THE WAR DUNGEON
THE GREAT WAR
1914- 1918
Here you will find a selection of the named items and stories from The Great War, commonly referred to as World War One, the First World War and most inaccurately "The war to end all wars "
We are fortunate to have items from Great Britain, Canada, France, The United States and Germany so far. Featuring a wide variety of items from photography and crochet to bayonets and uniforms, we try to cover all aspects of the era and the war, both at home and on the battlefields.
The Great War was the birth of modern warfare and saw many firsts unleashed upon the world. The first Air Forces took flight to battle in the sky around the world. Huge armored tanks rumbled across the pockmarked no mans land of the Western Front. Machine guns dominated battlefields and turned whole regiments into nothing more than casualty reports. Zeppelins bombed cities and struck terror into the hearts of civilians like the world had never seen. By the time it ended some twenty million would lay dead, Empires lay broken and rather than end war it had set the scene for the worst war yet to come.
As the Guns fell silent, the old empires fell one by one and, from the ashes of the Great War, the victors drew new borders. In the name of justice, all whom they felt responsible were punished. These events of 1919 set the stage for what would be, twenty years later, the largest and most devastating conflict in human history. Grab yourself a Cuppa, some cheese or Schnapps and have a read!
Great Britain and her Empire
Age Shall not Weary them, Nor the years condemn...
From all corners of the empire, men and women of every race color and creed answered the call to defend Great Britain and her allies. Fighting and dying on every front of the war. The sons and daughters of the commonwealth would give their lives in the pursuit of freedom, justice and many for the man beside them.
The British Empire martyred itself in the Great War to save Europe from Germany, unbeknownst to anyone at the time this was just the first round.
The Dominion of Canada
To those who fall I say, You will not die but step into immortality
-Sir Arthur Currie
The Great war was one of the defining moments in the history of Canada. The war dramatically transformed the nation socially and economically, so many rushed to enlist they had to close the recruitment offices! Canada was about to show the Empire and the World exactly what they could do and by the end of it Canadians had forged a nation, together.
Through the battles of Kitcheners wood, Passchendaele, The Somme, Vimy and Hill 70 Canadians faced all the horrors and glory of war.
The German Kaiserreich
"Germany must have her place in the sun."
-The Kaiser
The soldiers of the Fatherland would march to war against enemies in the east and the west, her ships patrolled and fought as far away as Africa, Asia and South America. The industrial Might of Germany would help to churn the fields of Europe into a blasted hell scape, scarcely seen in history. These men and women would serve bravely, fighting for their Kaiser and for Germany.
The Republic of France
France would play host to the worst fighting the Great War had to offer, losing over 1,300,000 soldiers between 1914-1918. Many battlefields of this war were in France, with armies fighting over villages and cities, farms and more. Reducing them to nothing more than hollow ruins and blasted craters.
The French who for so many years were "The Old Enemy" to the British, would find themselves fighting again side by side trying to hold back the seemingly relentless tide of German Fieldgrey.
"Liberty, Equality, Fraternity"
The United States of America
The United States would join WW1 in 1917 alongside Britain and France, reluctant to get involved in a foreign war sentiment changed over time. Several key events led to the US declaring war on Germany. This would bring the as yet unseen Industrial Might of the worlds rising super power to bear, swiftly concluding the Great War.
Praise the Lord, and Pass the Ammunition!
