The Western Front Association

23/04/2026

On St George's Day in 1918 a daring raid took place, which resulted in the award of eight Victoria Crosses to those who took part.

It involved a near suicidal attack involving surface ships, old cruisers which were to be scuttled, raiding parties and the use of an innovative smoke screen.

But things did not go off entirely as planned.....

To read about this raid click on the link >>>
https://www.westernfrontassociation.com/world-war-i-articles/2021/april/st-george-s-day-at-zeebrugge/

22/04/2026

In issue 42 of the WFA's digitised magazine 'Gun Fire' the entire edition is dedicated to a review of a series of post cards (some of which were in colour) issued by the Daily Mail during the course of the Great War.

The introduction explains....

The Daily Mail revealed it was going to issue its famous cards a month after the Somme battles began and its announcement of their appearance made it clear that they were to consist mainly (at least at first) of scenes from Picardy:
'The Daily Mail [had been granted] the exclusive right to make and sell post- cards from photographs which have been taken and are to be taken by official photographers on the Western front.'

To read more about the Gun Fire magazine go to >>>>https://www.westernfrontassociation.com/news/2019/november/gun-fire-the-re-publication-of-a-renowned-wfa-journal/

21/04/2026

The Red Baron was not totally immune to being shot down. He was of course killed in action on 21 April 1918 and also seriously injured when shot down on 6 July 1917 (by Captain Donald Cunnell).

However, there was an even earlier instance of Richthofen being 'downed'. To read an article entitled 'The (other) man who shot down the Red Baron' click here>>> https://www.westernfrontassociation.com/world-war-i-articles/2018/november/the-other-man-who-shot-down-the-red-baron/

This article also provides a very useful chronological 'Roll of Honour' of all of Richthofen's 'victories' - including links to the CWGC cemeteries / memorials where these men are buried or commemorated.

Fascinated by WW1? So are we !
https://www.westernfrontassociation.com/membership/

20/04/2026

Captain Robert Borras Whiteside died of fever on 20 April 1915 in the General Hospital, Versailles, whilst serving in France with the Royal Army Service Corps.

Born in 1869, the son of Henry Holmes Whiteside and his wife, Emily, he married Leonore Hamilton in 1903. His wife was the daughter of the 9th Lord Belhaven and Stenton.

Robert and Leonore lived in London and had three children. In the 1910 General Election, Robert stood as a Conservative candidate unsuccessfully in Wolverhampton.
Robert was buried in Les Gonards Communal Cemetery in Versailles. After the Armistice, Leonore spent much time in Versailles, over many years, frequently visiting her husband’s grave.

Sometime after Robert’s death, Leonore had arranged for the British flag to be flown in the vicinity of the British war graves in the cemetery – supplying replacement flags when required – and a replacement flagstaff. The then Imperial War Graves Commission allowed this as the cemetery was technically under the oversight of French authorities who were happy to agree to this. This would continue until the German advance into France during the Second World War.

Leonore died in December 1946 and the practice was discontinued.

A few years later, a flag was returned to the War Graves Commission by Obertleutnant G. Zuschneid – this had been taken by him in 1940 for safe keeping during the war.

19/04/2026

An obituarist of the former Prime Minister, Andrew Bonar Law (1858-1923) recalled the emotional burden of the ‘terrible sadness’ he bore whilst carrying out his state duties as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the wartime coalition government.

His two sons, Charles John Law and James Kidston, were both killed on active service during 1917. Bonar Law's loss was a constant presence, leading him to break down on several occasions including the unveiling of the war memorial at Glasgow High School, the school he left aged sixteen to enter the family banking business. According to the Dundee Evening Telegraph, his address honouring the bravery of the pupils who went overseas, including the 458 who never returned, brought Bonar Law to the verge of collapse.

His eldest son, James Kidston, then aged sixteen, joined up when war broke out. Charles John, his second son, soon followed in his brother’s footsteps, aged just seventeen when he joined the King’s Own Scottish Borderers. Close friends wrote of Charles in glowing terms, painting a picture of a modest officer, full of joy and enthusiasm, ‘one of the best’.

After his regiment was posted to Palestine, and shortly before the Battle of Gaza, Charles wrote to his father, hoping the action would be a success and they would ‘scupper’ the Turks. Three days later, he was reported missing. An early report by German newspaper suggested that Charles had been captured by the Turks. In June, the Vatican apparently verified this. Devastatingly for his father, the telegram received by the Vatican provided false comfort, omitting the vital word ‘not’ from the phrase ‘is a prisoner with the Turks’. Aged twenty, Charles had died of wounds three months earlier on 19 April 1917.

Later that year, Bonar Law suffered a further loss when Captain James Kidston’s plane was shot down in France on 21 September 1917. James’ body was never recovered and his name appears on the memorial to missing airmen at Arras. Lord Blake, Bonar Law’s biographer, stated that this second bereavement, coming so soon after the first, was an almost overwhelming blow, rendering the stricken Bonar Law incapable of work and causing him to resign as leader of the Conservative party.

