The last British soldier to die in the First World War - Private George Edwin Ellison
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- čas přidán 22. 05. 2024
- Join Chris Green (The History Chap) as he tells the story of the last British soldier to die in the First World War.
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George Edwin Ellison, a miner from Leeds, survived the whole 4 years of World War 1, only to be killed by a sniper just 90 minutes before the war ended at 11 am on the 11th November 1918.
The saddest part of this story is that the two sides had agreed a ceasefire at 5am that morning.
The Allied commanders, however, decided to delay the implementation until 11am.
Had they issued an immediate cessation of hostilities, George Ellison would have survived and returned to his wife and son in Leeds.
He was buried in the St. Symphorien military cemetery just outside Mons.
In one of those strange coincidences in history, his grave is just yards from Private John Parr, the first British soldier killed in the First World War.
Parr, had lied about his age and joined the British Army when he was just 15 years old in 1912.
His unit, the 4th Battalion, Middlesex Regiment, were one of the first to be sent to Europe as part of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) that made its way to the town of Mons in Belgium.
The Battle of Mons was the first major engagement between the British & German armies in WW1.
Two days before the battle, on the 21st August 1914, Parr was sent on a bicycle mission to watch the approaching German army.
He ran into a patrol consisting of German cavalry and was shot dead.
Private John Parr was just 17.
Despite, George Ellison dying with just 90 minutes of the war left. He was not the last commonwealth soldier to killed that morning.
Private George Lawrence Price, a Canadian soldier, was killed at 10:58am, just two minutes before the Armistice in place.
And even then, he wasn’t the last Allied soldier to die on the Western Front, because this bloody conflict still had time to take one more life.
American, Henry Gunther, was killed in the very last minute of the war as he charged a German machine gun nest.
In all, nearly 3,000 soldiers from both sides were killed on that final morning of the First World War.
#firstworldwar #remembranceday #lastbritishsoldiertodie
Chapters
0:00 Intro
0:52 Private George Edwin Ellison
7:00 The First & Last British soldiers killed
7:20 Private John Parr
9:04 Private George Lawrence Price
10:08 St. Symphorien Military Cemetery
10:58 Henry Gunther
12:21 Death on the last day of World War 1
14:16 Conclusion
14:49 The History Chap
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My name is Chris Green ("The History Chap") and I am on a mission to share the amazing history of Britain so that we can appreciate where we have come from and why we are here.
History should not be stuffy or a long list of dates or kings & queens.
So rather than lectures or CZcams animations, I tell stories that bring the past to life.
My aim is to be chat as if I were having a coffee or meal with you. Jean in Maryland, USA recently wrote: "Chris, is the history teacher I wish I had at school!"
Just for the record, I do have a history degree and continue to have a passion for the subject I studied.
Disclaimer: All opinions and comments expressed in the 'Comments' section do not reflect the opinions of Chris Green Communication Ltd t/a The History Chap. All opinions and comments should contribute to the dialogue. Chris Green Communication Ltd does not condone written attacks, insults, racism, sexism, extremism, violence or otherwise questionable comments or material in the 'Comments' section, and reserves the right to delete any comment violating this rule or to block any poster from the channel.
'In Flanders fields the Poppys grow..
Between the crosses, row on row.
in Flanders Fields'.
May God bless 'Em all.
Thanks for sharing
Looks like someone's been messing with my CZcams name...
The staggering loss of life is only part of it. The number of those wounded, crippled, blinded and psychologically scarred for life must have been beyond counting.
In an age where PTSD was not understood, I think many men returned with demons in their minds and no real support for the rets of their lives (apart from loving family & friends).
Indeed... a terrible toll in it's own right, especially considering the cavalier fashion with which these poor unfortunates were treated by the government and the armed forces after the war.
This country has never recovered from it !
The same goes for the rest of the European Countries involved
My wife’s great grandfather, John Herbert Condra from Llanwrwst, North Wales was killed on the 10th November 1918 a day before the war ended. Lions led by donkeys. Madness on a grand scale captured brilliantly by Blackadder Goes Forth, a black comedy Tv series that highlighted the madness of senior officers who sacrificed the lives of other for little or no gain.
