Lewes resident Sidney Woodroffe was awarded the Victoria Cross for the heroism on the battlefield that cost him his life. Sidney Woodroffe was born in Lewes, East Sussex, on 17 December 1895. He was the fourth and youngest son to his parents, Henry and Clara. Sidney was educated at Marlborough College where he held the role of […]
During the First World War, the British Army in France needed to be regularly supplied with food, ammunition and equipment in order to continue fighting. The port of Newhaven was at the forefront of this supply effort. Before the outbreak of the First World War, Newhaven was a key point in travel between Britain and Europe. […]
‘Then and Now’ images Kieron Pelling has created a series of images especially for the East Sussex World War 1 website which overlay original photos taken during the period 1914 to 1919 with contemporary photos taken in the same place. The latest in this wonderful series, called ‘Then and Now’, can be seen in the […]
During the First World War many people served in voluntary medical groups such as the Friends Ambulance Unit. Four men and women with addresses in Hastings and St Leonards , all of them members of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), served in the Friends Ambulance Unit between 1914 and 1918. Cousins Percy and Harold […]
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 […]
During the First World War soldiers who travelled abroad would often make connections with those they encountered. This is one such story. In December 1917, British and French divisions were sent to support the Italian army after the defeat at the Battle of Caporetto . Overhung by the fame of the disastrous battle, in Italy […]
Participation in the 3rd International Open German Cavalry Championships at Boxberg, Gotha, East Germany 29th -31st May 2015 Early in the morning of Tuesday 26th May 2015 a convoy of three horse boxes boarded the ferry at Dover – bound for Calais. On these boxes was a team of four riders, four horses and ground […]
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 […]
Following their time at Gallipoli the Sussex Yeomanry were re-deployed to Egypt. The elation felt by the Regiment in February 1916 at the prospect of taking on a mounted role soon evaporated – it was not to be. What was worse was that the South East Mounted Brigade S.E.M.B) was to be scrapped. The S.E.M.B. was amalgamated […]
At the end of the First World War, a General Election placed voting power into the hands of millions who had never had it before and permanently changed Britain’s political landscape. The last General Elections before the First World War had both been held in 1910 and both had produced hung parliaments and coalition governments. The […]
