When did World War I actually start?

[DT Ralge]

Yes, early August and "we'll be home by Xmas!"

[Electerrific]

4 August: UK [Great Britain] declares war on Germany.

 

God bless America, they were late for the last two, and then joined by ''accident''!

[LeMaquis]

Who's "celebrating"? Surely the massive loss of servicemen- far more than in WW2, by the way- is a cause for commemoration but scarcely celebration. Do you object to that?

 

I read the figures a few years ago about British casualties in WW1 and WW2. In WW1 it was over a million (civilian as well as military, over 2% of the population) and including a few tens of thousands of colonial recruits. The high figure was largely due to the massacres caused by troops being sent straight into machine gun fire.

 

In WW2 the total numbers of British and colonials killed, military and civilian, was less than half a million, or less than 1% of the population, despite aerial bombings of British cities. This lower figure was due to most deaths being on the Eastern Front where about 70% of the fighting was done, and the UK only being involved in fighting on the continent from 1944.

 

It's still a surprise though that there were more British casualties in WW1 than in WW2.

 

---------- Post added 27-08-2013 at 19:19 ----------

 

So: 4 August, then?

 

I'd go for 28th July when the first declaration of war was made. Subsequent declarations occurred because of existing treaties where nation states promised to fight to defend other allied countries under attack. The UK entered the war to defend France from German invasion.

[harvey19]

The Mons Star was awarded for service between 5th August and midnight 22/23 November 1914.

The earlier date was the day after Britain had declared war on the Central Powers, the later date was after the 1st battle of Ypres

So I would say 4th August 1914 was the relevant date.

There was a 1914/18 Star but the former was for those involved at the very start of the war, the regular army.

[Electerrific]

Will we also commemorate the Spanish Influenza pandemic from 1918-20 that wiped out more people worldwide than WW1 did itself?

[JFKvsNixon]

I read the figures a few years ago about British casualties in WW1 and WW2. In WW1 it was over a million (civilian as well as military, over 2% of the population) and including a few tens of thousands of colonial recruits. The high figure was largely due to the massacres caused by troops being sent straight into machine gun fire.

 

In WW2 the total numbers of British and colonials killed, military and civilian, was less than half a million, or less than 1% of the population, despite aerial bombings of British cities. This lower figure was due to most deaths being on the Eastern Front where about 70% of the fighting was done, and the UK only being involved in fighting on the continent from 1944.

 

It's still a surprise though that there were more British casualties in WW1 than in WW2.

 

Maybe the discrepancy between the figures is due a reluctance from the UK to put a large army into the field in World War Two, this reluctance was certainly due to the losses in the First World War. It's also worth noting that Montgomery was often criticised for being overly cautious with his armies, probably another throwback to the bloodshed in the First World War.

[fairyworld14]

I thought it was around the 4th of August . And we show respect for the many many soldiers that lost their lives in this dreadful war. That is why we remember them in the way that is coming up . I for one will be watching the programmes.

[harvey19]

Maybe the discrepancy between the figures is due a reluctance from the UK to put a large army into the field in World War Two, this reluctance was certainly due to the losses in the First World War. It's also worth noting that Montgomery was often criticised for being overly cautious with his armies, probably another throwback to the bloodshed in the First World War.

Most of the politicians in the 1930s had experience of the horrors of warfare.

The same applied to politicians and the population in the latter part of the 20th century.

Now we have a generation of politicians who with a very few exceptions, haven't served in the forces or experienced war.

[deaf andy]

y'all need to get together and build a time machine, maybe then you can stop living in the past and instead go and live in the past.

 

yes, it's important to know where you have come from, but more important to look where you're going.

[Harleyman]

World War One was the greatetst crime perpetuated against the people by a bunch of strutting and posturing little dukes, kings and emperors.

 

The Crimean war just over half a century earlier should have been a lesson learned by British statesmen who were all gung ho to go to war so willingly in 1914