First World War fighters

Sapper James Williamson

Despite being rejected three times, Williamson was determined to join the war effort.

Aeroplanes began as reconnaissance craft but quickly evolved to include bombers and fighters as the war in the sky escalated.

The first to arrive on the Western Front, the tunnellers were among the last to leave.

When German mines buried British soldiers, Vernon quickly volunteered to free them.

Using picks, shovels and explosives, the miners connected and expanded a huge network of tunnels underground.

After six months’ pilot training, Coates felt completely at home in the air.

A selection of First World War vocabulary and common phrases.