World War I also known as the First World War, The Great War, and the War to End All Wars was a world-wide war fought from 1914 to 1918.

Tolkien in World War IEdit

Tolkien served in World War I as a commissioned officer with the rank of Second Lieutenant in the Lancashire Fusiliers unit of the British Army.

Significance to Tolkien MythologyEdit

Tolkien was profoundly influenced by his experiences in it particularly the Battle of the Somme; many of his ideas for the battles in Middle-earth may have stemmed from the war.

Noteable people who served in relation to TolkienEdit

Tea Club, Barrovian SocietyEdit

• J.R.R. Tolkien
• Christopher Wiseman
• Robert Gilson†
• G.B. Smith†
• T.K. Barnsley†
• Ralph Payton†

OthersEdit

• C.S. Lewis
• Hilary Tolkien
• Hugo Dyson

Timeline of EventsEdit

• The Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife are assassinated in Sarajevo during a tour of the city, touching off a series of events that started the war.

External linksEdit

• World War I at Tolkien Gateway
• A good article on WWI's influence on Tolkien and LOTR: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/ngbeyond/rings/influences.html