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100 Year Anniversary

Remembering the Great War with Operation War Diary

on Fri, 10/17/2014 - 18:37

By Bryan J. Dickerson*

In the summer of 1914, the Great Powers of Europe plunged into the first of two calamitous world wars.   This year, as part of the efforts to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the Great War, the National Archives of the United Kingdom, the Imperial War Museum and Zooniverse have teamed up for Operation War Diary.  The goal of this online archival project is to open up greater access to records of the Great War for historians and the general public.

Launched earlier this year, Operation War Diary provides a unique opportunity for historians, archivists and

1/Black Watch on the Aisne

on Tue, 09/16/2014 - 20:08

By Bryan J. Dickerson*

This week marks the 100th Anniversary of the First Battle of the Aisne, a pivotal battle which marked a major transformation in the nature of fighting on the Western Front during the First World War.   Among the many German, French and British units that fought on the Aisne River was the 1st Battalion / Royal Highlanders.

After the outbreak of war, German armies swept through Belgium and across the French frontier in accordance with a plan commonly named for Field Marshall Alfred von Schlieffen, former Chief of the Imperial German Staff.