Commemorating the First World War Centennial in Kansas

Month: September 2017 (Page 1 of 3)

Centennial Countdown to the Great War: September 1917

In September 1917, the Central Powers reply to Pope Benedict’s peace initiative, saying they welcome it as a basis for negotiation but not agreeing to any specific concessions.  In a supplemental message delivered to the Papal Nuncio at Munich, the German government says it would consider evacuating Belgium and contributing to reparations for war damages in return for certain guarantees from Belgium, an offer the Allies consider unacceptable. ...read more

“The Concentrated Essence of Infantry”

Topeka – Museum After Hours

Join us for a special Museum After Hours program series, 6:30 p.m. Friday, October 13. The programs complement the Kansas Museum of History’s special exhibit, Captured:  The Extraordinary Adventures of Colonel Hughes, and are held in recognition of the 100th anniversary of World War I. The Museum will be open until 6:30 p.m., admission is half price after 5 p.m. The Museum Store will also be open until 6:30 p.m. ...read more

Americans in the CEF

Bear with me here. I know that I’ve used an acronym in the title with no prior explanation. ‘CEF’ stands for ‘Canadian Expeditionary Force’, and I probably need to explain what that means, too.

When Canada went to war in 1914 the nation had only a few thousand regular soldiers, many of whom only performed ceremonial duty. Until the late 1800’s there had been British regulars stationed at key places in Canada to defend the country. There had been a long tradition of local militia units, akin to the 19th century American model, and some of these had even served in the South African War (1899-1902). ...read more

Wentworth Doughboy Preserved

Last week the US WW1 Centennial Commission published this article about the proposed sale of the Viquesney ‘Spirit of the Doughboy’  statue on the grounds of the former Wentworth Military Academy in Lexington, MO.  The creditors of the academy have maintained that the statue was collateral on the academy’s debts, but the Alumni Association of the academy has counterclaimed that they own the statue because it was entirely paid for by alumni.  A judge has ruled in the favor of the Alumni Association and the statue may end up at the National WW1 Museum in Kansas City, MO. ...read more

Remembering Muted Voices

“Remembering Muted Voices,” a symposium on resistance and conscientious objection in WWI, will be held at the National World War I Museum and Memorial October 19 – 22.  Co-sponsored by several organizations, this symposium promises a look at the differing opinions in opposition to the war. ...read more

Memorials to the Missing – Polygon Wood

There is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) Memorial to the Missing located in the northeastern corner of a small forest called Polygon Wood, near Zonnebeke, Belgium.

The memorial is on the site of the CWGC Buttes New Cemetery, which is a post-war concentration of over 2,000 burials of remains recovered from the surrounding area, mostly 1917 casualties. It’s considered an extension of the older Polygon Wood CWGC cemetery nearby – there is a connecting walk – and so the Cross of Sacrifice is in Polygon Wood Cemetery and the Stone of Remembrance is in Buttes New Cemetery.  ...read more

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