Above: Troops from my grandfather's regiment - 78th Fusilier Battalion of the Swiss army - in 1914.
About this website
In the mid-1990s I began to get interested in the history of the First World War, starting out by studying the British army. I wrote my MA dissertation on infantry tactics in the 12th (Eastern) Division 1914-1918. An article based on that work won the Western Front Association’s “Spirit of Aveluy” essay prize in 1996.
Being half-Swiss by birth, I started to wonder how much Switzerland was involved in the Great War. When I found out that there are memorials in Switzerland to the First World War, it made me realise that the Swiss thought the war was a significant part of their history (even if in Switzerland today, this part of Swiss history is little known). Over time I found that although there were many mentions in history books and other sources of certain aspects of this period, there did not seem to be anywhere that brought the whole story together. After some research I did several talks to Western Front Association groups and at the National Army Museum. As the 100th anniversary of the start of the war in 2014 approached it seemed a good idea to create a website.
My aim is to spread knowledge and awareness of what is still a little-known part of the First World War. I have spent a while researching this subject, but do not claim to be infallible and I would appreciate comments, corrections and new information!
Text from this website may be quoted provided that acknowledgement is given to the website. Images may be used on other websites for non-commercial purposes provided that acknowledgement is given to this website and a link is made back to it, and the "Switzerland1418" watermark is retained. Please contact me if you would like to make any other uses of material on this website, including for any commercial purposes. Thank you.
Andrew Whitmarsh
Hampshire, United Kingdom
Find me on Academia.edu
Being half-Swiss by birth, I started to wonder how much Switzerland was involved in the Great War. When I found out that there are memorials in Switzerland to the First World War, it made me realise that the Swiss thought the war was a significant part of their history (even if in Switzerland today, this part of Swiss history is little known). Over time I found that although there were many mentions in history books and other sources of certain aspects of this period, there did not seem to be anywhere that brought the whole story together. After some research I did several talks to Western Front Association groups and at the National Army Museum. As the 100th anniversary of the start of the war in 2014 approached it seemed a good idea to create a website.
My aim is to spread knowledge and awareness of what is still a little-known part of the First World War. I have spent a while researching this subject, but do not claim to be infallible and I would appreciate comments, corrections and new information!
Text from this website may be quoted provided that acknowledgement is given to the website. Images may be used on other websites for non-commercial purposes provided that acknowledgement is given to this website and a link is made back to it, and the "Switzerland1418" watermark is retained. Please contact me if you would like to make any other uses of material on this website, including for any commercial purposes. Thank you.
Andrew Whitmarsh
Hampshire, United Kingdom
Find me on Academia.edu
Sources
See this blog post for some of the sources that I have used in compiling this website. I have also consulted archive material at the Department of Documents, Imperial War Museum, London; and at the UK National Archives, Kew.
The illustrations on this website are mainly from either First World War era postcards and other documents in my collection, or various Swiss booklets published during the war or just after, commemorating wartime experiences.
The illustrations on this website are mainly from either First World War era postcards and other documents in my collection, or various Swiss booklets published during the war or just after, commemorating wartime experiences.
