'The Great War'?

[ericwebb]

I had always imagined that the 'First World War' came to be so-called only after the Second, so as to distinguish the two, and that earlier it was indeed known as the Great War.

Apparently not so, or at least not in all quarters.

I have been reading Colonel Repington's memoirs: great fun, not necessarily reliable history! But here is what he has to report of a conversation with an American historian in France in September 1918.

'I saw Major Johnstone, the Harvard Professor who is here to lay the bases of an American History. We disucssed the right name of the war. I said that we called it now The War. but this could not last. The Napoleonic War was The Great War. To call it The German War was too much flattery for the Boche. I suggested The World War as a shade better title, and finally we mutually agreed to cal it The First World War ... '

Repington was military correspondent of The Morning Post [earlier in the War of The Times]. It was Repington who acted as a channel for Sir John French in 'spilling the beans' over the shell shortage in 1915. He scored numerous other journalistic coups, making himself a thorn in the Government's flesh, but [for that very reason!] he was generally very popular with the Army, and with the French.

'Major Johnstone' was almost certainly Robert Matteson Johnston 1867-1920, who was largely English educated, at Eton and Cambridge. His premature death was described by a biographer as 'an irreparable loss to the American army'.

Good wishes to all,

Eric

[Chris_Baker]

The "Great War for civilisation" is good enough for me!

[CSMMo]

Interesting information, Eric. It's known by several names. People usually know what you are talking about when you use any of them, which is the intent of language, is it not?

For American politicians, particularly President Wilson, it had to be called something grand. He had been elected on a platform of isolation and dis-involvement with the "European War". To effect such a reversal of policy, it had to be for a BIG reason. It was essentially retaliation for U-boat activity against Americans and American shipping and the loss of freedom of the seas, was it not, that caused this reversal? Hence, the idealistic, but impossible, "War to end all wars". Without the benefit of hindsight, I think they did the best they could.

Mike Morrison

[Chris Foster]

Eric.

I have always refferd to the 1914-1918 war as the "Great" war I no doubt first heard it described that way by my Grandma and from other people of similer age to her, who lived through it

It would be interesting to read other pals thoughts on the subject.

Regards

Chris

[Stebie9173]

Local papers that I have seen were terming it "The Great War" by the end of September 1914.

I doubt that the term "First" was bandied about much outisde of Academic circles.

Steve.

[nigelcave]

I gather (but have never actually seen it in print) that some Indian historian(s?) refer to it as "The Great European Civil War".

[ericwebb]

Nigel, that's interesting, and here it is 'in print' or at least on Wikipedia!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Civil_War

Eric

[geraint]

Liddell Hart called it the Real War in 1930, and changed it to World War in 1934

Geraint (Ducking below the parapet to avoid shrapnel having raised Liddell Hart again!)

[Alan Tucker]

When First World War material was being catalogued by Birmingham Reference Library between the wars it came under the heading 'European War 1914-1918'.

[ollydot]

Watching BBC's the One Show tonight, Edward Woodward mentioned he remembered the air raids and bombing during the Great War, mind you he's looking well for his age....

[Pighills]

Yes, I thought he was wearing exceedingly well when I heard him utter those words!!!!

[truthergw]

Repington was not regarded well by all the army. It was, after all, his fellow officers who had forced him to resign. Further, he upset many former friends and associates when his memoirs were published and they saw conversations reported which they had believed to be held in confidence. He was inclined to apportion rather more importance to himself than the evidence would support.

[nige]

Hi Pals,

As soon as someone mentions "The Great War", we all know instantly that they refer to WW1.

To me that is quite significant. I will always know it at as The Great War and arguably the worst in the history of mankind.

Nige

[Fedelmar]

One only needs to walk through a local cemetery and read the headstones that have memorials to the war dead placed by families to know what people called the war. I would say the "Great War" is in the front running in Western Australia. I say this because I have walked past thousands of headstones and photographed some 8000 - 10000

Bright Blessings

Sandra

[truthergw]

When I was a boy, just after WW2, in conversation the wars were simply, ' the first war' and ' the second ' or ' last war'. People had been injured or fought in the last war or the first war. No other reference was necessary to differentiate the world wars. That would not do, of course for a proper historical work.

[mctaz]

It was certainly referred to as the "European War" in the Australian press during the war years.

[geraint]

Well put Nige

[daggers]

As a boy in WW2 I heard 'the Last War' all the time, meaning '14-18. If only it had been so.

Daggers

[truthergw]

Interesting that, Daggers. I wonder if it was a language thing or just that while it was still going on, WW2 was ' this war '? In late 40's, WW2 was the last war for us in the same way as last week or last month and so on. Not last in the sense of there will be no more.

[Moonraker]

We discussed this a couple of years back. A reader suggested "Great War" in a letter published in The Times on January 16, 1915. The paper itself opted for "European War". I believe that some British medals are inscribed "Great war", though this term has been used to describe the Napoleonic war.

Moonraker

[lassuy]

I've a book that came out in the fall of '14 that calls it "The Great European War". It's an American book, so maybe that's why the "European" bit was in the title.

On the other hand, my grandfather always referred to it as "the Kaiser's war". But then, he was the son of Belgian Flemish immigrants, so he had no doubt at all who was to blame for the whole mess.

Likewise, WW2 was Hitler's war to him, for the same reasons.

Rod