The war began after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary. This triggered an international diplomatic crisis and within weeks various alliances were formed between different countries.
The First World War, often referred to as 'The Great War', is the fifth deadliest conflict to ever happen in the world with an estimation of over 10 million deaths and another 20 million wounded. Despite it being a world war, the majority of battles and lives lost were in the trenches of Europe. During the four year conflict there were a number of technological advancements that took place. Machines entered the battle ground for the first time in any mass. Vehicles such as tanks were used in ground battles and existing vehicles such as buses were called upon to transport troops to and from the battle field. In the later stages of the war aircraft were used for ground attacks, bombing raids and air-to-air combat.
2014 marks the 100th anniversary of the beginning of World War One, to commemorate the technological developments of military machinery; Corgi presents the World War Centenary Collection.
The Sopwith Camel was a single-seat biplane used by the British during World War I. It was first introduced on the Western Front in June 1917. Flown by the Royal Flying Corps, the Sopwith Camel was credited with shooting down 1,924 enemy aircraft throughout the conflict.