Thanks for taking the time to comment. By the way, Llanwrwst is a lovely place.
That Lions led by Donkeys, is incorrect and very trite. Those most like to be killed were junior officers (Lt & 2nd Lt - 33,700) and more than 200 Generals, including Lieutenant-Generals and Major-Generals and other high ranks, were killed, wounded, or captured between 1914-1918. 78 generals were killed.
@@tooyoungtobeold8756 The reality whether the British soldiers was a “lion led by donkeys” will always be subjective. There is no doubting the bravery of officers from the top down especially if killed or wounded in action. Most of the top generals had served in the colonial wars as young officers prior to WW1.
@@tooyoungtobeold8756 Lions led by donkeys doesn't refer to Junior Officers who were always at the front, it refers to the Generals who tended to hide behind the lines.
The loss of a life on the last day shouldn't be any more sad than the loss of a life on any other day of the war, but somehow it is.
Dying on the very brink of salvation adds an extra touch of bitterness to it for certain.
The tragedy is that it was unnecessary since a cease fire had already been signed and promulgated. The military commanders knew the war was over yet ordered a final attack.
@@kumasenlac5504 Yes, Chris mentions that.
Poignant
Tell that to his wife and child.
It feels sickening that he died at the very end having gone through all that. Sometimes the stories on this channel feel glorious, but I guess we all forget that there is no glory to be had in death, only grief and sadness left behind.
Spot on!
The Americans lost quite a few. Their officers wanted glory.
Thank you for taking the time to comment
Thanks. Waited for this. Here's one I read:
Australian officer : The war is over.
Austraslian "digger": We know.
Australian officer: How did you know?
Australian "digger": There's a staff officer at the front.....
Thanks for sharing
R.I.P sir George Edwin Ellison and the brave fallen men of the war!
Indeed. Thanks for posting.
My grandfather carried shrapnel in his gut from 1918 until his death in 1994. A German shell had landed near the wagon he and 2 of his buddies slept under. He was the only survivor because he slept between both men. Luck of the draw or I wouldn't be here. It's tragic to think of those not born to the more than 5,000 men killed after a cease-fire was agreed to. War robs humanity of many of it's best men and thus weakens our future prospects.
Thanks for sharing
1987-1990 I served in the the 3rd Infantry Regiment "The Old Guard" at Arlington National Cemetary. Every year on Memorial Day we placed a flag at every headstone. In the section I as assigned I was startled to see so many dates of death as November 10th and November 11th on the headstones. I figured some of these died in a hospital from wounds suffered previously, some died from the Spanish flu, and others in combat. All of these manners of death were real tragic but the thought of commanders sending their men into battle to take ground that they knew they could peacefully walk across just a few hours later seemed criminal to me.
Thank you for sharing your experiences and memories.
A tragic heart-wrenching piece of history told with great sensitivity and pathos while still delivering the facts concisely.
For me it not only evoked great sadness but also anger at such a needless waste of life in those final hours. The German machine gun post that killed Gunther appears to have shown more compassion than some of the allied generals! Why am I so surprised!!
Well done to the Americans for setting up an enquiry into the last day deaths….and as for the British governments ‘bad luck’ communication….sounds pretty typical of the day….and once again, why am I surprised!
Well done THC for keeping the memory of these brave boys and men alive!!
Thank you for watching and for taking the time to comment
In a way, the very first loss of life on the very first day of a war is the most tragic.
It signals that Man’s curse has returned. No other animal slaughters so many of its own species.
Thanks for taking the time to post your comment.
I visited his grave, located close to the first man killed. I have been there a few times and to France and Belgium for WWI tours about 50 times.
Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Chris for this excellent presentation. My grandfathers both served with the Inniskilling Fusiliers in the Great War and my father was in the Ulster Rifles in the Second World War. One of my grandfathers was gassed and never fully recovered from it, but he was a lively soul all the same. Although the sad waste of so many lives just prior to the eleven o'clock Armistice is troubling; I have to say that the fighting men of that morning did their duty right to the end. Lest we forget.
Glad you enjoyed. Thanks for sharing your story
Sitting here almost in tears at the tragedy that befell those two men, so close to the time it would end. And as for the American soldiers killed in futile attempts to grab another ten yards of land . They were truly led by a donkey named Pershing
We on CZcams salutes you, PVT G E Ellison 🙏🌷
"lest we forget"
Good man!
My grandfather joined the Canadian Army in April 1917. He trained at Niagara on the Lake in Ontario. He later transferred to the Royal Flying Corp and trained at Casa Loma in Toronto, Ontario. He was commissioned as a Lieutenant and discharged in January 1920. Fortunately the war ended before he went overseas. Life expectancy in the Royal Flying Corp wasn’t very high. I still have his hat with badge and swagger stick.
What a fab place to train.
Thanks for sharing
Many respects 🇨🇦 from 🇬🇧
Visited Saint Symphorien twice pre covid. Last time in 2018 for the commemorations. Beautifully kept cemetery. Maurice Dease is also there, VC on the first day of the German assault. Exceptionally brave men. 'Their name liveth for evermore.'
Thanks for sharing.
The Great War channel did a great count-down to 11 o'clock in terms of the last soldiers to die on both sides, keeping in mind that this cut-off time is somewhat arbitrary. There were a great deal of soldiers who got wounded that day during the last offenses and skirmishes and lingered for a while before succumbing to their injuries over the following days.
Thanks for sharing.
Thankyou for bringing us the stories of these tragic Events. What a waste of life war is.
Thanks for watching
Very sad and so senseless. Thank you for remembering this hero among heroes.
My pleasure (in a sad sort of way).
That was a heartbreaking bit of history. It is so sad that so many people died in that war. It drives home one lesson-how horrific and heartbreaking war is.
Thanks for taking the time to comment
A worthy presentation of these 11th hour tragedies. Very sad, but heroes one and all.
Thanks for taking the time to comment
Interesting and moving thanks but I wonder why he stayed a private for the whole war ?? Considering all his service? I had a cousin who was killed on the 7th November he too was there at the start !! They shall not be forgotten
Don’t know why.
Such a sad waste of life. You have researched it well and tell it so excellently. Thanks
Thanks for your kind comment.
My Maternal British side of a split GB-NZ Family suffered our sadest mo' just b4 the Armistice. Battery Sergeant Major (WO.II) Charlton Whittall of the 479th Siege Battery, Royal Garrison Artillery fell in France barely two weeks before that o/w fateful day. He's obviously, never forgotten from
Olde Blighty, to Aotearoa NZ. RIP
Thanks for sharing
Have you given a talk about the soldiers who fought in Mesopotamia? My granddad fought there but that is the only thing any of the family knows about his service. I enjoy your short talks here. Thank you for posting.
If you are not already aware there's a company that researches specific ww1 history cases its called fourteeneighteen. I'm thinking of using it for one of my grandfathers war history. For a reasonable fee they'll only charge if they find anything, they'll put a report together of your relatives service history. In addition to that I have also been informed that some records may have been lost for ever because the storage deposit was bombed in ww2....
@@petecottham5385 Thank you. I'll look into that. I read that somewhere, too, that some war records have been lost. I think that's why I never delved too deeply.
@@rickcroucher 👍
No,but it will be coming
how very very SAD.
He was at the first battle in 1914, and was KIA in 1918 with 2 mins before it ended
Sad indeed.
A timely reminder, thank you for sharing this with us all, lest we forget...E...
Many thanks.
I've read quite a few different accounts about the last few hours of The Great War, in this case, I kind of can't blame this final attack and re-taking Mons, as you said: full circle.
Other accounts though,speak of glory hunters, medal collectors and some giving a last ditch effort for promotion.
