12 amazing WW1 facts that you probably don't know
The secret tunnelers of WW1
World War One often conjures up
images of a horrific bloodbath fought in the trenches of the Western Front.
While this certainly captures some of the reality, did you know that the war
spread as far as China? Or that it was fought by servicemen from Asia, North
America, the Caribbean, Australasia and Africa?
Here are 12 surprising facts about World War One that you probably didn't
know.
1. An explosion on the battlefield in France was
heard in London
While the war raged on in the mud and trenches, a very different war was
taking place beneath the soldiers' feet. A group of miners, operating in total
secrecy, dug tunnels up to 100ft underground, to plant and detonate mines
beneath the enemy's trenches. Their biggest success was at Messines Ridge in
Belgium where over 900,000lbs of explosives were simultaneously detonated in 19
underground tunnels. Much of the German front line was destroyed, and the
explosions were heard 140 miles away by the British prime minister in Downing
St.
2. Journalists faced
execution
A handful of journalists risked their lives to report on the realities of
war. As the Government sought to control the flow of information from the
frontline at the start of the war, journalists were banned. Reporting on the
conflict was, in the opinion of the War Office, helping the enemy. If caught,
they faced the death penalty.
3. 12 million letters were delivered to the front every
week
Astonishingly, it only took two days for a letter from
Britain to reach the front in France. The journey began at a purpose-built
sorting depot in Regent's Park before being shipped to the trenches. By the end
of the war, two billion letters and 114 million parcels had had been
delivered.
4. War work turned some
women's skin yellow
When a generation of men went to fight the war, more than a million women
took their place in the workforce. They worked long hours, often in poor
conditions and with dangerous chemicals. The so-called 'canaries' were women who
worked with TNT, which gave them toxic jaundice and turned their skin
yellow.
5. WW1 sparked the invention of
plastic surgery
Shrapnel was the cause of many facial injuries in WW1 and unlike the
straight-line wounds inflicted by bullets, the twisted metal shards produced
from a shrapnel blast could easily rip a face off. Horrified by the injuries he
saw, surgeon Harold Gillies, took on the task of helping victims and pioneered
early techniques of facial reconstruction in the process.
6. Wilfred Owen was
unknown at the end of the war
Wilfred Owen is one of the best know poets of the WW1, but when he died on
the frontline, just a week before the end of the war, he was relatively unknown.
At the time, his view of the war as one of pity and horror was in the minority.
It wasn't until the 1960s that a literary elite decided this was the most
authentic view of the conflict because it chimed with their own anti-war
feelings. This resulted in the publication of two key war poetry anthologies
which heavily featured Owen.
7. The youngest British soldier was 12 years old
Sidney Lewis was just 12 years old when he lied about
his age and joined the army during World War One. He was one of thousands of
eager underage boys who enlisted and ended up fighting alongside their adult
counterparts on the front. Some were motivated by patriotism, but for others it
was an escape from their dreary lives.
8. WW1 nearly
caused a financial meltdown in Britain
At the turn of the 20th century, Britain was an economic superpower, but the
world's first global war would cost more than any that had gone before. For
example, the cost of bullets fired in one 24 hour period in September 1918 was
nearly four million pounds.
9. Blood banks were developed during
WW1
The British Army began the routine use of blood transfusion in treating
wounded soldiers. Blood was transferred directly from one person to another. A
US Army doctor, Captain Oswald Robertson, established the first blood bank on
the Western Front in 1917, using sodium citrate to prevent the blood from
coagulating and becoming unusable. Blood was kept on ice for up to 28 days and
then transported to casualty clearing stations for use in life-saving surgery
where it was needed most.
10.
Colourful makeovers meant WW1 ships hid in plain sight
It was crucial to protect the merchant ships carrying the food and military
supplies to the front from enemy torpedoes. Norman Wilkinson, an artist and
Royal Navy volunteer came up with the idea of covering ships in bold shapes and
violent contrasts of colour. The complete opposite of normal camouflage, dazzle
camouflage was supposed to confuse the enemy rather than conceal the ships.
WW1 ship painted in dazzle camouflage
11. 9 out of 10 soldiers survived the
trenches
Being in the firing line was rare for a British soldier. They constantly
moved around the trench system - meaning more often than not they were kept from
the dangers of enemy fire. The more typical experience for the British Tommy
would have been a life of boredom and regular routine.
12. Generals were banned from going
over the top
The stereotype is that the ordinary soldiers of WW1 were lions led by donkeys
- the donkeys being incompetent generals who sat out the war in comfort while
thousands died unnecessary deaths. In fact, so many of the generals wanted to be
closer to the fighting they had to be banned from going over the top because
they kept getting killed. The experience required to be a general was too
significant to löse.
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