After his death on 23 October 1923, to mark his brief post-war premiership from October 1922 to May 1923, Bonar Law’s ashes were interred at Westminster Abbey. A family memorial, inscribed with the names of father and sons, is found at Helensburgh - Bonar Law’s chosen resting place.

18/04/2026

Despite the success of the '40 thieves' trench raid (detailed in an earlier post), there was one fatality to those men who took part. Second Lieutenant Felix Baxter did not return from the raid, but was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross. His citation reads as follows.....

For most conspicuous bravery. Prior to a raid on the hostile line he was engaged during two nights in cutting wire close to the enemy's trenches. The enemy could be heard on the other side of the parapet.

Second Lieutenant Baxter, while assisting in the wire cutting, held a bomb in his hand with the pin withdrawn ready to throw. On one occasion the bomb slipped and fell to the ground, but he instantly picked it up, unscrewed the base plug, and took out the detonator, which he smothered in the ground, thereby preventing the alarm being given, and undoubtedly saving many casualties.

Later, he led the left storming party with the greatest gallantry, and was the first man into the trench, shooting the sentry with his revolver. He then assisted to bomb dugouts, and finally climbed out of the trench and assisted the last man over the parapet.

After this he was not seen again, though search parties went out at once to look for him. There seems no doubt that he lost his life in his great devotion to duty.

To read more about Edward Felix Baxter VC, click on the link >>> https://www.westernfrontassociation.com/world-war-i-articles/2016/april/the-story-of-how-2nd-lieut-edward-felix-baxter-was-awarded-the-vc/

17/04/2026

Exactly 110 years ago today, in France, an official photographer was busy going about his work just south of the city of Arras. The photographer was Ernest Brooks and he had been assigned to a unit that was - during the following night - to launch an audacious trench raid.

The raid was meticulously planned and went off like clock work. The images that Brooks took in the hours before the raid have been overshadowed by one stunning image of the 40 or so men who took part in the raid. These men became known as 'The 40 thieves'.

The images below show the 40 thieves and the other photos that Brooks took at this time. They are part of a longer article on the WFA's website about Brooks, the 40 thieves and the men who took part in this raid.

To read 'Ernest Brooks and the photograph of The 'Forty Thieves'' click here >>>https://www.westernfrontassociation.com/world-war-i-articles/2020/march/ernest-brooks-and-the-photograph-of-the-forty-thieves/

16/04/2026

As part of the desire of The Western Front Association's trustees to continually improve the offer we make to members, we are delighted to announce that a new feature has been launched which will add yet another very good reason to join The Western Front Association.

We have acquired, scanned and digitised the entire set of the weekly magazine 'The Illustrated War News'. These magazines are fully searchable by keyword. They can be accessed using the WFA's 'Searchable Magazine Archive' which is within the members' area of the website. Obviously you will need to 'log in' to the members area to locate these magazines.

The Illustrated War News was a war-time offshoot of The Illustrated London News, a publication which started in the 1840s. By 1900 it was owned and edited by Sir Bruce Ingram (1877-1963) who was a grandson of the ILN's founder. Ingram was Chairman of Illustrated London News and Sketch Ltd., Director of Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News Ltd, and President of Illustrated Newspapers Ltd. He also served in the First World War, ultimately as a Captain in the Royal Garrison Artillery.

Each magazine comprised 48 pages (from May 1916, this became 40 pages) of articles, photographs, diagrams and maps. It was published weekly between August 1914 and April 1918, and ran to 192 editions.

The magazine was very 'topical' in that it covered current news about the war, with a minimal 'time lag'. For instance, the Gallipoli landings of 25 April 1915 were covered in issue 39 (dated 5 May).

Each weekly magazine initially cost 6d. (half a shilling), but during 1917 and 1918 the price increased to 9d. In today's money, this works out at between £2 and £2.50.

The first half of the magazine's production run (to 7 June 1916) came out in a horizontal (landscape) format, with a total of 96 editions published in this period.
However, on 14 June 1916, what would have been issue 97 was issued in a vertical (portrait) format. Confusingly, this vertical series re-commenced at issue number 1, and a further 96 editions were published in this format.

The last edition was dated 10 April 1918, when production ceased, (according to an editorial in this issue) due “to a serious shortage of paper”.

15/04/2026

An unusual and unexpected seaside attraction appeared on the beach at Hastings when the German submarine U118 ran aground on 15 April 1919.

U118 was commissioned in May 1918 – and during its few months of service in the war, it sunk two ships – the Wellington in September 1918 and the Arca in October 1918. In early 1919, the decision was made to take U118 to France where it would be broken up for scrap but on the journey, the submarine broke free of its tow in heavy seas and eventually drifted towards the shore.

