It’s been more than a century since the First World War ended in 1918, though even today, some of its most fascinating parts have been shrouded in mystery. Despite the wealth of information and research available on the topic, most of these mysteries would likely never be solved, as much of the evidence now lies under decades of, well, other wars like WW2.
10. Private John Parr
Born in 1898 in north London, John Parr joined the British war effort as a reconnaissance cyclist. It was his job to ride out ahead and gather intel on enemy positions, though unfortunately, his life would come to an end merely 17 days after Britain entered the war. Private John Parr would be the first British soldier killed on the European front during WW1, though till today, we don’t know exactly who killed him, or how.
Parr was last seen before the Battle of Mons in August 1914. According to accounts from the battlefield, he was most likely killed by rifle fire from a German cavalry patrol, and it probably happened during the battle. However, no one saw it happening, and his partner returned to the camp from their reconnaissance trip unharmed. Moreover, German units hadn’t reached British positions until well after his estimated date of death, so there’s a chance that Parr was killed by a local, or worse, one of his own comrades.
