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By the time the Armistice rang out on 11 November 1918, the victorious French army was more modernized than any other army in the world.

Michel Goya, Flesh and Steel During the Great War

Hello and thanks for being here.

The aim of this blog is to awaken interest in aspects of the First World War (La Première Guerre mondiale) beyond the experiences of English-speaking nations of war, through a fairly random and varied mix of posts about Britain’s chief ally and, for most of the war, the lead Allied combatant nation: France.

This isn’t intended to be a comprehensive guide to the French army or civilians in wartime, nor am I claiming to be an expert on these things. I’ve been researching and writing about Britain and the Great War since 1984 and you can read more about my background on the About page. However, this site is all about accepting a new challenge, sharing new discoveries and my own learning along the way.

There’ll be a mix of original content and sharing of information produced by others (all sources properly credited, I hope).

Please let me know what you think. I want this site to be informative, but accessible. If there are errors, they’re mine to own and correct. If there’s more you can add, please share what you know. I learned so much from talking to those who shared similar interests to me. I strongly believe in a ‘commonwealth of knowledge’ that’s to the mutual benefit of all.