Shropshire Routes to Roots

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World Wars: Timeline

Year	Day	National Event	Local Event	Related Theme:Page
1914		World War One started
1914	June 28	Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the throne of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, was assassinated in Sarajevo
1914	August 4	Britain declared war on Germany
1914	August 7	Kitchener's 'Your Country Needs You' recruitment drive began	Deputy Major of Shrewsbury appealed for volunteers to join a "new battalion" of the KSLI	A family at war: Recruitment
1915	January 19	First Zeppelin raids on Britain		Zeppelin raids: Zeppelin attacks
1915	July		The first 4000 of an eventual 25 000 troops arrived at Park Hall Camp, Oswestry	Park Hall Camp: World War One
1915	September 25		Private F. Higley killed in action	A family at war: Memorials
1916	January 31		Zeppelins bombed Wednesbury	Zeppelin raids: Wednesbury bombing
1917	November 13		Wilfred Higley died of wounds in Flanders	A family at war: Letters home
1918	July		Oswestry farmers prevented from using POWs in their fields	Changing face of Shropshire: POWs
1918	August 5	Final Zeppelin raid on Britain		Zeppelin raids: Zeppelin defences
1918	November 11	The Allies and Germany signed an Armistice		Remembrance: The history of poppies
1919	November 7	First Remembrance Day silence		Remembrance: Remembrance Day
1920		First war cemeteries and memorials dedicated		A family at war: Memorials
1921	November	First poppies sold		Remembrance: History of Poppies
1930	January 30	Adolf Hitler became Chancellor of Germany
1932			Memorial tablet to the KSLI unveiled at St. Chad's Church	A family at war: Memorials
1938	September 26	First gas masks issued to civilians		Children in wartime: Preparation for war
1939	September 3	Britain, Australia, France and New Zealand declared war on Germany
1939	May		Rebuilding of Park Hall Camp began	Park Hall Camp: World War Two
1939	September 1	Evacuation began	First of 4000 evacuees from Liverpool arrived in Oswestry	Children in wartime: Evacuation
1940	January	'Phoney War' caused some evacuees to return home		Children in wartime: New lives
1940	January 8	Rationing began	Children in Shropshire schools start to 'Dig for Victory'	Children in wartime: The Home Front
1940	August	Bombing started in earnest; evacuees returned to countryside		Children in wartime: New lives
1943	January 26		Aircraft crashed on Bwlch-y-rhiw Farm, causing seven deaths	Aircraft crashes: Aircraft Crash Accounts
1945	May 8	Victory in Europe (VE) Day; fighting in Europe ceased	Street parties all over Shropshire	Children in wartime: Victory
1945	September 2	Victory in Japan (VJ) Day; fighting against Japan finished.		Children in wartime: Victory

Timewords

World War One was the global war which started in 1914 and lasted until 1918. It finished at 11:00, on 11th November. This day is now known as Remembrance Day, when we hold a two minutes' silence to remember those who have died in conflicts.

World War Two started in 1939 and went on for six years, ending in 1945. It was followed by the Cold War. No true dates can be set for the Cold War, since it was not a war in traditional sense, with open battles and declarations of war. However, it effectively started as World War Two ended, and drew to a close in 1989 when the Berlin Wall was pulled down.

The two World Wars were the most important events of the twentieth century.

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