Did you know that the sixth summer games of the modern Olympics was due to be held in Berlin in 1916? However, the ongoing fighting during the First World War eventually led to it being cancelled. On 8 June 1913, 10,000 pigeons were released into the sky above the newly built and dedicated Deutsches Stadion […]
‘Whatever happened to the Likely Lads?’ The same question could be asked of Friedrich Wilhelm Victor Albert, better known to us as ‘The Kaiser’. Before WW1, the Kaiser was a jet-setting celebrity. During WW1, he was a household bogeyman, always in the papers and satirised in cartoon and song. By the end of the War […]
In 1916 Amelia Joel Mihlenstedt found herself under arrest by the British Government, accused of being a spy. This story was researched and submitted by Clare Woolger, a descendant of Amelia Mihlenstedt, who lives in East Sussex. The Home Office form, pictured below, relates to Amelia Joel born around 1847. Neither myself nor others who have researched the […]
Did you know that during the First World War women’s football was a hugely popular sport and pastime? At the outbreak of war in 1914, men’s football teams were often used as recruitment adverts and examples to fans. In December 1914, the 17th Battalion (which became known as the ‘Footballers Battalion’) of the London-Middlesex Regiment […]
Did you know that modern blood transfusions and blood banks were pioneered during the First World War? The transfusion of blood from one individual to another was a known medical procedure since the 17th century, with many of the earliest tests involving the transfer of animal blood into a human. However, the transfusion of large […]
Did you know that the Royal House of Windsor as we recognise it today originated during the First World War? At the outbreak of the First World War the monarchies of Britain, Germany and Russia were all held by the descendants of Queen Victoria. George V ruled Britain as King of the House Saxe-Coburg and […]
Did you know that the traditional Sussex sport was used during the First World War to help rehabilitate soldiers? Stoolball has always been a sport heavily connected with Sussex and dates back to the Middle Ages where players would use their hand to defend a wooden stool from being hit by the ball. In its modern format, […]
Did you know that the famous Ladybird Books for children started publication in August 1914? The company originated in 1867 when Henry Wills began publishing assorted street directories and travel guidebooks in Loughborough, Leicestershire. The arrival of his publishing partner William Hepworth in 1904 gave the company a new name, Wills & Hepworth, and a […]
Did you know that tanks, which were invented during the First World War, got their name as part of a plot to trick the Germans? During 1915 it became clear that the German defenses on the Western Front was going to prevent the possibility of any large scale British or French breakthrough. In an attempt to […]
Did you know that there was a total solar eclipse on 21 August 1914 only weeks after the outbreak of the First World War? The eclipse was primarily visible in Eastern Europe and came only a few days after the Russian army had invaded East Prussia. The outbreak of war in Europe prevented many astronomers […]
