Brings to life all aspects of the military and civilian experience of ordinary people on both sides of the conflict in World War I. What was life really like for the ordinary soldier, sailor, airman, and civilian during World War I? Was it different for the British, French, and Americans than it was for the Germans? This work brings to life all aspects of the military and civilian experience of ordinary people on both sides of the war. Rich with information not available elsewhere, this engagingly written narrative focuses on the real details of living in wartime: how men were recruited and trained, the equipment they used, what they ate, trench warfare as a way of life, and the phenomenon of combat. The life of seamen and the novel experience of the first airmen provide contrast to the life of the soldier in the trenches. The work also describes the medical system for treating the wounded, the life of a prisoner of war, and the experience of the military nurse and the first women in uniform. The book also details how life on the home front changed in myriad ways from the schoolchild's lesson to the fevered prosperity of a wartime economy, to the change in the traditional role of women on the home front from homemaker to a crucial source of labor. Following a chronology of events to put the social history of the war into historical and military context, the work is organized into three parts: The Military World, The Civilian World, and Results and the War's End. Topics covered in The Military World include recruitment and training, equipment and rations, trench life, the experience of battle, the sea and air war, casualties and medical care, women and the military, and prisoners of war. The Civilian World features chapters on the home front, civilian hardships, food, and women at home. Finally, the work examines the process of bereavement at war's end and how the armistice and demobilization affected military and civilians alike. A bibliography of materials suitable for student research and a selection of more than 40 photographs on all aspects of the war and civilian experience add value to the work.