WWI – Manchester Historian

The 28th June 1914 not only marked the anniversary of the Battle of Kosovo in which the Ottoman army defeated the Serbians at tremendous human cost, it commemorated the 14th wedding anniversary of Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie. Crucially, it would also mark the beginning of the July Crisis in the lead up to Continue Reading

The Battle of Mons saw the British Expeditionary Force’s (BEF) first major involvement in the First World War, as it took part in what is commonly known as the Battle of the Frontiers, where the British and French armies engaged the German forces along the french border. The BEF was stationed on the left flank Continue Reading

Many things are associated with the Christmas period which we know and love and we can generally count on having a great time during the festive period. Circumstances were very different when soldiers of the Allied and German armies put down their weapons and stopped fighting to enjoy some familiar activities during the Christmas period Continue Reading

The recent centenary of WWI was marked by BBC3’s ‘Our World War’, an attempt to engage a new generation with such a massive event. The three-part programme is a compelling mixture of historical and social drama, based on real diaries of British soldiers from 1914-1918. All the archetypal aspects of a war drama are present: Continue Reading