As it sought independence, Iceland gained a new significance for Britain during the latter stages of the First World War, writes Ben Markham. 

At the turn of the twentieth century, Iceland was not an independent country. Isolated in the North Atlantic Ocean, it was nonetheless considered an integral part of the Danish Empire. To many in Britain, the island was a distant, mysterious land of fire and ice – and usually the reserve of adventure stories or Norse legends. However, during the later stages of the First World War, Iceland obtained a new significance in the minds of officials in London...