On the eleventh hour, of the eleventh day, of the eleventh month of 1918, fighting in World War One ceased. This year on November 11, 2018 we honor the 100th anniversary of Armistice Day and the end of World War I.
Much has been written about these years of war and the Baylor Central Libraries Special Collections house research materials that offer a glimpse into life during this time period.
On the homefront, the government published reports through various agencies giving guidance on how to operate day to day under the stresses of wartime.
There is a wealth of research opportunities working with wartime advertising. Many agencies advertised to raise support for various war efforts.
On the Western Front, the 33rd Division completed their mission in Europe. The 33rd Division was a formation of the U.S. Army National Guard.
In the years immediately following the war, many leaders published personal narratives and first-hand accounts of their involvement in the war. Winston Churchill wrote a multi-volume work on the 'Great War' entitled “The world crisis, 1911-1914” published in 1923. Several printings and volumes are available in the libraries (call #: Payne D 521 .C53x 1923). John Pershing, the commander of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) on the Western Front, wrote a personal narrative “My experiences in the World War” published in 1931 (call#: Hughes D640 .P454 1931b v.1-2).
Here at home, communities worked to help returning soldiers and find their own organization’s role in the aftermath of massive losses.
"When you go home, tell them of us and say, for their tomorrow we gave our today." -- Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936)
We hope this glimpse of life surrounding Armistice Day has honored our veterans and their families. If you'd like to see these materials and more, you can access these materials by arranging a visit with our special collections staff! To make an appointment, please visit our web page:
Check out Soldiers of the Wooden Cross, Military Memorial of Baylor University.
The stories of those Baylor students that died in WWI are told
May they rest in peace