Do I think the Great War could have been avoided? My answer categorically is yes."
So David Lloyd George, wartime Prime Minister, summed up his view on the conflict which killed over half a million young Britons. He was one of three powerful personalities who indelibly stamped their authority and influence on the conduct and final outcome of "the war to end all wars."
Of the other two, Winston Churchill became even better known for his role in World War Two.
The third figure, Lord Kitchener, shadowy and best remembered now as a poster, was arguably the greatest instigator of Britain's war effort and exerted tremendous influence on both politicians and a lost generation of British youth. Those who start wars seldom finish them ,and Kitchener, tragically, was no exception to this grim rule.
