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A blog of anecdotes and articles about the First World War.

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Recent Posts Tagged With 'home front'

  • Not to shoot at the airship.

    Posted on Saturday November 21st, 2009 at 04:34 in anecdotes, home front

    The ‘New York Times’ carried an amusing article from London on September 10th 1914.The day before the Admiralty tried to stop over enthusiastic citizens from getting their guns and shooting at a naval airship.AIRSHIP GOING OVER LONDONAdmiralty Wa...

  • Zeppelin Raids on London

    Posted on Wednesday October 28th, 2009 at 08:43 in home front, zeppelin's

    This fascinating article appered in the London Times on 22 January 1915. It informed the public of the range Zeppelin’s had to fly to reach England, their ammunition and what the conditions a Zeppelin will fly in. It was all very reassuring.In tod...

  • Lord Kitchener Advertises for Recruits

    Posted on Thursday October 22nd, 2009 at 04:04 in home front

    This recruitment advertisement appeared in The London Times, March 17, 1915Entitled Lord Kitchener Advertises for Recruits If the German Army were in Manchester.If the German Army were in Manchester, every fit man in the country would enlist without ...

  • Fels-Naptha Soap.

    Posted on Thursday October 1st, 2009 at 08:37 in Adverts, home front

    I love this advert in The Times from 1915.Fels-Naptha was a famous brand of bar laundry soap used for pre-treating stains on clothing and as a home remedy for exposure to poison ivy and other skin irritants.The answer of the lady that she is saving m...

  • Eastbourne - Business as Usual.

    Posted on Monday September 28th, 2009 at 05:33 in home front

    This advert appeared in The Times on 28th August 1914. Reminding the British public that the holiday season was now in ‘Full Swing’ and that for Eastbourne ‘The Garden by the Sea’ business was as normal....

  • Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice.

    Posted on Wednesday August 26th, 2009 at 04:06 in home front

    Continuing on my culinary delights in the Great War. This except from Everyday Foods in War Time by Mary Swartz Rose is much friendlier than the previous post.Mary Swartz Rose even tries to blend humour with her article. She seems to be empathetic wi...

  • Save Sugar

    Posted on Tuesday August 25th, 2009 at 04:33 in home front

    This great little piece advising the home makers of America how to save sugar during the war comes from Foods That Will Win The War and How To Cook Them by C. Houston Goudiss Food Expert and Publisher of The Forecast Magazine and Alberta M. Goudiss D...

  • Eastbourne Recruiting - September 1914.

    Posted on Wednesday July 15th, 2009 at 06:54 in home front, south downs battalions, eastbourne gazette

    The Eastbourne Gazette reported on Wednesday September 2nd 1914 a current update of the recruiting in the town and district.Lowther’s Lambs would come from these recruiting efforts. The work was well organised with every effort made to spur men on ...

  • Anti-German Riot in Lancashire Town.

    Posted on Thursday June 25th, 2009 at 04:03 in lusitania, home front

    This amazing report originally comes from Newton Guardian in Newton-le-Willows Library and was published by Steven Dowd on his excellent website Newton-le-Williows.com. I lived for 12 years in Newton-le-Willows and find it hard to believe the scenes ...

  • Ban on German Traders.

    Posted on Tuesday June 23rd, 2009 at 03:38 in lusitania, home front

    This report was also published in the New York Times on the 12th May 1915, and covers the Anti-German boycott that faced even ‘naturalised enemies’ at London Markets and on the Stock Exchange.It also talks about the Anti-German march that took pl...

  • Riots all over England.

    Posted on Monday June 22nd, 2009 at 08:58 in lusitania, home front

    In the aftermath of the sinking of the Lusitania, anti-German feeling ran at an all time high. This report published in the New York Times on the 12th May 1915, covers the riots that took place in the East End of London, these were typical of the act...

  • A Dangerous Glare

    Posted on Friday May 15th, 2009 at 09:34 in home front, eastbourne gazette

    "A Dangerous Glare"This excellent letter appeared in the Eastbourne Gazette on 21st October 1914.The writer’s main concern was the threat to residents from excessive lights being shown. But I love the second part where he feels that public appeals ...

  • Our Food Prices and Germanys

    Posted on Monday February 23rd, 2009 at 08:26 in home front

    This report in the Kildare Observer on 23rd January 1915, looked at the delicate item of food prices in the UK and Germany.Families were feeling the effect of very high inflation and one source of encouragement was that the German’s were having an ...

  • German Spies in England.

    Posted on Tuesday February 10th, 2009 at 06:21 in spying, home front

    This news item was reported in The Times on 17th August 1914.The cases of spying ranged from being suspicious around Belfast Docks with a knowledge of submarines, to considering oneself to be English having lived in England for a number of year. Alth...

  • Registration of Aliens.

    Posted on Tuesday January 13th, 2009 at 06:24 in home front, registration of aliens

    The Eastbourne Gazette at the outbreak of war published this article on the criteria for all Aliens to register. The rules were very stringent putting the onus on the Landlord to inform the Police of any Aliens residing at their address."REGISTRATION...

