First World War Galleries Table of contents
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A costly apprenticeship‘The British...infantry... is very brave but undergoing a costly apprenticeship.’ French officer, 10 July 1916
The late summer saw heavy fighting around the places on these trench signs, the village of Pozières and nearby Mouquet Farm, known to British and Empire soldiers as ‘Mucky Farm’. In just six weeks of fighting, Australia suffered 7,000 dead, nearly as many as in eight months at Gallipoli. One Australian officer wrote to a friend, ‘They are working the Australians for all they are worth just now’. Display captionsJacket Second Lieutenant Harold Cope was wearing this jacket when he was badly wounded on 7 August 1916. It was cut away so he could receive treatment. In 1914, he might have died. But British Army medical services had learned to get the seriously wounded quickly from the battlefield. They were taken to Casualty Clearing Stations near the front line for life-saving operations. Letters Pressure was put on officers to keep attacking. These letters relate to Brigadier General Frederick Carleton, who was sacked from his command. The typed letter gives the reasons for his dismissal. Carleton’s letter to his wife conveys his shock and gives his side of the story. Letters Letter Close bonds were formed under the stress of battle. In this letter Corporal Frank Greenwood of the 1st Royal Scots Fusiliers praises his dead company commander, Lieutenant Robert Smylie, and passes on his last words to his widow. Lieutenant Smylie, a headmaster in peacetime, had promised his three children ‘some glorious fun’ when the war was over. Smylie’s wallet, containing a picture of his wife and children, was damaged when he was killed. Walking stick The Somme was a vicious battle. The German commander, General Fritz von Below, demanded that, ‘the enemy should have to carve his way over heaps of corpses’. A British officer carried this walking stick with a spearhead at Delville Wood – a maze of blasted tree stumps. The 1st South African Brigade was nearly destroyed during desperate fighting in ‘Devil’s Wood’, with over 2,500 men killed. Letter Letter For the ordinary soldier, the Somme could mean excitement and triumph as well as fear and discomfort. This letter from Private Daniel ‘Jack’ Sweeney of the 1st Lincolnshire Regiment describes a ‘big fight’ to his fiancée, Ivy Williams, who lived in Walthamstow, north-east London. Photo caption Australian soldiers bury a dead comrade, August 1916 Photo caption The French 301st Infantry Regiment on the Somme, September 1916 Photo caption Soldiers of the British West Indies Regiment, who worked to supply the Somme battle Photo caption Indian cavalrymen of the 20th Deccan Horse, before going into action on 14 July 1916 Photo caption New Zealanders during the battle for Fiers, 15 September 1916 Photo caption Triumphant Canadians return from action at Courcelette, September 1916 Display captionsSummary caption The Somme was mainly a battle of artillery, with observation the key to making full use of the guns. Observers in aeroplanes and balloons mapped enemy positions and guided artillery fire on to targets. Until the autumn British and French aircraft ruled the skies above the Somme battlefield. This was a huge boost to the effectiveness of their artillery. The Germans responded by introducing improved fighter planes, making artillery-spotting increasingly dangerous for Allied airmen. Display captionsSummary caption Many men wanted to bring home souvenirs to show off to their families. Many of these trophies were scavenged from the battlefield. But in a major offensive like the Somme, there was an opportunity to take them directly from enemy soldiers. Military units also laid claim to captured equipment. Guns seized from the enemy were a sign of success on the battlefield. German drumsticks These German drumsticks were captured by the 51st Brigade at Fricourt on the first day of the Battle of the Somme. They were kept by the Brigade signals officer, Captain Eric Carus-Wilson. The photograph of enemy equipment captured by the Brigade shows them on top of a helmet. The sign appears to indicate that the trophies belonged to ‘151st Brigade’, but the first ‘1’ is probably a coincidental splash of paint. Madsen light machine gun This Madsen light machine gun was captured on the Somme by 16th Rifle Brigade. Captured machine guns were often painted with details of the unit that had seized them and sent home as tokens of their triumph in battle. German Gewehr 98 rifle Canadian Captain Ralph Webb described in a letter how he captured this German Gewehr 98 rifle. ‘I went over the top at Beaucourt Wood, lost my gun and a German officer nearby was about to give me a bullet. I managed to get him in a desperate hand-to-hand struggle, left him dead, and brought back his rifle as a souvenir’. German helmets and trench knives These German helmets and trench knives were taken as trophies by British soldiers on the Somme. Ordinary infantrymen could only keep what they could easily carry in their kit. They often sold their trophies to officers who could send packages home, or to soldiers working behind the front line who had access to storage.
51st Brigade’s haul of German machine guns, rifles and helmets Photo caption An Australian soldier shows off his trophy German helmet to a French stretcher bearer Photo caption Soldiers of 10th Sherwood Foresters with trophies captured on 1 July 1916 Photo caption Men of the 8th North Staffordshire Regiment with captured German machine guns on the Somme Photo caption A goat mascot gets to wear a captured German helmet 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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