Resources First World War

First World War

Learn more about World War I

The effect of the war was also felt at home. Families and communities grieved the loss of so many men, and women suffered the physical and financial burden of caring for families. Anti-German feeling emerged with the outbreak of the war, and many Germans living in Australia were sent to internment camps. When the war ended, thousands of ex-servicemen, many disabled with physical or emotional wounds, had to be re-integrated into a society keen to consign the war to the past and resume normal life.

The photo on the right shows reinforcements coming ashore at Anzac Cove, Gallipoli Peninsula, Turkey 1915-1908.

Did you know?

• World War 1 was a military conflict lasting from 1914 to 1918 which involved nearly all the biggest powers of the world
• World War 1 involved 2 opposing alliances - the Allies and the Central Powers The countries of the Allies included Russia, France, British Empire, Italy, United States, Japan, Rumania, Serbia, Belgium, Greece, Portugal and Montenegro. The countries of the Central Powers included Germany, Austria-Hungary, Turkey and Bulgaria
• World War 1 was triggered on 28 June 1914 by the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his pregnant wife Sophie
• Artillery barrage and mines created immense noise. In 1917, explosives blowing up beneath the German lines on Messines Ridge at Ypres in Belgium could be heard in London 140 miles (220 km) away
• Germans were the first to use flamethrowers in WWI. Their flamethrowers could fire jets of flame as far as 130 feet (40 m)
• More than 65 million men from 30 countries fought in WWI. Nearly 10 million died. The Allies (The Entente Powers) lost about 6 million soldiers. The Central Powers lost about 4 million
• There were over 35 million civilian and soldier casualties in WWI. Over 15 million died and 20 million were wounded
• Nearly 2/3 of military deaths in WW1 were in battle. In previous conflicts, most deaths were due to disease
• Russia mobilized 12 million troops during WW1, making it the largest army in the war. More than ¾ were killed, wounded, or went missing in action
• In August 1914, German troops shot and killed 150 civilians at Aerschot. The killing was part of war policy known as Schrecklichkeit ("frightfulness"). Its purpose was to terrify civilians in occupied areas so that they would not rebel
• During WWI, British tanks were initially categorised into "males" and "females". Male tanks had cannons, while females had heavy machine guns
• "Little Willie" was the first prototype tank in WWI. Built in 1915, it carried a crew of three and could travel as fast as 3mph (4.8 km/h)
• During WWI, the Spanish flu caused about 1/3 of total military deaths
• Over 200,000 men died in the trenches of WW1
• Trenches were infested with millions of rats, frogs and lice

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Source:
Australian War Memorial
American History
Wikipedia