First World War in FocusThe world’s first tank battle occurs at Villers-Bretonneux on the Western Front when British Mark IVs engage German A7 tanks.
Royal Air Force formed
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is founded by combining the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service.
First use of mustard gas on the Western Front
The Germans use mustard gas against British troops for the first time during the Third Battle of Ypres.
First advanced plastic surgery
Petty Officer Walter Yeo, badly burned during the Battle of Jutland (1916) on HMS ‘Warspite’, becomes the first person to undergo advanced plastic surgery when he is treated by Sir Harold Gillies.
Tank Corps formed
The Tank Corps is formed to co-ordinate the growing use of tanks in the British Army.
Pioneering facial injury hospital founded
The Queen’s Hospital in Sidcup, Kent is opened to specialise in the treatment of soldiers’ facial injuries.
First blood bank established on Western Front
US Army doctor, Captain Oswald Robertson, sets up the first blood bank on the Western Front.
Introduction of convoy system
The Royal Navy introduces the convoy system to protect shipping from German U-Boats.
Battle of Vimy Ridge
Part of the Battle of Arras: The Canadians obtain a significant victory over the Germans in the Battle of Vimy Ridge. This engagement sees the first successful use by British Empire forces of flash-spotting and sound-ranging techniques to detect and suppress enemy batteries.
Craiglockhart War Hospital begins treating shell-shock
The Craiglockhart War Hospital in Edinburgh begins treating officers with shell shock (neurasthenia).
Battle of Flers-Courcelette
Part of the Battle of the Somme: The Battle of Flers-Courcelette sees the British use tanks for the first time in history.
First creeping barrage
The British use the creeping artillery barrage for the first time during the Battle of the Somme.
Box respirator introduced
The box respirator is introduced as the British Army’s standard gas mask.
Early blood transfusion on Western Front
Major Lawrence Robertson of the Canadian Army performs one of the earliest blood transfusions on the Western Front.
First sinking of U-Boat with depth charges
The Royal Navy destroys Germany’s U-68, the first submarine to be sunk with depth charges.
First use of phosgene gas
The Germans use phosgene gas for the first time against the British at Wieltje, near Ypres.
Introduction of new Lee Enfield rifle
The Short Magazine Lee Enfield (SMLE) Mk III*, a cheaper mass-produced version of the British Empire’s iconic Mk III Rifle (adopted in 1907), is introduced for general service.
Machine Gun Corps formed
The British Army forms the Machine Gun Corps to make more effective use of heavy machine guns (primarily the Vickers) on the Western Front.
Introduction of Lewis Gun
The British Army officially adopts the Lewis Gun for both land and aircraft use.
Battle of Loos
The Battle of Loos on the Western Front sees the British offensive fail at German hands. The 50-watt Trench Set (or BF Set), the British Army’s first reliable radio, was first used during this engagement.
Introduction of Brodie helmet
The British Army adopts the Brodie helmet as its standard head protection for soldiers.
Formation of British gas warfare units
The Royal Engineers form Special Companies to oversee Britain’s gas warfare effort.
First aircraft destroyed by synchronised machine-gun
A German Fokker, the first aircraft to be fitted with a device enabling the pilot to fire his machine gun through the arc of the propeller, shoots down a French aircraft.
First use of flamethrowers
The first large-scale use of flamethrowers takes place at Hooge in Belgium, during a German attack on the British lines.
Maudsley psychiatric hospital established
The Maudsley Military Hospital is set up in London to treat cases of shell shock (neurasthenia).
Introduction of Mills Bomb
The No 5 Grenade (Mills Bomb) is introduced. This is the standard grenade used by British Empire forces for the rest of the war.
First British gas mask
Scottish physiologist John Scott Haldane invents the veil respirator, the first British gas mask.
Second Battle of Ypres
The first large-scale use of poison gas by the Germans fails to end the stalemate on the Western Front.
Introduction of Thomas splint
The introduction of the Thomas splint, named after the Welsh surgeon Hugh Owen Thomas, drastically cuts the numbers of British soldiers dying from broken femurs.
Formation of British tunnelling units
The Royal Engineers form Tunnelling Companies to oversee underground warfare.
First Zeppelin raid on Britain
The first Zeppelin (airship) raid on Britain sees King’s Lynn and Great Yarmouth bombed by the Germans.
Invention of Stokes Mortar
The 3-inch Stokes Mortar is invented and soon becomes the standard British Army mortar of the war.
First use of underground mines on Western Front
The Germans detonate ten mines under the British lines at Givenchy. This is the first large-scale use of underground mines on the Western Front.
Development of wire defences
In the aftermath of the First Battle of the Marne, thick belts of barbed wire appear on the Western Front as both sides dig in.
First British use of armoured cars
The Royal Naval Air Service deploys its vehicles on the Western Front, marking the first British combat use of armoured cars.
Battle of Cer
The Serbs defeat the invading Austro-Hungarians in the first major Allied victory of the First World War. This battle also sees the first aerial dogfight when the pilots of Serbian and Austro-Hungarian reconnaissance aircraft engage each other with small arms.
First large-scale overseas deployment of Royal Flying Corps
Four squadrons from the Royal Flying Corps join the British Expeditionary Force in France.
