World War I Articles | The Western Front Association

Articles on every aspect of the First World War written by experts in their field. Some are were first published in Stand To! or Bulletin, others have been researched and written for the web. If you would like to contribute an article please get in touch.

To What Extent was the Empire’s Commemoration of Those who Served During...

[This article is by Matthew Cogan aged 19, and is based on his essay which won the Colin Hardy Me...

Reduced and Reconstituted British Divisions, 1918

During the spring and summer of 1918, both the War Office and GHQ in France faced a difficult dil...

The workhorse of the staff: The Vauxhall D-Type staff car

If asked to suggest the most numerous (or even preferred) type of ‘Staff Car’ used by British Gen...

A soldier of the Cheshire Regiment - thrice missing: Private Peter Mahon

On the day I began writing this article, 11 November 2020, I reflected, as did we all, upon the b...

Morning Attack Neuve Chapelle. A reminiscence from Fred Dixon

I have never seen it mentioned anywhere that 'C' Company 2nd Leicestershire Regiment made an atta...

The Battle of Neuve Chapelle 1915

Despite the disappointments in the opening months of the First World War when the idea that "It w...

From cruiseship to armed merchant cruiser and spy catcher….

The ship that was HMS Viknor was built in 1888 as a passenger liner, the ‘Atrato’, for use on rou...

The Road to Sheik Sa’ad

On the outbreak of war, the 1st Battalion of the Seaforth Highlanders were in India but were orde...

The First World War paid off?

[This article was originally published in 'Stand To!' number 104 in September 2015. Members of Th...

The Loss of HM Yacht Iolaire 1st January 1919

Hogmanay 1918 and many families in the Western Isles awaited with great anticipation the imminent...

A Christmas Party then Tragedy : 30 December 1915

The band of the Royal Marines played, a film show ran and then tragedy as a series of explosions...

How to research Canadian Soldiers from the First World War

We are sometimes asked about how to undertake research for servicemen who were killed in the Grea...