Hello, I am looking to find quotes (or full entries) of people leading up to 'The Great War' I've been fascinated by this idea that many of these people about to participate in combat believed they were fighting in the last great war. They believed that this was the final war. I am unable however to find any good newspaper articles, journal entries, or other first hand sources to get a grasp of what it was they actually were thinking in the lead up to first combat.
Sorry, just to clarify, you're specifically looking for the thoughts of soldiers or soldiers-to-be along the lines that they "believed they were fighting in the last great war" before or at the outbreak of the war?
I can point you towards some interesting sources on pre-war thinking, I think I can point you towards some interesting sources on the thinking of soldiers enlisting and about to enter the war. But I'm not sure that your characterization that this was a common thought among the common soldiers in 1914 is even close to being correct.