Between 1914 and 1918, 8261 Manx men went to fight in the Great War, making up 82.3% of men aged between 18 and 40 on the island.
Of these, 2334 would become casualties of war, with 1165 dead or missing, 987 wounded and 182 made prisoners of war.
When war was first declared, there was some anxiety on the Isle of Man over the rate of recruitment, with These were effective in encouraging men to join up – by November 1914 the Isle of Man had sent over 500 recruits, and passed the 1000-men mark in March 1915.
In 1914 local Manx newspapers ran a series called “With Kitchener’s Army“, in which they published letters from recruits about their experiences in the training camps.
“…the Isle of Man’s contribution was significant. Its menfolk fought on every continent and in every campaign; Manxmen were present when the first angry shots were fired in 1914, and were still in harm’s way after the general close of hostilities in 1918; their casualties were appallingly high”
Explore the impact of the Great War on Manx soldiers and the local area
