Source Collection: World War I
Document 1
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Author |
Alfred Ambrose Chew Leete (1882–1933) |
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Date and location |
Britain, Italy, United States, and Germany, 1914–1919 |
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Source type |
Primary source – posters |
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Description |
Army recruitment posters from Britain, Italy, United States, and Germany between 1914 and 1919 |
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Citation |
“‘Your country needs you’ advertisement.” London Opinion XLII, no. 546 (5 September 1914). Accessed October 21, 2021. Public domain. https://www.bl.uk/collection-items/your-country-needs-you. |
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Glossary Recruiting: finding and enlisting people to join the military, either voluntarily or through pressure, persuasion, or legal requirements like a draft |
Document 2
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Author |
Unknown |
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Date and location |
United Kingdom or Australia, 1914 |
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Source type |
Primary source – postcard |
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Description |
This postcard features images of four soldiers from different countries: Australia, India, Canada, and Great Britain. The four corners of the post card show the coats of arms from their respective countries. The text is similar to the lyrics of the English folk song “We Don’t Want to Fight,” also called “MacDermott’s War Song” or the “Jingo Song”. |
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Citation |
We Don’t Want to Fight, but by Jingo If We Do, We’ve Got Men, and Coin and Ships, and Guns, to See It Through, and Through & Through. Inter-Art Co, 1914. Accessed 22 October 2021. http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-153093095. |
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Glossary By jingo: an expression used in England to show strong emotion, like surprise or determination |
Document 3
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Author |
English schoolchildren |
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Date and location |
1915, England |
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Source type |
Primary source – personal narrative |
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Description |
Shortly after the busy city of London was raided by Germain airships—for the second time in two months—a teacher asked students to write about what they had witnessed. This source is comprised of four personal narratives from different students, describing what they saw on either the September 8, 1915 raid, or the one that occurred five weeks later on October 13. |
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Citation |
Allen T., F. Baleh, Alfred Banks, James Bate, A.E. Bazley, Joe Bullock, E.G. Cracknell, et al. “Holborn Schoolboys’ Impressions of Zeppelin Raids over London Vol. I.” The British Library, 1915. https://www.bl.uk/collection-items/impressions-airship-raids-over-london-schoolchildren. |
The experiences of boys as related by themselves.
Class Master A.N. Field
Head Master J. Bate
HOLBORN:
PRINCETON STREET (B.) SCHOOL.
BEDFORD ROW, W.C.
[LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM]
J. Marriage
The air raid of Sep 8th
On Wednesday night at quarter to eleven I was woke up by my mother who said “Don[‘]t be frighten[ed], the [G]ermans are here”. I jumped out of bed… and ran into the front room where my mother was dressing. She said to me go and get your clothes on, but as I was a big light like lighting rose before my eyes and before I knew where I was a mighty explosion and a huge flame lept in front of me. As I expected this I ran into the street and saw many people pointing towards the sky. I ran to see what was the matter and in the sky there was a silvery coloured thing in the shape of a cigar Two powerful searchlights shone on it from end to end. It stood there for about five minutes dropping bombs and going in a circle for about two times and suddenly disappeared into the air. The searchlights looked for it but in vain it could not be found.
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Glossary In vain: to no purpose; without lasting effect |
Document 4
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Author |
Unknown |
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Date and location |
1917, United Kingdom |
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Source type |
Primary source – photographs from a periodical |
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Description |
This publication from 1917 features photographs taken during World War I from all over the globe. |
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Citation |
The War Pictorial, Great British Victories in West and East. Illustrated London News and Sketch, Ltd., May 1917. https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/100111569 |
Document 5
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Author |
Mary J. Huestis (1887–1951) |
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Date and location |
1918, United States and Canada |
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Source type |
Primary source – periodical (text) |
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Description |
This article from the magazine Scientific American describes how some Canadian women participated in the war effort by manufacturing weapons. In it, the author explains how women became involved, what they manufactured, and how they became accustomed to their new roles in the labor force. |
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Citation |
Huestis, Mary J. “The Women Workers of Canada.” Scientific American, January 12, 1918. |
SHORTLY after war was declared, the Daughters of the Empire of Quebec, Canada, a patriotic and educational organization, volunteered their services as munition workers.
The women of England were our inspiration. We read of their sacrifice to do men’s work, thus releasing the men for war duty, while they kept the wheels of national industry in motion. We believed that what the women of England could do for their country, for the world’s liberty, we, the women of Canada, could do. And so we volunteered for war service to the Ross Rifle Company, at Quebec, makers of the National Canadian Service Arm...
Some of us believed we were not fitted for factory work, but we did not want to discourage this great wave of patriotic enthusiasm that swept over our women who wanted to do their bit—hands-across-the-sea with their English sisters, in unity of purpose...
Machine barrel straightening was our pioneer department and from here you can trace in the factory records, expert operators in nearly every department.... These are the first and only women riflers on the continent of America...
… All distinction as to class, race, language were levelled and not recognized. We had as operators women of all classes from the daughters of the General Manager down.
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Glossary Munitions: weapons, equipment, and ammunition |
Document 6
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Author |
Mary J. Huestis (1887–1951) |
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Date and location |
1918, United States and Canada |
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Source type |
Primary source – periodical (photo) |
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Description |
This article from the magazine Scientific American describes how some Canadian women participated in the war effort by manufacturing weapons. In it, the author explains how women became involved, what they manufactured, and how they became accustomed to their new roles in the labor force. |
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Citation |
Huestis, Mary J. “The Women Workers of Canada.” Scientific American, January 12, 1918 |
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Glossary Bayonet: a blade that can be attached to a firearm for close fighting |
Document 7
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Author |
Unknown Nigerian recruit |
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Date and location |
1914-1917 |
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Source type |
Primary source – account |
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Description |
In addition to their domestic populations, many countries also recruited soldiers and laborers from their colonies. Often, they offered inducements to join, like money sent home to families and bonus pay. But sometimes they forcibly recruited these colonial subjects. It was easier to force them to join, without any rights, than it was to do so back home in Europe. This is one account of a person from the British colony of Nigeria who was forced to join the British war effort. |
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Citation |
Bodleian Library, Oxford. Falk papers. MSS. Afr. s.1808 (6), ‘The Carrier’s Tale’, an account written by an official in an unidentified British newspaper. |
We came back one night from our yam farm. The chief called us and handed us over to a government messenger. I did not know where we were going to, but the chief and the messenger said that the white man had sent for us and so we must go. After three days we reached the white man’s compound. Plenty of others had arrived from other villages far away. The white man wrote our names in a book, tied a brass number ticket around our neck, and gave each man a blanket and food. Then he told us that we were going to the great war to help the King’s soldiers… The Government police led the way, and allowed no man to stop behind
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Glossary Inducement: something offered to get somebody to do something |