First World War Galleries Table of contents
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- A very gallant little army
A Dastardly Slaughter‘If war was once a chivalrous duel, it is now a dastardly slaughter.’ Artur von Bolfrás, Austrian general, September 1914
British and French cavalry pass each other on the road, Belgium, 1914 Photo caption German postcard showing a bullet wound to a man’s arm Photo caption A French Henri Farman F.20 reconnaissance plane in British service, 1914 Display captionsSummary caption For the men of the British Expeditionary Force, the battles of 1914 were a shocking introduction to modern warfare. By the year’s end, the BEF had suffered nearly 90,000 casualties. Many were experienced professional soldiers who could not easily be replaced. All available reserves were sent into action, along with some Territorials - part-time soldiers intended for home defence. From the Empire, Indian troops came to take part in the crucial battles around Ypres. Diary and letter At Ypres, the British, French, Belgians and Germans were fighting at the limit of their endurance. Lance Sergeant Thomas Cubbon describes in his diary scenes of panic and the desperate need for reinforcements. The letter, hastily written on a piece of card by Lieutenant Neville Woodroffe of the 1st Irish Guards, records the death of most of the officers in his unit. Woodroffe himself was killed three days later. Flag This flag was flown from the car of Sir Douglas Haig while commanding British troops at Ypres in 1914. Haig later described the intensity of the fighting to King George V, saying that some soldiers had ‘thrown everything they could, including their rifles and packs, in order to escape, with a look of absolute terror on their faces, such as I have never before seen on any human being’s face’. British jacket This British jacket belonged to Company Sergeant Major William Williams of the 2nd Worcestershire Regiment. CSM Williams, from Bolton, was 37. He had served in the British Army for 18 years. He suffered fatal wounds on 31 October 1914 at Gheluvelt, near Ypres. The Army could not afford to lose experienced soldiers like him. Orders Britain’s war minister, Lord Kitchener, issued these orders to Sir John French, commander of the British Expeditionary Force. They put him in a difficult position. Sir John was ordered to support the French Army. At the same time he was told to act independently if he thought the safety of the BEF was threatened. Photo caption Indian troops of 57th Wilde’s Rifles at Wytschaete, Belgium,1914 Photo caption Indian walking wounded in a Belgian village, 1914 Photo caption French general Joffre with British generals French and Haig Photo caption Men of 2nd Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry resting at Ypres, 1914 Photo caption The first Territorial infantry to fight, the London Scottish, after action at Messines, Belgium A very gallant little army‘It is now only a very weak, a very sad and a very gallant little Army that holds the line’ Lieutenant Geoffrey Loyd, Scots Guards, 3 November 1914
its empire for reinforcements. Indian troops were already fighting. Many more Empire troops would come. Display captionsSummary caption By the end of 1914 the exhausted armies had sought safety in trenches. In opposing front lines, men endured the same wretched conditions, often within earshot of one another. At Christmas, German and British soldiers emerged to meet in the frozen strip of mud between the trenches. They sang carols and exchanged presents, from cigarettes and cigars to buttons and badges. But this seasonal goodwill could not last. Soon the fighting started again. Uniform button German soldier Werner Keil scribbled his name and gave this uniform button to 19-year-old Corporal Eric Rowden of the Queen’s Westminster Rifles on Christmas Day 1914. In his diary Rowden wrote, ‘I went out and found a German who spoke English a little and we exchanged buttons and cigarettes and I had 2 or 3 cigars given me and we laughed and joked together, having forgotten war altogether’. Wooden greetings card At Christmas 1914, not every soldier felt peace and goodwill. British soldier Henry Hulse sent this wooden greetings card to his family in Faversham, Kent. On it he drew a cartoon of a German being lassoed by a British soldier. Notification and photo For many, fighting continued over Christmas. Sergeant Frank Collins was killed on Christmas Day. His family received this notification. In it his commanding officer wrote to his widow, ‘He was shot through the chest and died without suffering any pain whatever’. Sergeant Collins, shown on the right of the photograph, was a Territorial and had been a postman in peacetime. He left a wife and three children. Lent by T.F. McGill Photo Album Frederick Chandler was a surgeon attached to the British Expeditionary Force. He took these photographs of 2nd Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders on Christmas Day 1914. In a letter home he wrote, ‘an extraordinary thing occurred. Our men and the Germans got out of the trenches and met each other and chatted in great groups. The Germans in fact brought a barrel of beer over’. Photo caption Men of the London Rifle Brigade fraternise with German soldiers, Christmas Day 1914 Photo caption Men of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment with German soldiers, Christmas Day 1914 Photo caption Officers of the Northumberland Hussars mingle with German officers, Christmas Day 1914 Directory: sites -> default -> files files -> Answer True False 2 points Question 2 files -> Northern England’s set-jetting locations files -> Nstructions for Acquiring Excess Equipment online, through the 1033 Program files -> Occupational health and safety files -> The Black Panther Party’s Ten Point Program files -> International programs roel profile files -> Fermi Questions a guide for Teachers, Students, and Event Supervisors Lloyd Abrams, Ph. D. DuPont Company, cr&D/ccas experimental Station Wilmington, de 19880 files -> Personal Information Name: Maha Al-Ammari Nationality: Saudi Relationship Status Download 0.71 Mb. Share with your friends:
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