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.

The Gotha Air Raid on London – 13 June 1917

German air raids on Britain during the First World War began in early 1915 when Zeppelins were used to bomb coastal targ…

The Entertainer - Frederick Lauraine

During Project BIG PUSH, an interesting looking pension card was brought to the team leader’s attention by one of the ch…

A Mother’s pilgrimage

Private Joseph French was born in Dallas, Morayshire in December 1895, the son of William and Elizabeth French. The fami…

Chilwell – the VC factory

In 1914 the British armaments industry was primarily geared to supplying the needs of the Royal Navy, export markets, an…

The Censuring of Lieutenant Colonel John MacCarthy-O’Leary

In February 1918, 55th (West Lancashire) Division took over trenches in the Givenchy sector. The division’s units had su…

Alias Smith and Brown

In 2014 a group by the name of Dewsbury Sacrifices was formed with the primary intention of researching the 1053 names i…

Courage and devotion to duty: 62357 Sgt. Ernest Bashford, 199 Siege Battery

Family history research revealed at least five relatives who served in the Royal Garrison Artillery in the Great War, an…

From the Suvla Plain to Victory: William Ralph Peel

On the 16 November 1918, Lt Col William Ralph Peel and the men in his 10/Manchester Regiment were lined up smartly in th…

Ivor Gurney: Composer, Poet, Soldier

Ivor Gurney was born at 3 Queen Street, Gloucester, in 1890, as the second of four surviving children of David Gurney, a…

Capt James Donaldson Boswall: Boer War to Great War

James Donaldson Boswall was born in Madras, India in November 1870, the only son of Major-General Roper Boswall and his …

‘Two years in the making. Ten minutes in the destroying’ – A Sheffield soldier at the…

John Harris’s 1961 book, ‘Covenant with Death’, is a well-known ‘fictionary’ account of the Sheffield City Battalion, ta…

Howitzers, wounds and a pension

“The war of 1914-18 was an artillery war: artillery was the battle winner, artillery was what caused the greatest loss o…