I pity the civilians that suffered unnecessarily in these last moments.
Thankyiu for yet another interesting presentation, very informative.
Glad you wnjoyed
Wars never do end as neatly as they start.
Too true. And they usually link to further bloodshed somewhere down the line
If i remember correctly Hitler was so infuriated that he used the same railway carriage to force the French surrender in 1940. My fiancee is descended from the Ellison family her grandad is Bryan Ellison and her mother Wendy Robson ( nee Ellison) I wonder if they are possibly related.
Yes he did. I believe he had it destroyed afterwards to make certain it could never be used for that purpose again.
Correct, Michael.
There is a programme that has just ended literally less than 5 minutes ago on the Smithsonian Channel called "The Last Day of The War" introduced by Michael Pallin who also visited the graves of fallen soldiers. This documentary was made in 2008 and Michael Pallin shows George's grand daughters his grave. They are the only family members to have visited the grave. As I stated I have just finished watching this documentary.
What I'm a little surprised at, is that guy was still a private after all that time, and after all he went through.
That thought had occurred to me as well.
Outstanding. Enjoying your videos very much from across the pond. Thank you for keeping the memory of people and events alive.
My pleasure. Thanks for watching
Great tale Chris, thanks. If you ever visit the war memorial in Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis, you will note the Great War is listed as being from 1914 -1919. This is due to the loss of the HMY Iolaire on the morning of New Years Day in 1919. It has to be the saddest story of WW1 as 201 men returning from the war drowned less than 20 yards from their home island.
I was aware of the Iolaire but wasn’t aware of the date on the war memorial. Thanks for sharing
@@TheHistoryChap I know I am late to this conversation :) Most Australian war memorials for the Great War have 1914-1919 on them.
I've just read up on the lolaire disaster, truly a harrowing end to those travelling home to Lewis, from serving in the Naval Reserve. RIP all 201 of those poor souls.
The 1919 date on many War Memorials refers to the fact the Treaty of Versailles was not signed until June 1919.
A good informative video - with mercifully no back-ground music.
Phew, thank goodness I forgot the music :)
Thank you for posting this. I have done a small tribute on my channel too.
Jim 🏴🙂
Tried to find it but ended up watching the nurse telling her story from the Falklands.
@@TheHistoryChap Thanks for replying, it's a song I thought fitting, keeping in mind my channel is about music and gear. 😉 👇
czcams.com/video/e42uEcwDQPY/video.html
@@TheHistoryChap This one tells a story close to my heart , details in its description and pinned comment, thanks for looking.👇
czcams.com/video/j8uE8czJOnk/video.html
Jim 🏴🙂
@@TheHistoryChap Hope it's ok to post the links, please remove if not. 😉
My Grsndmother's brother was a a graduate of a Episcopal Seminary and could have been commissioned as a Chaplain but felt that he morally didn't have a right to do so until he experienced what the men experienced. He was commissioned as a 2nd Leutenan in the infantry. He was killed on the 27th of Sept of 1918. My Grandmother very rarely talked about her brother even though they had been close. I think that it was too painful for her to think about.
Wow, what an amazing and sad story. Thank you so much for taking the time to share.
I will be telling the story of an army chaplain who won the VC during WW1 very soon.
I highly recommend the book ' Eleventh Hour , Eleventh Day, Eleventh Month' by Joseph E. Persico. Which covers the last few hours of the war , even though Germany had been defeated and the cease fire commenced at 1100 am , the Allied commanders carried on with relentless attacks until the very last minute, much to the surprise of the Germans. The allies incurring 11,000 casulties.
Thanks for sharing. What did you think of the stories I told?
Thanks again Chris, quite a sobering video, what a bloody waste of life, Thanks again, another great video. Cheers
My pleasure (in a sad way)
So, so SAD it's tragic!!
Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Another great and deeply poignant episode, Chris. Thanks very much. Also thanks for a tantalising trailer for a future episode on Paul von Lettow Vorbek, probably the best general of any army in WW1, and the man who allegedly told Hitler to f*** himself and survived!
