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It
is 100 years since the beginning of the first world war for some
reason maybe because there is so much on the telly about it that, it
has been on my mind. The war ran from 28th July 1914 to
11th November 1918. It was called the war to end all wars
or the Great War.
It
would become one of the largest wars in history, with close to 70
million people being involved and the death toll was staggering with
around 16 million dying and another 20 million injured.
About
two-thirds of military deaths in World War I were in battle, unlike
the conflicts that took place in the 19th century when the majority
of deaths were due to disease. Nevertheless, disease, including the
Spanish flu
and
deaths while held as prisoners
of war,
still caused about one third of total military deaths for all
belligerents.
There
was about 60,000 Australian dead and more than 150,000 wounded. There
had never been a war like it. It was the first major war of the
industrial age, the first war to include tanks, machine guns, trench
warfare, gas and many other horrors which were previously unknown on
the battlefields of the world.
It
was the war fought on the biggest stage of all time. No previous war
had ever spanned continents and hemispheres.
Researching
this I have not been able to find a clear reason for the war other
than power pure and simple, if this is wrong please feel free to tell
me the reason for it.
Of
course when Australians think of the first world war we think of
Gallipoli, the
first troops landed on 25 April 1915. After eight months of heavy
fighting, the troops were withdrawn around the end of the year.
The
campaign was the first major military action of Australia
and
New
Zealand as
independent dominions,
and is often considered to mark the birth of national consciousness
in those nations. The date of the landing, 25 April, is known as
"Anzac
Day".
It remains the most significant commemoration of military casualties
and veterans
in
Australia and New Zealand.
The
campaign was one of the greatest Ottoman
victories
during the war and is considered a major Allied
failure.
In Turkey,
it is regarded as a defining moment in the nation's history: a final
surge in the defence of the motherland as the Ottoman Empire
crumbled. The struggle formed the basis for the Turkish
War of Independence and
the founding of the Republic of Turkey eight years later under
Mustafa
Kemal Atatürk,
who first rose to prominence as a commander at Gallipoli.
So
to all those who fought, we will remember you...............lest we
forget
Tomorrow I will write a bit more about Australia's part in the Great War.
You might want to Google Archduke Franz Ferdinand for more information about how The Great War began. Those trenches must have been hideous. Some scientists believe that the flu pandemic began at Fort Worth in Kansas. The soldiers became infected and spread the flu as they were shipped out to other locations. It was called the Spanish flu because for some reason people thought it started in Spain.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
I will in fact Google the Archduke to read more, I am fascinated about things like this. Yes I reckon the trenches would have been hideous indeed, but to be honest I can't imagine it because I have never experienced anything like it
DeleteI've seen photos and seen the trenches depicted in films. The rats were very bad, it was muddy . . . horrible!
DeleteA tragedy, to be sure. But, it was merely Part I of a two-part tragedy which started again in 1939 (a case could be made it started earlier than that when the Japanese invaded China). I just pray that, in 2114, someone isn't commenting about Part III.
ReplyDeleteThe "War To End All Wars?" Not by a long shot.
Yeah I know I will write about the second world war at a later date, I also hope there is no ww111 ever............there is too much fighting and death in the world as there is
DeleteYes, always remembered.
ReplyDeleteSo true
DeleteAnd, I have been doing my weekly "This week in WWI" post since May. I am coming to a point where I'm going to give my opinions on the war's root cause soon.
ReplyDeleteWe need to write about it to help younger people understand
DeleteNo one ever wins in war.
ReplyDeleteThat's for sure
Delete