why do many UK First World War memorials give the dates as 1914-1919?

Question

about 20% of British memorials give the wrong year instead of 1914-1918 when of course the war ended on november 11th

Answer 1

Sir,

The answers above are absolutely correct although the armistice with Germany was signed on November 11th 1918, the formal state of war continued until June 28th 1919.

I believe your question actually is which do we consider to be correct?

I would like to think that the remembrance of the fallen soldiers is truly a remembrance of their sacrifice and not that of the politicians and civil servants that conjured the paperwork. Many of those fallen did so because of the system and victory attained despite it. It was said that they were lions led by donkeys, and the time taken at the end of fighting to formally remove the state of war is epitaph to that.

So, like you I appreciate both dates are technically valid, but as 1918 was the end of the sacrifice and the memorial place to remember the lost I elect 1918 as the correct answer.

I hope that everyone would agree with my logic.

kindest regards Tim T

Answer 2

Found this on Wikipedia - thought it was an excellent question! I have cut and pasted the last couple of paragraphs to explain - easier than paraphrasing!

A formal state of war between the two sides persisted until it was finally ended by the signing of the Treaty of Versailles on June 28, 1919 with Germany, and the following treaties with Austria, Hungary, Bulgaria and The Ottoman Empire signed at St. Germain, Trianon, Neuilly and Sèvres. However, the latter treaty with the Ottoman Empire was followed by strife (the Turkish Independence War) and a final peace treaty was signed between the Allied Powers and the country that would shortly become the Republic of Turkey, at Lausanne on July 24, 1923.

Some war memorials date the end of the war as being when the Versailles treaty was signed in 1919; by contrast, most commemorations of the war’s end concentrate on the armistice of November 11, 1918. Legally the last formal peace treaties were not signed until 1923.

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So, in fact everyone is wrong - it went on from 1914 to 1923!

Answer 3

Although the armistice with Germany was signed on November 11th 1918, a formal state of war continued until the signing of the Treaty of Versailles on June 28th 1919.

Answer 4

British forces, including men from the Royal Navy, were still fighting the Turks in 1919 in the Black Sea area of operations.

The Royal Navy landed men at Mudana.

The armistice in 1918 marked the end of hostilities between the Allied forces and the Germans.

Hitler was a corporal in the German army and had his revenge by forcing the French to surrender in 1940 and sign for this in the same railway carriage in Versailles to mark the (supposed) end of hostilities between the French and the Germans.

Many French nationals fought on with the Free French in WW II and at home in the French Resistance movement.

Answer 5

Similar scenario- in Iraq the war 'officially' ended a year ago, but as our soldiers are still dying over there, if they have any memorials they will have to put the year of the last death, not when the war ended. So, the last death caused by the 2nd World War (in clean-up processes, etc) would have been in 1919.

Answer 6

many british soldiers were stationed in Russia then taking part on the white russian side during the revolution