The Great War ended in 1918 — but it stalemate at the front line was never when countries were unable to ime with food, 1917 was a key year in the history of the ly when Russia pulled out of the war when ordinary heir country and killed the entire Russian Royal Family. ‘an ally when the USA declared war on the Triple ENQUIRY RITAIN AT WAR (1) their populations back ho But Britain had also gi Alliance after German U-boats sank American and limitless resources, it was just a ques ooting end? How many people had died? And how did when exactly did the sh war. Britain had lost an all workers seized control of tl was not won or lost on the battlefield. The broken and the fighting only came to an end supply their enormous armies with soldiers and ships. With the USA’s enormous army of time before the war ended. So people try to come to terms with such an enormous tragedy? 9: How did ‘Poppy Day’ start? ~ To be able to explain The Armistice | The Germans launched an al-out attack in a last-ditch attempt to defeat Britain and France before the “American army could reach Europe. It failed and, back in Germany, the civilians were forced to eat cats and dogs to survive. There were soon riots on the streets ‘and the German king was forced to abdicate and he ran away to Holland. The Government that replaced him knew that all hope was lost and called for an armistice | (ceasefire). Finally, at 11:00am on the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918, the guns fell silent MISSION OBJECTIVES. how the Great War ended. # To understand the origins of Remembrance Sunday. “The trees by the roadside were riven and splintered, the cracked stumps stuck up uselessly into the air, flanking. the road like a byway to hell. Every five square yards held crater. The earth had no longer its smooth familiar face. Itwas diseased, pocked, rancid, stinking of death in the morning sun. Yet (ob, the catch at the heart!) among the devastated cottages, the twisted trees and the desecrated cemeteries, opening up to the blue heaven, the poppies were growing! Clumps of crimson poppies, thrust out from the lips of craters, undaunted by the desolation, heedless of human fury and stupidity” ‘L. SOURCE A: From Sagittar Rising by Cecil Lewis, @ British pilot who fought on the Western Front. SOURCE B: War deaths between 1914 and 1918. ‘As you can see, despite t majority of the fighting taking place in Europe, it truly was a world war. i |entire country that hadn't lost a young man in the fighting. The remains of thousands were never found and even bodies that were identified were never returned home. This robbed grieving relatives of a funeral for their loved ones, ra 0 many tured to the war memorials hat sprung up all over the country. -eople were determined to keep the nemories of those young men ~ and the terrible events that killed them ~ alive so that future generations wouldn't repeat the same mistakes. Nobody was sure as to the best way to commemorate the dead, but in 1919, the Government agreed to hold a two-minute silence on the Sunday closest to 11 November. It is rts ara k called ‘Remembrance Sunday’, but fre le sometimes call it ‘Poppy Day’ ‘When the war came to an end, there were only 12 towns or villages in the WISE-UP Words The national war memorial, known as the Cenotaph, being 1. Name two important events that unveiled in 1919 and __ shaped the war in 1917, being commemorated 2 Write down the exact date the ‘on Remembrance Great War ended. Sunday today. 3 Look at Source B. a Turn these figures into ei bar chart or 2 pie chart. b in total, how many people were killed in the Great War? 4 Read Source A. Why do you think the poppy was chosen as a symbol of the Great War? Explain your B answer carefully In 1919, people began to donate money for poppies to wear on their lapels. This not only raised money for injured soldiers and war widows, it also allowed people to show their respect for the dead. The idea was a huge success and soon artificial poppies were being distributed all over the country. Today, around 36 million poppies re distributed in the UK. 5 Write a few sentences explaining 1 why people should wear a poppy a — an you tell someone why and when the Great War ended? Do you know why people began to ‘commemorate the end of the war every November and why they chose the poppy as their symbol?