World War I, also known as the Great War, lasted from 1914 to 1918 and involved many of the world's great powers, divided into two main alliances: the Allies and the Central Powers. It was triggered by the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary, leading to a complex web of political and military alliances coming into play.
The war was characterized by trench warfare, significant technological advancements in weaponry, and massive loss of life. Key battles included the Somme and Verdun, and new tactics, such as the use of tanks and aircraft, emerged.
The conflict ended with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919, which imposed heavy reparations and territorial losses on Germany. The war resulted in an estimated 16 million deaths and reshaped the geopolitical landscape, setting the stage for future conflicts, including World War II.
Second Lt Alfred Dougan Chater, of the 2nd Gordon Highlanders, writes of the moment when the men met in no-man’s land, exchanging souvenirs and cigars as impromptu truces were held along parts of the front between Christmas and New Year, with joint burial parties for the dead.
The Christmas Truce has become one of the most famous and mythologized events of the First World War. The truce was not observed everywhere along the Western Front. Elsewhere the fighting continued and casualties did occur on Christmas Day. Some officers were unhappy at the truce and worried that it would undermine fighting spirit. In what was known as the 'Live and Let Live' system, in quiet sectors of the front line, brief pauses in the hostilities were sometimes tacitly agreed, allowing both sides to repair their trenches or gather their dead.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/dec/24/-sp-letter-extraordinary-sights-christmas-day-first-world-war-trucehttps://www.iwm.org.uk/history/the-real-story-of-the-christmas-trucePrivate Edward Richardson Marcellus, American Expeditionary Force registered for the draft at the age of 22 in 1917. He married Goldie L. Brown and shared an apartment with her and her twin sister Gladys.
In 1918 he began his service with the 5th Anti-Aircraft Machine Gun Battalion in the American Expeditionary Force. He served in both France and Germany. In the summer of 1919, he returned home. Goldie gave birth to a stillborn child in December of 1921.
Shortly thereafter they divorced and Edward remarried Bertha "Birdie" Elizabeth Hundley.
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