New developments in warfare

You will have been given some idea of the importance of industrial might in deciding who was to win the war. Wars could not be fought without coal, iron and steel because they were essential for the production of weapons. Later you will see how Britain tried to ensure that production of these materials and others such as shells and guns was kept up.

Neil Demarco: Britain and the Great War; Oxford University Press, 1992/2000, page 21