The First World War: The War to End War | WW1 Documentary

"The lamps are going out all over Europe, we shall not see them lit again in our life-time" So remarked the British Foreign Secretary Sir Edward Grey, as the European continent geared up for war in the summer of 1914. Although at first glance his words appear somewhat fatalistic the fact is that what would transpire over the following four years would so dramatically change the world that the consequences of which would not be fully resolved until the end of the century when all the key figures involved had long died including Grey. Even today the consequences of that summer are still being felt in some way and we all live in the shadow of the aptly named Great War. The First World War. Welcome to Wars of the World.

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Narrated by: Will Earl
Written & Researched by: Tony Wilkins

History Should Never Be Forgotten...

[johngore]

My Grandmother lost a brother in the trenches. She was born in 1892 in Manchester UK and came to Canada (Montreal ) where I live in 1920. I’m 61 and she was around until 1986. The stories she told of life in Victorian/Edwardian England were incredible. In her lifetime she saw cars radio planes tv the moon landing and home computers invented. And she liked to watch Hockey and wrestling and Coronation Street. Lol

[TeriHuebert-tqkf]

My grandpa’s brothers, my Uncle Dave and Uncle Dietrich both were in the trenches. They both were horrifically damaged by the mustard gas. Both of them could no longer work because of lung damage and my Uncle Dietrich was afflicted with stomach cancer in his early twenties as well. The government gave my Uncle Dave ten dollars a month to support his family with, that’s all. He was a warm, kind man, a loving husband, father, uncle. He was so sweet to everyone. It wasn’t fair for him to be treated like that by our government, it was a disgrace. Ten dollars a month. In the sixties and seventies he couldn’t pay one bill with ten dollars. My Aunt Hazel, his wife cleaned homes to make ends meet. My other uncle died and his family received nothing. This was a true injustice.

[bruceduece]

It's staggering to consider that events that occured over 100 years ago still impact the world today. What started as the "war to end all wars" became the war that started a century of war.

[setsaimu]

Three things that made WW1 tragic:

1. Use of Medieval Tactics on a Modern Battlefield
2. A majority of soldiers getting very excited to fight thinking their side had the superior weaponary and trying to test them out on the enemy not knowing how deadly modern warfare would be
3. 80% of the time being spent doing nothing but anxiously waiting for the moment you would be called to charge an enemy with a new kind of weapon

[MaryJimenez-yscu]

I so much wanted both of my grandfather's to tell me what started WW1 being they fought during that time when they were 18 years old. They wouldn't talk about it. Thank you for explaining why they fought this war. This makes me more proud of them.

[ladymeghenderson]

My great grandmother lost a son on the Western Front in 1917, a great great uncle lost a son on the Western Front in the same year, and I lost a great uncle at Gallipoli 1915. We're all touched by this war which is why we should never forget

[bakerboy]

Thank you so much! This, in my opinion, is the greatest of great wars. How the men could live and fight in those conditions is beyond me

[kathleenwhitbread]

My grandfather and my great uncle fought in this war in France. Both survived however my great uncle died of Spanish ‘flu after returning home. It seemed so sad. I have one of his letters from France I think in a Canadian hospital saying how kind the nurses were and how they would give him a daily egg. His letter seemed designed to reassure his parents as he described “how he became a flying man” from a shell I assume. Apparently he was going to be sent home to “Blighty” which was a term for the UK. He was Welsh and was an officer in a Welsh corp I think. He expressed his relief at leaving the trenches of France for home. My husbands grandfather died in the battle of Verdun. I know very little about him. The letter from my great uncle and his mother’s diary entries gave me information about “Great uncle Clifford “. I cherish them because they give such an insight to what a terrible demonic thing war is. When you read how the British and German Saxon troops had a ceasefire on Christmas Day and played football together, it brings home how most people want peace with their fellow man. (By the way they were forbidden to ever do that again)😢😢😢😢

[para]

This war made the world change more than every other war. Rip to all fallen soldiers.

[JohnRoberts-wkrf]

Two big thumbs up on this clear and concise documentary that hits the important points without fluff.

[Sinn]

Something very interesting happened at Gallipoli that most people don't know. When the Allies were in full retreat, they knew the Ottomans weren't far behind. So a couple of ingenious soldiers came up with a plan to hold the Ottomans back while their brothers in arms retreated. They rigged a system with...I believe it was water and sand in canteens attached to a bunch of rifles on the front line. What it did was discharge an entire line of unmanned rifles, making the Ottomans think soldiers were still dug in. By the time they figured out what was happening, the Allies were already long gone. Absolutely brilliant!

[josephconsoli]

"No tree is so foolish as to fight amongst its own branches."

[Panda-gslt]

My British Paternal GFather fought against my German Maternal GFather in WW1… my Father met my Mother at the end of WW2 and eventually came to Canada where I was born … so I’m here because they all survived the battles and horrors of 2 World Wars. Fate is very strange.

[fantomnite]

Thanks for honouring the service of these men with this detailed documentary!

[Joshtow]

"War is hell, you cannot refine it." William Tecumseh Sherman

[AlexPriceMusician]

This was an amazing summary. It moved fast, but I couldn’t help but think about how effective this would be prior to a more in depth unit for a high school history class on WWI. It really covers everything of most importance in such a short amount of time.

[scottgeorge]

Excellent portrayal of WW1 with many aspects often omitted by many other documentaries. Seems to prove that people of earth never learn from their mistakes and continue to have wars... 👍👍❤❤

[DigitalVanquish]

The War To End All Wars? Maybe not in my lifetime, but one day, this may be true. That this war was the beginning of the end of all wars. It's astonishing how the outcome of the war shaped the 20th and 21st century.

[skywise]

One of my all time favorite war stories is about a conscientious objector; Desmond Doss.

[HVLLOWS]

WWI is overshadowed by WWII but I see no reason why it should be, it's so compelling and equally tragic.
I also love the steampunk vibes of zeppelins, early cumbersome mechanized technology and unprohibited chemical warfare. Which are all horrifying but it is what it is.