The Great War in Numbers

The average life expectancy of a pilot in World War One was just 15 hours

The average life expectancy of a pilot in World War One was just 15 hours

The statistics involved in World War One are staggering – 70 million soldiers were mobilised worldwide, the average life expectancy of a pilot was just 15 hours and the war claimed 18 million lives.

This six-part series aims to put the numbers into context, beginning with the outbreak of war in 1914.