Chris, although a Brit (unless you hadn't guessed that!!!), I have a huge respect for Von Lettow-Vorbeck.
@@TheHistoryChap I love the fact that a number of (very elderly) Askaris made the journey from Tanzania (as it was by then) to his funeral. It says so much about the man.
Both of my Grandfathers were too old to serve in the American Army ,but several of their younger brothers fought in France. One of my Great Uncles was sent to Eastern Russia in General Graves Army and they didn’t get home until 1920. They lost something like 189 men in a very confusing situation. Likewise , the British ,French , Allies and Americans were also in Northern Russia well after the Armistice and many of them were killed.Ironically , the Red and White Russian Armies were just as bad to the Allies. If ever there was a War that kept on “ taking” .
Thanks for sharing
hey there @The History Chap any thoughts on doing some English history about Ireland and the wars leading to independence and then what Ireland and England did to each other to Northern Ireland
In the future
Mention should be made of Major General William Hann (USA)who refused requests from his subordinates to attack on November 11, saying he would "not waste men's lives on the last day of the war to straighten up a map." He is an unsung hero.
Very interesting. Thank goodness some one had some sense.
Chris Green,Your videos are very wonderful.
Thank tou
Hi Chris! What a tragic story, thanks for sharing it. I'm glad the CZcams algorithm recommended your channel - subscribed!
~Mike
Mike, thanks for your support.
Fabulous thank you! Keep it up!
Thanks for your support
I really enjoyed the video 😊 . Keep'em coming .
Many thanks.
they gave so we are who be are rip brave young men and women i hope and pray we live up too your sacrfice and tou are as proud of us as we are of you x
Thanks for sharing
Love your stuff... This one was kind of depressing.
Thanks for watching.
Thank you for all your time and effort spent on all presentaions, wether they be military, political or social history. If and when i can afford to i would be more than happy to help support your work,
So kind of ypu
Brilliant.
Thank you
yes, the last Commonwealth soldier to die in ww1, was a very young man from Canada (serving in the Canadian army: 28th North West Battalion).
The most interesting aspect of that event, is the ''after'' with this man's mother.
cheers, y'll 😁
Thanks for sharing.
I have read that there was Allied artillery units that wanted to fire the last shell of the War. Some very minor artillery fire continued even slightly after 11am
Unfortunately it wouldn’t surprise me
As there was a rumble of artillery continued after 11:00 am some very angry Generals, not wanting to ruin the Armistice, sent furious orders to stop immediately or to face very serious consequences
In every war there is always someone who thinks it is a great honor to fire the last shot. George Edwin Ellison RIP.👍👍👍
Thanks for taking the time to comment
Theres a grave in Gateshead East cemetery of a Soldier killed in action on 10th November 1918. Iv made it my business to read every War grave stone in my Cemetery over the years.
Thanks for taking the time to share. Nice gesture.
I suppose that if it's the first soldier to die in a war or the last one to die they all deserve our thanks and prayers, but there must of been some that actually survived the war only to die of the flue before getting back home after the armistice! Thanks for this video and stay well.
There is someone on my old village memorial who is on there because he died of the flu whilst still waiting to be demobbed. Villagers decided de deserved to be remembered.
Sadly far far to many lives were lost, there were indeed tales of heroism,but for all the families who they left behind there was no glory only sadness.
Thanks for posting.
One thing I don't get, how come, after 4 years of war and being in his late thirties, is Ellison still a private? I mean, he was a soldier before the war and , as you said, a legend in his unit.
Not sure. Could he have shied away from promotion? Or not been seen as a leader of men? Or busted down?
@@TheHistoryChap All sounds plausible. Guess we'll never know.
Some small world it seems sometimes! By coincidence my boys was over to celebrate Fathers Day earlier today with me(here in Sweden that is) and we had a discussion about the last German soldiers killed in action during WWI and just a few hours later your episode on the last British soldier KIA comes on! Just shared this video to them on the mail so they can watch later or tomorrow! As usual a very enjoyable episode so thank you for sharing,Mr Green! Cheers and take care!
