Links

This web page contains links to other websites which are not under the control of and are not maintained by Channel 4 Television. Channel 4 Television is not responsible for the content of these sites and does not necessarily endorse the material on them.

The Internet contains a wealth of sites dealing with aspects of the Great War. Many of these sites are very specialised, looking at details of technical developments. Many are rather jumbled collections of source material, photographs or other scraps. However, there are some good academic sites and some sites run by veterans’ organisations which are of great value. All of these sites should be evaluated by the teacher in relation to the following criteria:

• the depth of information they contain
• the range of insights published in them
• the facility they provide to communicate with experts and enthusiasts
• original archive material
• their potential as a basis of stimulating and imaginative activities

The following sites are recommended because they meet at least some of the criteria listed above.

Trenches
http://www.worldwar1.com/
A site created and maintained by enthusiasts of the Great War. It contains detailed information on a vast range of topics relating to the war, including trenches, technology, the Home Front, and much more. There is also a facility to make contact with other interested people by email. The weapons section (http://www.worldwar1.com/armory.htm) is especially detailed. It contains paintings, photographs, diagrams, diary entries, maps, sketches and even songs and poems.

The Great War
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/special_report/1998/10/98/world_war_i/newsid_197000/197437.stm
This site contains some expert commentary, including a consideration of the ‘lions led by donkeys?’ debate by Peter Simpkins, a historian at the Imperial War Museum.

The World War I Document Archive
http://www.lib.byu.edu/~rdh/wwi/

This site contains a range of documents, ranging from official government papers and treaties to the letters and diaries of individual soldiers. It gives an insight into the war at a detailed level. There are image archives, official documents, diary entries and maps. The site is easy to search and friendly, although some of the sources themselves may be daunting.

Art of the First World War
http://www.art-ww1.com/
This site is sponsored by the United Nations and was set up in 1998 to commemorate the eightieth anniversary of the end of the war. The art comes from all over the world; images are taken from the collections of great museums and galleries, including the Imperial War Museum in London. There are detailed notes to accompany the pictures and to help students interpret them. The collection of paintings is helpfully divided into sections, such as ‘War Declared’, ‘Fighting Men’ and ‘Artillery’. An interesting exercise for students would be to compare the impressions of war shown on this site with the propaganda images shown on:
http://carmen.artsci.washington.edu/propaganda/war1.htm
Students who usually struggle with the writing demands of history may well express themselves in a visual essay using this material.

Captain Haig
http://www.ukans.edu/~kansite/ww_one/comment/haig1.html
Interesting, well-researched attempt to put Haig’s poor historical reputation into perspective. It addresses both his failings and his strengths, and the context in which he operated.

Battery D
http://www.degnanco.com/batteryd/
A personal story of an artillery battery in the Great War. Much interesting and moving material to complement the programme.

Commonwealth War Graves Commission
http://www.cwgc.org/
The Commission is responsible for the graves of the war dead. The site provides personal and service details and places of commemoration for the 1.7 million members of the Commonwealth Forces who died in the First and Second World Wars. Details of the 60,000 civilian casualties of the Second World War are also given.

The Accrington Pals
http://www.btinternet.com/~a.jackson/pals.htm
A well-informed site on the Pals, which also has a good deal of extra material and a good collection of links.

Battle of the Somme
http://dutita0.twi.tudelft.nl/users/bunnik/somme.html
An informative account of the Battle of the Somme and the background to it.