Everyday stories from WWI preserved in massive European archive

Published April 7, 2011 |

With the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of World War I quickly approaching, a European project is digitally documenting personal memorabilia – before it is lost forever to time and indifference.

Come the summer of 2014, a century will have passed since the Austro-Hungarian invasion of Serbia which triggered the Great War. Over more than four years, an average of 8,000 lives was claimed each day. Everyday stories from WWI preserved in massive European archive

To mark the centenary and pay tribute to the millions of families affected by the conflict, Oxford University and Europeana, a multi-lingual digital archive of Europe’s cultural and scientific heritage, are working on a project called The First World War in Everyday Documents.

The idea is to recreate a reliable picture of what it was like for ordinary folk to fight in and live through World War I. Using family photos, letters and diaries, the organizers are aiming to build a massive archive which tells previously untold tales from hearths and fronts across the world.

It will not only serve as a free resource for historians, but will give future generations clear visual and psychological insights into the collective horrors of life between 1914 and 1918.

Story by Tamsin Walker

Chris Rivait

Chris loves history and hopes that Yesteeyear becomes a place where everyone can share their history knowledge. Chris owns an Internet Marketing company, Arrivait Marketing. He has a wonderful wife and four great children.