  • Sea Front Lighting

    Posted on Friday January 9th, 2009 at 07:04 in home front, eastbourne gazette

    Early in the war the Admiralty gave out instruction to all costal towns to minimise the risk of invasion and attack by Zeppelins (sea or air).This article in the Eastbourne Gazette publishes the Admiralties orders and the response of the ‘Watch’ ...

  • Provision for Wives and Families of Soldiers.

    Posted on Thursday January 8th, 2009 at 06:21 in home front, eastbourne gazette

    This article was published in the Eastbourne Gazette on 9th September 1914. At the beginning of the war there was confusion about the exact allowances given to families, as men joined up. The Gazette published the figures as an encouragement and reas...

  • Jam, Cheese and Tea.

    Posted on Tuesday October 28th, 2008 at 10:12 in anecdotes, home front, in the trenches

    Here’s an article from the Times dated 15th October 1917 about supplying the Army with the essentials of Jam, Cheese and Tea.The amounts that are quoted are gigantic but these reports did keep the public informed what was required whilst they felt ...

  • Syrup in place of sugar.

    Posted on Wednesday October 22nd, 2008 at 10:17 in home front

    With sugar in short supply and rationing taking effect novel ways of creating your own sweeteners were published. The Times published this letter which gives full instruction of how to cook your own sweet syrup from white beetroot.It all seems rather...

  • Food Shortages?

    Posted on Monday October 20th, 2008 at 10:23 in home front, eastbourne gazette

    This little article appeared in the Eastbourne Gazette on 19th August 1914. It is interesting how the newspaper prepared the public for the food shortages ahead.To say that supplies from Germany and Denmark were cut off is perhaps an understatement a...

  • Sergeant Horace Railton Hayward, 9th Light Horse Regiment.

    Posted on Wednesday October 8th, 2008 at 10:10 in anecdotes, aif - other soldiers, home front

    Private Horace Hayward enlisted on the 25th September 1914, aged 21. He came from Surrey Hills, Victoria and was a carpenter by trade.He embarked from Melbourne on 11th February 1915 on HMAT Karroo.He was wounded on 27th August 1915 at Gallipoli, Hil...

  • Patriotic Music and Miss Buckman

    Posted on Monday October 6th, 2008 at 09:46 in home front, eastbourne gazette

    This article appeared in the Eastbourne Gazette on 19th August 1914.I wonder what the famous Belgian airs were that the audience stood and sang ‘heartily’ with?Miss Buckman was indeed a very famous opera singer and would have been a treat for any...

  • The Marylebone War Supply Depot

    Posted on Thursday October 2nd, 2008 at 08:19 in home front, queen marys needlework guild

    This article comes from the British Nursing Journal dated 7th August 1915.The Central Depot for all surgical supplies for the Queen Mary’s Needlework Guild was at St. Marylebone War Hospital in London. We are given here an interesting insight into ...

  • Advert for Queen Marys Needlework Guild.

    Posted on Tuesday September 30th, 2008 at 06:02 in anecdotes, home front, queen marys needlework guild

    This advert for Queen Mary’s Needlework Guild appeared in The Times in April 1916.It asks for a contribution, specifically £50.00. This was obviously targeting the wealthy as in most working cases the amount would have equated to almost a yearly s...

  • Tank Bank - Tank No.130

    Posted on Thursday September 25th, 2008 at 07:29 in anecdotes, home front

    Tank Banks were an ingenious way of raising funds to support the war effort and purchase more tanks for the front.It all started in November 1917 when two Mark I V tanks made their debut at the Lord Mayor Show in London, this was the first time the p...

  • Queen Mary’s Needlework Guild

    Posted on Tuesday September 23rd, 2008 at 06:23 in home front

    Queen Mary’s Needlework Guild was founded by the Queen on 21st August 1914, specifically to help with ‘comforts’ for all serving soldiers and sailors.This article from “Women and War Work by Helen Fraser” gives an excellent description of t...

  • Lord Roberts Funeral

    Posted on Tuesday July 1st, 2008 at 04:19 in home front, lord roberts

    In a previous post Lord Roberts Memorial Workshops I looked at the work of the Memorial workshops set up in honour of Lord Roberts and the miniature tank week organized in 1918.This report from the Kildare Observer 0n 11th November 1914, announces th...

  • Alphabet of the War.

    Posted on Friday June 20th, 2008 at 05:31 in anecdotes, home front

    This little article by Aubrey Ford was first published in the London Opinion and was subsequently republished in the Kildare Observer. Penned in the first few months of the war, it is an excellent patriotic, flag waving article and captures the optim...

  • Crime in 1916

    Posted on Wednesday May 21st, 2008 at 06:52 in home front, eastbourne gazette

    This article appeared in the Eastbourne Gazette on 30th August 1916, reminds us that life continued on exactly the same on the home front.Looking at the reports now, one cannot but smile! The fact that they left old underwear behind is no surprise, b...

  • Elizabeth Macdonald

    Posted on Wednesday May 14th, 2008 at 08:21 in nursing, home front, belgian refugees

    Elizabeth Macdonald (nee Morgan) along with Dr. Bruce, Medical Superintendent of the Western Hospital, Fulham, helped establish the Belgian Refugee Depot at Earl’s Court in October 1914. She was awarded the ‘Medaille de la Reine Elizabeth’ for ...