In the collective memory the tragedy of World War II has eclipsed World War I. Today, we no longer refer to it as “the Great War”, and if we ever mention it, it is usually in the strictly Polish context ( Piłsudski and regaining our independence) , or when recalling certain military milestones like the battles of Marne or Verdun, the first use of poison gas at Ypres, or the first use of the tank in the Somme Offensive. The eastern front, although twice as long as the western one – it stretched for 15 00 kilometres – has practically disappeared from our historical consciousness.  One hundred years later we only recall it at anniversaries of a few great battles which had been fought on Polish land ( Łódź, Limanowa, Gorlice) . But what do we know about what was happening  at the same time in Volhynia, Kovel or Ryga? This album’s aim is to revive and pay tribute to the memory of the millions of refugees and victims of unspeakable atrocities which took place in this part of Europe. The author retells the whole history of World War I, which was very important for Poles even though it was not a Polish war – but a chapter in history shared by a great number of nations. This publication is not just a handful of dry facts enhanced by random iconography. Here the true witnesses of the times speak, alongside hundreds of so far unpublished photographs; they speak of the time when death walked hand in hand with hope; hope for a better - or at least different – Tomorrow.