Don't:

DON'T

1.  Don't use a motor car or motor cycle for pleasure purposes.

2.  Don't buy new clothes needlessly. Don't be ashamed of wearing old clothes in War time.

3.  Don't keep more servants that you really need.

In this way you will save money for the War, set the right example, and free labour for more needed purposes.

Your Country will Appreciate Your Help.

source

Can you drive a car?

source

Streaming WWI in January

Some good titles currently available to stream, some informative, some just for fun. Linking IMDB so this list doesn't go defunct by spring.

NETFLIX

Sarajevo - historical fiction, covers the investigation of the assassination of the Archduke.
The World's War: Forgotten Soldiers of the Empire - documentary, covers African and Asian troops that fought for the Allies

PRIME

Blood and Oil: The Middle East in World War I - documentary, self explanatory

I'll update this list with a short review when I watch!

Lassie, as promised.

Today in WWI brought to you by the History Channel's excellent This Day in History which everyone should be super into and read every day. They break happenings down by categories of interest, from specific conflicts like WWI to today in disasters and literature.

But let's talk about Lassie.

Today in WWI, the British ship Formidable was torpedoed in 1915. 233 of the 780-man crew survived. Happy freaking New Year.

Those who were unlucky were recovered as best as possible. Those who were very unlucky were on a raft that broke free from the recovery efforts and floated off course to Lyme Regis, where a patriotic innkeeper offered his basement as a temporary mortuary.

The innkeeper had a dog. That dog was, you guessed it, Lassie.

Good girl.

Lassie took a particular interest in one of the dead servicemen, cuddling up until - no fooling - the guy woke up.

And there's your feelgood story about the reviving powers of animal companionship in the face of the abomination of war.

May your 2018 be filled with snuggles and very few torpedoes.

Great War basics month starts now!

Well. Here we are. As promised. World War Numero Uno.

This month we (meaning I, but "we" makes it sound like I have an audience already) will be diving into the fundamentals of the Great War. Major battles, who's who, my favorite day in history ever, and where the legend of Lassie came from.

Yeah, that Lassie.

So grab a handy, user-friendly text and settle in.

What I'm doing and why.

I'm not great at keeping resolutions. I'm one of those people that can't choose just one, writes them all out, plans plans plans during the month of December, then promptly tucks the notebook away and finds it in summer having done zero.

And by "those people" I mean "maybe I'm the only one". Either way, I think I've finally found a 2018 resolution I can keep, because the scope of the project is so engaging and set entirely by me.

It started with a much loved and entirely fictional show - Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries. Plucky lady detective in 1920s Melbourne, Australia. What's not to love?

Seriously, she's perfection.

What I realized was that, apart from a tenuous grasp of 20s aesthetic, I actually know very little about the time period. So, I thought, why not spend some time there? But to understand the 20s, you need to understand the War and here we are.

Great War to the Stock Market Crash.

Follow my journey. There will be fashion, policy, book reviews, dance steps, and cocktails. Lots of cocktails.