Key battles and events

This page details some of the major events and battles of the First World War. They can be used to contextualise the developments in the Post Office around the same time. It can also be a useful overview of the war.

The Defence of the Realm Act (DORA), 8 August 1914

This Act governed all lives in Britain during the First World War. The Act was added to as the war progressed.  It listed everything that people were not allowed to do in time of war.  As the First World War evolved, so DORA evolved.

The Battle of Ypres, 1914

This battle and many others have become linked forever with The First World War. Along with the Battle of the Somme, the battles at Ypres and Passchendaele have gone down in history. The town had been the centre of battles before due to its strategic position. The sheer devastation of the town and the surrounding countryside seems to perfectly summarise the futility of battles fought in The First World War.

The Battle of the Somme, July - November 1916

The start of this battle was on 1 July 1916, it lasted till November 1916. For many people, the Battle of the Somme was the battle that symbolised the horrors of warfare. This one battle had a marked effect on overall casualty figures and seemed to epitomise the futility of trench warfare. 

For many years afterwards those who led the British campaign received a lot of criticism for the way the Battle of the Somme was fought. This criticism was based on the appalling casualty figures suffered by the British and the French. By the end of the battle, the British Army had suffered 420,000 casualties including nearly 60,000 on the first day alone. The French lost 200,000 men and the Germans nearly 500,000.

The Battle of Passchendaele, July 1917

Fought in Belgium during July 1917, this is sometimes called the Third Battle of Ypres. For the soldiers who fought at Passchendaele, it was known as the 'Battle of Mud'. The attack at Passchendaele was Sir Douglas Haig's attempt to break through Flanders. His main aim was a breakthrough to the coast of Belgium so that German submarine pens could be destroyed.

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