chance that the Armistice coincides with "the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month". Kaiser Wilhelm abdicated on November 9th, presumably not thinking "just in time for a poetically-timed Armistice".

For some signs of WW1 on buildings in London see Spitalfields Life.

2024: We've just come across the London World War 1 Memorial - looks like it could be a great resource.

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This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
World War 1

Commemorated ati

24th London Division - memorial

These 3 figures are said to be modelled on the soldier poets: Robert Graves, ...

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8th London Howitzers

The way this monument meets the sloping ground has been well thought out: a s...

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Abney Park - CWGC war memorial

The screen wall at the back, south, of the memorial carries a number of bronz...

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African and Caribbean Armed Forces

Unveiled on Windrush Day. A very simple design, we think the horizontal obeli...

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Air raid

Very small plaque on the doorframe.

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Battle of Mareth

Battle of Mareth

In Southern Tunisia.  Also known as the Battle of the Horseshoe.  To quote the plaque: "History records this as one of the greatest and most terrible battles fought by the Regiment in the Second Wo...

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1 memorial
W. Carpenter

W. Carpenter

J. Lyons & Co. Ltd. staff member who died in WW1.

Person, Armed Forces

War dead, WW1
1 memorial
Second Lieutenant Healey James Armstrong Wiltshire

Second Lieutenant Healey James Armstrong Wiltshire

Healey James Armstrong Wiltshire was born on 3 February 1893, the second son of the six children of Henry Wiltshire (1838-1921) and his second wife, Barbara Ann Wiltshire née Armstrong (1860-1924)....

Person, Armed Forces, Israel/Palestine

War dead, WW1
2 memorials
Lance Corporal William Francis Spurstow Miller

Lance Corporal William Francis Spurstow Miller

William Francis Spurstow Miller was born in 1893 in Southsea, Hampshire, one of the four children of Admiral Francis Spurstow Miller CB (1863-1954) and Amy Knowles Miller née Ross (1870-1949). His ...

Person, Armed Forces, France, New Zealand

War dead, WW1
1 memorial
Siegfried Sassoon

Siegfried Sassoon

Poet and writer. Born Siegfried Loraine (also spelt Lorraine or Louvain depending on source) Sassoon at Weirleigh, Brenchley, near Paddock Wood, Kent. Grandson of Thomas Thornycroft and cousin of S...

Person, Armed Forces, Literature, Poetry, Seriously Famous, France

2 memorials

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Venera Minakhmetova

Venera Minakhmetova

From London24: "Ms Minakhmetova, a former City financial analyst from Bethnal Green, set up her own business in June 2013 called Simple2Connect, a location-based professional networking application...

Person, Cyclist, Tragedy, Russia

1 memorial
Queen Elizabeth II

Queen Elizabeth II

Born 17 Bruton Street, to the Duke and Duchess of York. For information on where she was brought up see Byron Statue. When she was 10 her father became King George VI (on the abdication of his brot...

Person, Royalty, Seriously Famous

126 memorials
World War 2

World War 2

Sorry, we've done no research on WW2, it's just too big a subject. But do visit the picture source web site - it has a fascinating collection of maps.  And we enjoyed these photos of current WW2 ev...

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379 memorials
Roman Road - Iceni Court

Roman Road - Iceni Court

E3, Parnell Road, 74, Iceni Court

The plaque is on the right of the 'Iceni Court' name plaque. The Iceni were a Brittonic tribe of eastern Britain during the Iron Age and...

1 subject commemorated, 2 creators
Royal National Throat Nose & Ear Hospital

Royal National Throat Nose & Ear Hospital

From Lost Hospitals of London: "In 1862 Dr. Morell Mackenzie ... , one of the pioneers of laryngology, founded the Free Dispensary for Diseases of the Throat and Loss of Voice at 5 King Street (lat...

Group, Medicine

1 memorial