The First World War impacted all levels of British society. Even the Royal Household was not immune from its devastation; three members of staff were killed in the first weeks of war. All together, over 500 members of the Royal Household served during the war. Many from the Royal Mews joined mounted regiments or veterinary units, Sandringham House staff and the footmen joined the Norfolk Regiment, and some of the woodsmen from Windsor became sappers, using their experience with timber to lay the infrastructure of the Western Front. Part of the Royal Mews at Buckingham Palace was converted into a medical ward and some of the horses were taken into military service, including Paddy, Mac Neill and Granard. The Riding School housed catering facilities for troops passing through London on leave.

TM The King and Queen’s tea party to the wounded at the Royal Mews, Buckingham Palace, March 1916 ©

King George V and Queen Mary were also both active in the war effort. The King first visited the Western Front in November 1914 and he returned five further times during the war. His engagements included meeting Allied heads of state, inspecting troops and visiting the wounded. Queen Mary felt she should accompany her husband and her first visit to France was in July 1917, where she visited hospitals, aerodromes, nurses’ hostels and casualty clearing stations. At home in Britain, they undertook similar visits to wounded and disabled soldiers, sailors and airmen in hospitals and convalescent centres; discharged soldiers and sailors were even invited to entertainments at Buckingham Palace. During periods of unrest amongst munitions and engineering workers, the royal couple  also initiated goodwill tours of industrial and shipbuilding areas.

For three days this week we have given entertainments to wounded soldiers & sailors in our Riding School, over 2000 have been able to come & enjoyed it I am glad to say- Everything was very well organised & arranged for their comfort. They had tea first in the Coach Houses, members of our family presiding at each table, & being helped by the ladies & gentlemen of our household, & various friends of ours – The entertainments consisted of various artistes, acrobats, conjurors etc

QUEEN MARY TO THE DOWAGER DUCHESS OF MECKLELBURG-STRELITZ (QUEEN MARY’S AUNT, AN ELDERLY MEMBER OF THE BRITISH ROYAL FAMILY LIVING IN GERMANY), 24 MARCH 1916, ROYAL ARCHIVES

The Armistice of 11 November 1918 was the armistice signed at Le Francport near Compiègne that ended fighting on land, sea and air in World War I between the Entente and their last remaining opponent, Germany. Previous armistices had been agreed with Bulgaria, the Ottoman Empire and Austria-Hungary. It was concluded after the German government sent a message to American president Woodrow Wilson to negotiate terms on the basis of a recent speech of his and the earlier declared “Fourteen Points“, which later became the basis of the German surrender at the Paris Peace Conference, which took place the following year.

Also known as the Armistice of Compiègne (French: Armistice de Compiègne, German: Waffenstillstand von Compiègne) from the place where it was officially signed at 5:45 a.m. by the Allied Supreme Commander, French Marshal Ferdinand Foch,^[1] it came into force at 11:00 a.m. Paris time on 11 November 1918 and marked a victory for the Allies and a defeat for Germany, although not formally a surrender.

The actual terms, which were largely written by Foch, included the cessation of hostilities on the Western Front, the withdrawal of German forces from west of the Rhine, Allied occupation of the Rhineland and bridgeheads further east, the preservation of infrastructure, the surrender of aircraft, warships, and military materiel, the release of Allied prisoners of war and interned civilians, eventual reparations, no release of German prisoners and no relaxation of the naval blockade of Germany. The armistice was extended three times while negotiations continued on a peace treaty. The Treaty of Versailles, which was officially signed on 28 June 1919, took effect on 10 January 1920.

Fighting continued up to 11 a.m. of the 11 November 1918, with 2,738 men dying on the last day of the war.^[2]