You Swedes did nothing in both wars but make money of all the belligerents. That's why I hold your country in contempt.
@@jontyc3479 ,who gives a flying what an ignoramus like you think! You need to take your pills,not just look at them!
@@jontyc3479 ,you Amis elected the biggest fraud,scammer,conman and nincompoop of all times,Donald Dump,to highest office! No wonder an entire world laughed at you!
@@stonefree67 Your hysterical reaction just shows how right I am . You know I am right and oh boy you feel defensive and guilty. Sweden made profit from the millions of soldiers 1 million of which are British and Commonwealth who lie buried in the fields of Northern France and Belgium, while Sweden cowardly just took the blood money especially from Nazi Germany.
@@jontyc3479 ,you are quite clearly not well and you even seem to lacking a bit cognitively!😂😂😂
What a fantastic video even though its very sad, well done sir.
Thank you.
A tragic story but interesting. It reminds me of the time I went to Berlin and found a headstone of an East German who had been shot trying to escape to the West a number of months prior to the Wall coming down.
Now that it tragic
Wonderful little upload, well researched & extremely interesting. 👍
Don't know if it would be of interest but I have an interesting tale of a RCAF Halifax that was unfortunately brought down by a Canadian anti-aircraft battery on a beach on the Essex coast.
Drop me a line via my website (www.thehistorychap.com)
@@TheHistoryChap
👍
In 16/5L, we always remembered Private Ellison.
Thank you.
Soldiers don't suddenly stop dying when a war comes to an end. People have this strange notion that at some appointed day and hour, it all ends and nobody dies anymore. As tragic as this death was in WW1 many soldiers in many other wars have died after the war they fought was suppose to have ended. Consider this one example: US Army Sgt. Anthony Marchione was killed on August 18, 1945, 1 month shy of his 20th birthday and 3 days after Japan's emperor announced the surrender of the Empire of Japan on August 15, 1945. He was aboard a reconnaissance aircraft monitoring the surrender when his aircraft was attacked by fighters flown by Japanese pilots who refused to surrender and in fact after the Japanese emperor's surrender broadcast all across Japan there were a series of armed confrontations between Japanese forces obeying the emperors orders and those who refuse.
Thank you for taking the time to comment.
May God save their souls.
god has nothing to do with it.
@@thedisabledwelshman9266 luck innit
@@fastyaveit pretty much
RIP
Another coincidence - First and Last British Soldiers killed were members of scouting parties.. Its an amazing place to visit, where all the horrors of war and torment of loss are spanned by approx 20ft of perfectly manicured grass. My wife and I have sat in this cemetery a number of times and contemplated the futility of war...
What a thoughtful comment. Thank you for taking the time to share.
Canada only had 4 divisions total in WW1, I believe you're referring the 28th Battalion CEF
Thank you for sharing.
United in death.RIP
Thanks for sharing
A tragic tale of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, RIP to all of the souls lost to this great and terrible conflict. 💔 Vaya con Dios y en paz descansen. 😢
I guess that there always need to be a first and a last in any event. Strange to think about it tho.
@TheHistoryChap it is just like Hegel said, the thing we learn from history is that we can not learn from it.
Lloyd George didn't want the Armistice to begin till 2/3.30 in the afternoon when he could announce the end of the war in Parliament. Make him look like a hero, politician, and the optics.
Interesting. Thanks for sharing
Absolutely shameful behaviour from the psychopathic officer's.
I guess they were trying to press for advantages in case the Germans broke the truce.
Poor fellows...God Bless...
RIP
Have you got any video about some of the battles of ww1
Not yet. On my hit list 😁
He was perhaps the last British soldier to die as the cease fire drew close but he was not the last to be killed as even after the ceasefire deadline a number of skirmishes took place.
It was not just a case of everyone packing up and leaving on the 12th November.
My great grandfather had written at Charpentier both sides were afraid to make themselves seen as neither side trusted the other after such a long time.
