The Great War is perhaps the historical subject most written about, and the rapid development of new types of weapons and technologies is one of the most written about aspects of the topic. The Internet contains a wealth of sites dedicated to some aspects of the Great War. Some are of limited use, but a number are of great value to history teachers for:

• the depth of information they contain
• the range of insights published in them
• the ability to communicate with experts and enthusiasts
• the ability to access original archive material
• the potential to use the sites as the basis of really stimulating and imaginative activities

The following sites are recommended because they meet at least some of the criteria listed above.

Trenches on the Web
http://www.worldwar1.com/
Wonderful site, created and maintained by enthusiasts on the Great War. It contains a wealth of detail on a vast range of topics relating to the war, from trenches to technology to the Home Front and much more. There is also a facility to make contact with other interested people by email. The weapons section is especially detailed. It contains a wealth of paintings, photographs, diagrams, diary entries, maps, sketches and even songs and poems. Without doubt the best value site on the Internet for students of the Great War. The weapons section can be found directly at http://www.worldwar1.com/armory.htm and is divided into sections on Artillery, Gas, Guns, Naval Warfare, Tanks, Trenches, Troops, U-boats, and Zeppelins.

The World War I Document Archive
http://www.lib.byu.edu/~rdh/wwi/
This site contains a large range of documents, ranging from official government papers and treaties to the letters and diaries of individual soldiers. It is a fascinating insight into the war at a detailed level. There are image archives, official documents, diary entries and maps. The site is friendly and easy to search, although quite a few of the sources themselves are daunting. This is certainly not a site to be used without a preliminary teacher visit.

Art of the First World War
http://www.art-ww1.com/
This is a most impressive site, sponsored by the United Nations and set up in 1998 to commemorate the 80^th anniversary of the end of the war. The art comes from a world perspective, and images are taken from the collections of great museums and galleries from all over the world, including London’s Imperial War Museum. There are detailed notes to accompany the pictures and to help students interpret them. The paintings are broken down into helpful sections such as War Declared; Fighting Men; Artillery. The site has huge potential for teachers wanting their students to consider how the Great War has been represented and interpreted. An interesting exercise for students would be to compare the impressions of war which come across in this site with the impressions given in the following site:

World War I Propaganda
http://carmen.artsci.washington.edu/propaganda/war1.htm
There is plenty of scope for the student who might normally struggle with the written demands of history to express himself or herself in a visual essay using this material.

The Great War in the Air
http://www.nasm.edu/GALLERIES/GAL206/gal206.html
This is an American site, part of the prestigious Smithsonian Institute. It is essentially a ‘profile’ of the major fighter planes of the Great War, with interesting detail about famous pilots. The site is currently being extended, although there is a good deal already available here.

Encyclopaedia of the First World War
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/FWWtitle.html
Part of the Spartacus website, this resource should be invaluable to students researching the Great War. Contents of the encyclopaedia range from War at Sea to famous battles to the contribution of East Grinstead to the Great War.