During the day, thousands of spectators came to witness what the local press described as ‘a welcome Easter attraction’. Permission was obtained from the Admiralty for visitors to be admitted to the craft – two members of the local Coast Guards acted as guides. Entrance fees were charged, with the proceeds going to The Mayor’s Fund for the Welcome Home of the Troops.

By the end of the month, however, the two ‘guides’ had mysteriously taken ill and all visits to the submarine were stopped as it was suspected that fumes in the hold were to blame. Despite this, visitors continued to come to the beach in large numbers to view the submarine. Sadly both ‘guides’ died - Mr Moore in December 1919 and William Heard in February 1920. The cause of death was attributed to gas poisoning causing abscesses on the lungs and brains of the men.

By the end of 1919, U118 was broken up and sold for scrap.

14/04/2026

It is the case that the Great War was a 'World' War. In 1918 the armies fought major, decisive, battles in France and Belgium, but there was much action elsewhere.
In Africa, for instance, between 12 and 24 April 1918 there was fighting between the British and Germans in Portuguese East Africa.

The actions at Medo and on Mbalama Hill involved the 1/2 and 2/2 King's African Rifles.

After this action, many miles of tough fighting lay ahead against a well-fed and well-replenished German Schutztruppe.

Grim attrition ensued, the Germans nearly always fighting from ground of their own choosing. The British had to bury or evacuate their casualties after each contact and just push on, trying to manoeuvre the wily German General, Paul von Lettow into a decisive action.

This was an infantry war, and the only infantry units remaining in the field, on both sides, were manned by African Askari.

To read more about the fighting in Africa, read 'Medo and Mbalama Hill, Portuguese East Africa, 12 - 24 April 1918' on the WFA's website here >>> https://www.westernfrontassociation.com/world-war-i-articles/2011/december/medo-and-mbalama-hill-portuguese-east-africa-12-24-april-1918/

13/04/2026

Simeon Thomas Daly (usually known as “Tim”) was born in 1890 in Kensington, the middle son to John Daly and Cecila Targett. John was a bailiff in Ireland, but emigrated and became a coachman in London. The family were raised as Catholics. Simeon joined the West Yorkshire regiment in 1907 as a private. His mother sadly died in 1909, Simeon came home from Aldershot barracks to be present at her death.

In 1911 he married Sarah Wise while at barracks in York. They had two children Kathleen ( Kay) and Thomas. By November 1913 he was a sergeant, and passed out of the School of Musketry at Hythe with a distinction. He wore the red markman badge on his lower sleeve. In the early years of the war he was assigned to the 3rd battalion of the West Yorks which was on home defence / training duties, based at Tynemouth. In May 1915 he won several of the sergeants’ running races at an army sports day.

His younger brother John was killed at Delville Wood on 20 July 1916. Less than one month later Regimental Sergeant Daly reported for duty to the 12th battalion of the West Yorks, which were then only a couple of miles from where John had died. The timing of this posting may be just coincidence, but perhaps Simeon had asked for this active service on hearing about his brother.

In April 1917, the 12th West Yorks prepared for their part in the battle of Arras, as part of 9th brigade, 3rd division. They spent several days in the cellars of the ruined town, then on the night of 8/9 April, passed through the Crichron sewer which had been linked up to the underground quarries, or caves. At 7am they advanced to Tilloy and captured German machine guns, mortars etc. For the next 3 days they were consolidating trenches in severe weather, very cold with snow storms and no shelter at all.

On 13 April , 9th brigade were ordered to send a 4 battalion attack forward to capture Guemappe and even Vis En Artois, 4 miles to the south-east. This would take them past the German positions on Wancourt Hill, so the orders were that the attack must not go ahead until 50th division had captured Wancourt Hill from the south-west. Throughout that afternoon, the 9th brigade observers could clearly see the Germans on Wancourt Hill and assumed the attack was cancelled. But it was ordered to go ahead, and at 6pm the 12th West Yorks and 1st Northumberland Fusiliers led the attack. The 3rd divisional history says they were “met by a devastating fire” from Wancourt Hill, there were 313 casualties. The Germans could be seen standing up around their trenches.

Simeon was initially buried near where he fell but was later transferred to Wancourt British Cemetery. His sister Ethel moved to France, where she married a Frenchman in 1921, so she visited Simeon’s grave when it was still just marked by a cross and left this very rare early graveside photograph. Simeon is also remembered at the family church in Finchley, and the war memorial at Fulford in York.

12/04/2026

As the current football season is in its last few weeks, and with the 111th anniversary of the Gallipoli landings fast approaching, it is appropriate to highlight the part football played in the lives of WW1 soldiers. As the late Gordon Corrigan ("Mud, Blood and Poppycock") pointed out, soldiers spent far more time playing football than 'going over the top'.

In the video below, Clive Harris looks at the impact of football as a vehicle for morale and fitness during the Gallipoli Campaign. His presentation features several fascinating characters, some of whom never came home.

This talk looks at the impact of sport as a vehicle for morale and fitness during the Gallipoli Campaign. It features several fascinating characters, on both...