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

Jack William Avery

Jack William Avery

War Reserve Constable who joined the Met Police on 3 September 1939.  He was based at the Hyde Park Police Station when he was murdered.  He was knifed by Frank Stephen Cobbett, a tramp who was rec...

Person, Armed Forces, Tragedy

1 memorial
F. R. Grist

F. R. Grist

J. Lyons & Co. Ltd. staff member who died in WW2.

Person, Armed Forces

War dead, WW2
1 memorial
W. West

W. West

J. Lyons & Co. Ltd. staff member who died in WW2.

Person, Armed Forces

War dead, WW2
1 memorial
Private Frederick Martin

Private Frederick Martin

Frederick Martin was born circa 1916. He was serving as a Private in the Army Catering Corps, service number 911620 and was attached to the Royal Artillery when he died, aged 29 years, on 3 Septemb...

Person, Armed Forces, Burma

War dead, WW2
1 memorial
L. A. Marlow

L. A. Marlow

Member of the staff of A. W. Gamage Ltd and/or Benetfink & Co. Ltd. Killed in WW1.

Person, Armed Forces

War dead, WW1
1 memorial

Previously viewed

Laurence Pountney Church & Corpus Christi College

Laurence Pountney Church & Corpus Christi College

Sir John Poultney or de Pulteney was in the Drapers' Company, Lord Mayor 3 times in the period 1330-6, and had his house on the west of what is now Laurence Pountney Hill.  He founded Corpus Christ...

Building, Religion

1 memorial
Bow Fair

Bow Fair

Known as the Green Goose fair, it was held on the Thursday after Pentecost. A green goose was a young or mid-summer goose, and also a slang term for a cuckold or a low woman. In 1630, John Taylor, ...

Event, Commerce

1 memorial
Camille Pissarro

Camille Pissarro

French Impressionist painter.  Born in the Danish West Indies (now the Virgin Islands) to a French father, a merchant, and Creole mother.  With Danish nationality he avoided the Prussian invasion o...

Person, Politics & Administration, Seriously Famous, Caribbean Islands, Denmark, France

4 memorials
Sam House

Sam House

Publican of The Intrepid Fox in Wardour Street where he died. An ardent supporter of the politician, Charles Fox he named his pub after him. A family tree website carries a transcription of "The Li...

Person, Commerce, Politics & Administration

1 memorial
Karen Newman

Karen Newman

Sculptor. Born London in about 1953.

Person, Sculpture

3 memorials