The Significance of the Sainsbury’s Christmas Truce Advertisement

by DR ROBERT T. FOLEY This year, as every year, retailers are seeking to capitalize on a massive Christmas market. In Britain, this manifests itself in the form of ‘Christmas advertisements,’ which are closely watched by British society and generate considerable competition amongst retailers to produce the most striking, and hence most effective, television advertisement.… Read More The Significance of the Sainsbury’s Christmas Truce Advertisement

December 17, 2014May 8, 2018 Robert T. Foley4 Comments

From the Archives: Building a Case: Overcoming the Often Fragmented Nature of Surviving Records

by DR DAVID MORGAN-OWEN “Circumstantial evidence is a very tricky thing. It may seem to point very straight to one thing, but if you shift your own point of view a little, you may find it pointing in an equally uncompromising manner to something entirely different.” – A. Conan Doyle, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes… Read More From the Archives: Building a Case: Overcoming the Often Fragmented Nature of Surviving Records

December 10, 2014July 21, 2015 davidmorganowen2 Comments

The BBC World War One at Home Project: Reflections

by DR HELEN B. McCARTNEY The BBC World War One at Home project began with an ambitious aim – to produce over 1400 local stories that illustrated the diversity of experience on the British home front during the First World War. The BBC English Regions and Nations were tasked with each providing 100 stories that… Read More The BBC World War One at Home Project: Reflections

November 12, 2014November 12, 2014 defenceresearch1 Comment

Op REFLECT: What Can We Learn From the First World War?

by DR ROBERT T. FOLEY Over the past year or so, I have been involved with the British army’s Operation REFLECT. This operation has been designed to mark the centenary of the First World War and the British army’s participation in this conflict. Much of this operation has focused around the traditional methods of remembrance… Read More Op REFLECT: What Can We Learn From the First World War?

November 10, 2014May 8, 2018 Robert T. Foley10 Comments

Forgotten Battles: Vailly, 30 October 1914

Forgotten Battles is a new feature on Defence-in-Depth designed to bring long-lost battles back from the depths of history. Our authors have chosen these engagements because they believe that their significance has been overlooked or overshadowed by better-remembered battles in history. The significance of the chosen battles may have been strategic and influenced greatly a… Read More Forgotten Battles: Vailly, 30 October 1914

October 29, 2014May 8, 2018 Robert T. Foley4 Comments

The First Battles of Trench Warfare 1914

by DR ROBERT T. FOLEY On 22 November 1914, the 1st battle of Ypres, as it was known to the British, or the 2nd battle of Flanders, as it was known to the Germans, sputtered to an end. Neither side had achieved its original goal, and the British were left with their French allies defending… Read More The First Battles of Trench Warfare 1914

October 20, 2014May 8, 2018 Robert T. Foley3 Comments

Lions Led by Donkeys? Learning in the First World War

by Dr ROBERT T. FOLEY One of the most prevalent and enduring beliefs about the First World War is that those who led the war’s armies were unable to adjust to the new conditions of fighting, particularly on the Western Front. This myth is epitomized by the idea that the heroic common soldier – a… Read More Lions Led by Donkeys? Learning in the First World War

October 2, 2014May 8, 2018 Robert T. Foley6 Comments

The First Battle of Ypres and Problem of Counting Casualties

by DR ROBERT T. FOLEY On a recent staff ride to the battlefields of northern France and Belgium, I had occasion to discuss the 1st battle of Ypres, or the 1st and 2nd battles of Flanders as the German army named the events from 19 October to 22 November 1914. One striking aspect of my… Read More The First Battle of Ypres and Problem of Counting Casualties

September 23, 2014May 8, 2018 Robert T. Foley3 Comments

The Operational Level of War and the Operational Art

by DR HUW J. DAVIES and DR ROBERT T. FOLEY In recent years, particularly since difficulties have been encountered in Afghanistan and Iraq, military thinkers and practitioners have begun questioning the existence of the operational level of war. Some argue that the articulation of the concept was a distraction from adequate attention to the tactical… Read More The Operational Level of War and the Operational Art

September 18, 2014May 8, 2018 Robert T. Foley5 Comments

Defence-In-Depth

Research from the Defence Studies Department, King's College London

Tag: First World War