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World War I Timeline
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Children during WWI
During the war women and children are left at home to help with the war. Some children took up jobs and raised money to support the war effort. For many people planting and growing their own food was a big help. Since ships were being sunk at seas with resources on board getting food in was tough. The Boy Scouts were put to work to help the war effort. One way they helped was signaling when an air raid would begin and when an air raid would stop. -
Animals during WWI
Many animals were used during World War One on many sides. Entire Units were made up just from horse, known as a cavalry unit. Not only that but horses were also used to pull loads of weapons and resources. Dogs were used in the war to carry messages in bottles that were usually secured around their collars. Even goldfish were used to test the water to see if it was poisoned. -
Gallipoli Campaign
During 1915 the allies attempted to control the sea route from Russia to Europe known as the Dardanelles. The Ottoman Empire had just recently joined the war. So in response a second goal was to get Ottoman (Turkey) out of the war. Because of the harsh weather and terrain both sides suffered disease and starvation. Towards the end of the battle the allies had come to the conclusion that they had failed both of their goals and decide it was best the evacuate. -
New weapons and strategies
World War One came with the rise of many new high tech weapons, including submarines, poison gas, and artillery. Not to mention the new type of warfare known as trench warfare. The machine gun allowed soldiers to not have to reload as much and shoot more bullets per second. This meant more death for World War One. Some of these weapons, like poison gas, were banned after WWI. They were named as a threat to human kind. -
Battle of Jutland
Involving over 250 battleships the battle of Jutland is considered the biggest naval battle of WWI. The Germans launched a surprise attack on the British in home to weaken the royal Navy. Unfortunately the Germans already has a server disadvantage, the British had already cracked the Germans signal codes. Germany retreated at the end of the battle. The outcomes of this battle contained Britain keeping control over the north sea and showing their naval dominance. -
Battle of the Somme
Known as one of the most brutal battles of World War 1 is the Battle of the Somme.The allies took their first shot against German Forces in order to save troops of french soldiers fighting in Verdun. On the western front over 1,000,000 soldiers in total were killed. Trench warfare was a big part of The Battle of the Somme and one of the main reasons why it was dragged out so long. The allies made little territorial gain and overall failed to break through the German lines. -
Diseases during World War One
During ‘the war to end all wars’ many diseases came to rise. Mainly because of the unsanitary conditions of trenches. Some of the big ones that consumed many lives just on their own were influenza, trench fever, trench foot. Trench fever was made from the transferring of body lice. Trench foot being caused by the cold and wet environments caused in trenches. Trench foot, for many soldiers would end in the amputation of their leg. -
Music while at war
While at war, whether on the field on in the hospital, music source of inspiration and joy. Often patients, nurses, and soldiers will play instruments and sing together. Nettie speaks of a specific incident where African American soldiers from Mississippi, Georgia, came to the hospital formed a small orchestra. Not only that but comedians and dancers also joined in on the fun. To the patients and the nurses the arts were a source of entertainment and hope. -
Battle of Passchendaele
A battle that took over three months before being completed was fought in a region of Belgium known as Ypres. British once again launched an attack on German lines. British began a long artillery attack on German submarine bases located on the shores of Ypres along with trench warfare. The British made a small victory by capturing the small village of Passchendaele. Losing over 300,000 soldiers and tons of resources the British failed to make any large gains or impacts. -
Peculiar boys join the ward
A man comes to the hospital and spurs a big ruckus. According the Nettie he will wake the entire ward up by screaming in the middle of the night. A quiet boy has also been put into the ward. Nettie says that he is constantly read and that he took his head of a book when another nurse said “I want to talk to the good looking fellow”. This boy is now called “Handsome Harry”. -
Keeping busy during down time.
During down time nurses will clean up and prepare new uniforms. The uniforms were kept to a dark grey to prevent them to get dirty quickly. Out of the uniforms they would empty the pockets of items before they clean them. Going into town and shopping is a big hit for the nurses. Clothing is much cheaper and militarized zones. In town there are also band concerts held by french regiments that the nurses love to listen to. -
Patients Struggle With Memory Loss
During the war Nettie gets to interact with many wounded soldiers and to hear their story. For many though they seem to not know where they are at all or what has happened. Those who do remember don’t believe that they deserve honor for serving. And that they shouldn’t be regarded as ‘heroes’ for protecting our country. Nettie mentions that many photographers and journalists visit the hospital to interview the wounded soldiers and to take pictures. -
Christmas at the hospital
To keep spirits high the nurses decorate all parts of the ward. They even had a big tree covered in homemade ornaments. Nurses lit candles and shaded them with red paper before they went to bed to spread a red glow. They gave gifts and held parties with the patients. On the morning of Christmas Eve Nettie and her friends sang Christmas carols to the wounded soldiers. Christmas was a time of hope and joy for everyone at the hospital. -
Day in the life of a soldier
Many soldiers when they had free time usually went to smoke, play cards, or play music. Though a big excitement to the soldiers was, in simple, to get clean. Having their environment, clothes and body clean was a privilege they didn’t usually get to experience while down in the trenches. They would steam clean they uniforms and set up communal baths. To keep moral and hopes up in the trenches the soldiers would often read and write letters to their loved ones. -
100 Days Offensive
Towards the end of the war the allies now had advantages in numbers of people, weapons and strategic advantages like knowing the codes that Germany used. Not only this but the allies also were able to perfect their technique of mobile fighting in trench war warfare. The allies fought all along the western front. Both sides together lost a staggering 2 millions lives during the battle. The 100 days offensive battle had a conclusion of the defeat of the German army.
