World War I (often abbreviated as WWI or WW1), also known as the First World War, the Great War, the Seminal Catastrophe, and initially in North America as the European War, was a global war originating in Europe that lasted from 28 July 1914 to 11 November 1918. Contemporaneously described as “the war to end all wars”, it led to the mobilisation of more than 70 million military personnel, including 60 million Europeans, making it one of the largest wars in history. It is also one of the deadliest conflicts in history, with an estimated nine million combatants and seven million civilian deaths as a direct result of the war, while resulting genocides and the resulting 1918 influenza pandemic caused another 50 to 100 million deaths worldwide.

Robert Close (1888) – World War 1

Robert Close (1888) was born in County Antrim, Ireland, the son of Thomas Close (1841) and Margaret Jane McCormick. After emigrating to America in 1906 with his family he was drafted into the US Armed Forces in 1917 at New…

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Allan M Close (1885) – World War 1

Allan M Close (1885) was born in County Antrim, Ireland, the son of Thomas Close (1841) and Margaret Jane McCormick. After emigrating to America in 1906 with his family he was naturalised and drafted into the US Armed Forces in…

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Hazel Maynard Close (1894) – World War 1

Hazel Maynard Close (1894) was born at Laura, South Australia, the daughter of John Thomas Close (1853) and Frances Wilkinson. She enlisted in the Australian Army Nursing Service as a Staff Nurse in 1918, eventually leaving the service in 1921.  

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