First World War

We created a series of online features and articles to mark the centenary of the conflict between 1914 and 1918

Battle of the Somme, 1916

We mark the 100th anniversary of the battle by telling the stories of some of the thousands of Scots soldiers who perished on 1 July 1916
Battle of the Somme - more stories

Scottish troops were heavily involved in the fighting, at terrible cost in deaths and injuries. We tell some of their stories.
Gallipoli, 28 June 1915

On 25 April 1915 the first Allied troops landed at Cape Helles on the Gallipoli peninsula
Battle of Arras, April 1917

Private William Wilson, 1st Battalion, Royal Scots Fusiliers and the Battle of Arras
German Spring Offensive 1918

On 21 March 1918, 6,500 German guns and 3,500 heavy mortars opened up a five-hour barrage on the Western Front
Scottish Prisoners of War 1914-1918

Stories of Scots held prisoner during the First World War, from official and private archives we hold
Quintinshill Disaster 22 May 1915

At 6.45am on the morning of 22 May 1915, a troop train carrying soldiers of the 1/7th Battalion Royal Scots crashed into a stationary local passenger train
The Munitionettes and the work of women in the First World War

The Munitionettes, or Canary Girls, were part of the female work force that took up war-time employment during the First World War.
The Kaiser's Spy in Scotland - Naval Espionage before the Great War

In 2014 a secret agent’s spy kit went on display for the first time at National Records of Scotland.
Battle of Jutland 1916

At the Battle of Jutland on 1916, Admiral Jellicoe’s Battle Fleet joined forces with the Battlecruiser Fleet.
Battle of Falkland Islands 1914

In a decisive sea battle near the Falkland Islands on 8 December 1914, the British Vice Admiral Sir Doveton Sturdee secured victory over his German adversary Admiral Graf Von Spee.
Charles Whitehead Yule: a curator commemorated

The death in battle of a respected scholar is commemorated by a small plaque in General Register House, Edinburgh.
The Lerwick Post Office Affair 1914

On Sunday 1 November 1914 the entire staff of Lerwick Post Office were arrested under orders from Lieutenant-Colonel H C Evans.
Battle of Loos

The Battle of Loos was fought from 25 September until about 16 October 1915 in an area of coalmines and mining villages near the town of Lens, north of Arras.
The Iolaire Disaster 1919

In the early hours of New Year’s Day 1919 HMY ‘Iolaire’ struck rocks off Holm Point as the vessel approached Stornoway harbour on the Isle of Lewis.

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