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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Other Subjects

Vernon Boehle

Vernon Boehle

Major Vernon A. Boehle was born on 26 May 1915 in Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana, USA, the second of the three sons of Arthur Anthony Boehle (1891-1971) and Elizabeth C. Boehle née Miller (18...

Person, Armed Forces, USA

War served, WW2
1 memorial
F. A. Kitchen

F. A. Kitchen

Q.R. West Surreys. Fought but did not die in WW1

Person, Armed Forces

War served, WW1
1 memorial
A. S. Death

A. S. Death

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

Person, Armed Forces

War dead, WW1
1 memorial
H. Woods, Jnr.

H. Woods, Jnr.

Co-partner or employee of the South Suburban Gas Company. Served but did not die in WW1.

Person, Armed Forces

War served, WW1
1 memorial
Private John Lynn, VC

Private John Lynn, VC

Soldier. Born in Forest Hill, London. On 2nd May, 1915 near Ypres, the enemy was advancing behind a wave of poison gas. In spite of being almost overcome by the fumes, he turned his machine-gun aga...

Person, Armed Forces, Belgium

1 memorial

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Barclays Bank

Barclays Bank

The bank's origins go back to the goldsmith bankers John Freame and Thomas Gould. James Barclay joined the business in 1736. After various name permutations, it became Barclay and Co. in 1896. As o...

Group, Commerce

3 memorials
Cyclist deaths

Cyclist deaths

Much of the street research for LondonRemembers is done by bike. 820 cyclists were killed or seriously injured in 2009 on roads in Britain. Many of these deaths are avoidable. Many of the drivers o...

Event, Tragedy

49 memorials
Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea

Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea

The borough was formed in 1965 by the merging of the separate former boroughs of Kensington and Chelsea. It was originally planned to call it just Kensington, but Chelsea was added after local prot...

Group, Politics & Administration

31 memorials
Women's Royal Naval Service

Women's Royal Naval Service

The Women's Royal Naval Service (WRNS; popularly and officially known as the Wrens) was the women's branch of the Royal Navy. First formed in 1917 for WW1, it was disbanded in 1919, then revived in...

Group, Armed Forces

1 memorial
Poplar Borough Council

Poplar Borough Council

In 1855, Poplar joined with neighbouring Bromley and Bow to form the Poplar District of the Metropolis. This became the Metropolitan Borough of Poplar in 1900. In 1965 it merged with the Metropolit...

Group, Politics & Administration

3 memorials