BRITAIN’S LESSER-KNOWN ALLIES IN THE GREAT WAR When most people are asked to consider the countries that fought on Britain’s side against the Central Powers of Germany, Austro-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire in the Great War, they generally think only of the great powers of France, Russia, and the USA. This can hardly be surprising given that it was these three nations, plus Britain and her dominions, that contributed most to the conflict and made the greatest sacrifices. However, there were a further twelve independent nations that had declared war on the Central Powers and who to a greater or larger extent made contributions to the allied victory. This talk looks at these twelve nations, examining the reasons for them entering the conflict, the contributions made by each to the Allies cause, and the consequences for each. The speaker: Following a successful City career, Club Member Dr. Keith Williams has pursued his love of history, researching and writing on a variety of military history topics, mainly within the period from the Crimean War to the close of World War I, with his work appearing in such publications as The Journal of the Orders and Medals Research Society, Wellcome History, History Today, and the British Medical Journal. He was awarded a Doctorate by Cardiff University, and holds a Masters degree from London University in the History of Medicine. Currently he is writing a book on the development of military medicine in the nineteenth century.