He wrote on the 13th November at about midday a group of four medics had gone into no mans land
after noticing a man on the ground was seen to be moving and occasionally shouting.
My great grandfather and two Riflemen went with the medics very carefully as to not bring too much attention to themselves and two of the medics waving white hankies on long sticks.
He wrote, Just as the medics reached the injured man a shot rang out and the lead medic fell to the ground.
With a great deal of shouting and running very fast they managed to get back to the the allied trench, but not until one of the riflemen was hit and fell.
He wrote, they did not try to return to the injured man or retrieve the hit medic and rifleman and it was understood it was at least two more weeks before a larger organised group went out to get bodies.
The injured man who had been shouting was i imagine lost!
My great grandfather wrote he had conversations even on his return to Britain with other soldiers who had said they knew of gunfire deaths after the 11th November.
His son, my grandfather always said "The war did not end on the 11th" .
I understand also it was well into the spring of 1919 that bodies were being removed for burial and we know even now bodies are under the fields.
My great grandfather died of TB in 1921.
He had been in the great war from 1916 till its end!
His diary is in the hands of the Newarke House Museum, Leicester .
Thank you for taking the time to share your family story.
For “lasts”, the 19th Alberta Dragoons carried out the last Canadian cavalry charge of WW1
Thanks for sharing.
Lest we forget.
Hope we never will.
@@TheHistoryChap Indeed. Great video by the way, Chris!
Was it known when they buried Ellison that his grave was facing that of the first British soldier killed.
Not sure
Stupid in its commencement, Stupid in its prosecution and Stupid in its conclusion... The war that should never have been was itself consistent in that aspect at least... A fine presentation as usual. Thank you.
It always appals me that some people prefer Ill informed generalities to informed analysis.
@@alecblunden8615 🤔🙂...and?
My pleasure. Thank you for watching
As usual, a very good video and narration! It's hard to imagine but some generals, especially American officers, were down right blood thirsty. It was as though they were bent on revenge for all the misery the Germans had caused them with four years of war. General Pershing actually pushed for an unconditional surrender, which while impractical in 1918, was postulated that surrender could have prevented the rise of the Nazi who claimed they had never surrendered, and that the war hadn't been lost by the soldiers. We'll never know, but some people will always debate this issue.
You are 100% correct in relation to Pershing. He wanted to go all the way to Berlin for a German unconditional surrender. He argued prophetically that the German army would consider themselves undefeated in the field with an armistice and he stated "We will have to do it all again".
Bullettube. What misery was caused to Americans during WW1 ( apart from Merchant Marine ) ? The first Americans to reach France arrived in early April 1917 - and then, largely, did nothing until around September of that year.
Hi Bullettube. Check out the movie "The Lost Battalion" which is based on a true story and tells of an American unit that gets lost in WW1. Obviously the unit is American but it also consists of various other nationalities including Irish,Polish and Italian. You have probably seen it. I think it is a real gem of a movie that is overshadowed by other movies. It stars Ricky Schroder who is more famous for being a child actor who starred in the hit US TV series "Silver Spoons" way back in the 1980's and his performance as a child actor in "The Champ" alongside Jon Voight and Faye Dunaway was phenomenal.
@@johnroche7541 Yes I remember that movie! It was very good at portraying the utter confusion when they realized they were being attacked from all sides. Yet they held on and their commander never lost his presence of mind.
@@donaldhoult7713 America did not experience the misery of war that Europe did then or during WW2. Yet this is not to say Americans were ignorant of what was going on. Both of my grand-fathers were in the war, one suffered from a gas attack, the other in an artillery battery suffered hearing loss and a shrapnel wound to his leg from counter battery fire. American troops, being fresh and innocent, attacked with the same bravery the English and French had in the opening months of the war. The Americans were very conscious of the misery of the trenches, as just one week living in mud will quickly change your attitude toward the "glory" of war! Many American officers had already spent some time in Europe as observers, including most of Pershing's staff. They all believed in the ideology that won the civil war: "War is hell; to win you must visit more hell upon your enemy". Plus you have to remember that modern war with it's artillery and trenches began in the American civil war. The American people were not gung ho for the war like Europe was, and tend to be more pacifist in their world view. But has been shown over and over again in two world wars, Americans become blood thirsty killers when their dander is up!
Such a cruel twist of fate to die like that, but even worse to die after the War had ended. I wonder how many soldiers were killed during the Great 'clean up', by uxb's etc and I. wonder who was the last British soldier to die in France. Probably In 1919 or 1920.
Interesting question. Thanks for posting
We Yorkshire men are quite tough.
never forget
Margaret, thanks for sharing.
I only found out two weeks ago that my paternal Great Great grandfather fought in the entire war
The suffering he must have gone through...
He died in 1945 from stomach cancer
Thanks for watching my video and taking the time to share your family story.
@@TheHistoryChap My pleasure
The scuttling of the grand fleet is surely the saddest of it all, if your looking at the context of waste of human life.
Thanks for the suggestion.
Why Ellison was in a scouting party on the last day makes no sense but typical of the idiotic orders of the day. And no sympathy at all for Gunther - he wouldn't have got any honors if I was handing them out. Bet his family were proud when they heard what a idiot he had been.
Gunther seemed to want to prove a point.
Private G.L. PRICE was assigned to the CANADIAN ARMY 28th Infantry BATTALION, not the 28th Infantry DIVISION.
Thank you for sharing.
I had the privilege of attending the Remembrance Parade there in 2018.
Thanks for sharing.
If I remember correctly the first and last British soldiers killed in the war died in almost the same place
you are correct. Think I mention that in the video.
They knew the war was stopping 11/11/1918 but still had one last battle just to keep the men occupied
Sad.
Just as an aside, I was thinking of any battles in the campaigns of British and Fascist Italian forces in then Abyssinia in 1941.
Also on my list
I know several memorials wee erected in honour of Price, don't know about Pvt. Ellison.
Thanks for taking the time to comment.
And what was achieved? - conditions that led directly to WW2.
Unfortunately a lot of truth in your comment
It is an obvious tragedy that George Ellison died on that last day, but imagine his life had he survived, after participating in four years of that horror., which was rare in itself to serve that full stretch. With no understanding of, or services for, PTSD in those days, I'm sure his life would have been a major struggle. Henry Gunther's death was just idiotic. I would have been hitting the dirt like the others in his unit, and closely watching my watch, counting down the seconds.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts
@@TheHistoryChap No worries Chris, thanks for the great presentations.
What an awful waste of life. The senior officer's were indifferent to men that served under them, on all sides. Politicians also have learnt nothing from the First World War.
Read this somewhere:
Australian officer: The war is over.
Australian "digger": We know.
Australian officer: How come?
Australian "digger": There's a staff officer in the front trench.....
Thanks for taking the time to comment
The British death toll was about 700,000 not including empire dead which were about 250,000.
Thank you for taking the time to comment
Those officers who sent men to their wasteful deaths should have been court martialed .
But the war wasn't officially over. Had it re-ignited and they had lost ground because they have put their feet up I guess we'd have a different opinion. History is so much easier from afar.
See George Lawrence Price, 28th 'Northwest' Battalion Canadian Infantry (Saskatchewan Regiment) aka. 'the Nor'westers'. Killed 1058 a.m., November 11, 1918.
Thanks for sharing
I wonder; if Price had shot the man who was shooting at him, would the Belgian woman have treated the German soldier?
Interesting indeed? Maybe not, but who knows?
I must admit I don't really want to watch the video as I know a lot of unnecessary attacks took place leading up to the Armistice time and if my memory is correct there was also some fighting for some time after 11am.
Hearing about it just makes me angry...
Thanks for sharing
It's sad that the last person to be killed was one of the three American's that bothered to show up for the war, At least they managed to get there before it finished, just. Didn't do much better in the next one either
Thanks for taking the time to comment