John Bruce Cairie: The Cause Of Inhumane War

The introduction of new and more powerful weaponry provoked the start of a more violent as well as inhumane war. John Bruce Cairnie, a soldier, stated that, “Freegard had a narrow escape last night. Went out with an Argyle officer to take in a flag which the Germans had planted before our line. There was a bomb attached to the stick, and it exploded and killed the other officer. Machine guns were turned on them then.” The use of more powerful weaponry resulted the term, “over-kill” being introduced to warfare. Rather than just shoot someone once or deal out one lethal shot, soldiers went to the furthest extent to kill an enemy. The methods used were inhumane and showed how advanced weaponry had dulled soldiers sympathy towards other human beings. William Bernard Whitmore, another soldier, wrote in his diary, “very serious losses, A Company return with 4 men & 1 …show more content…
The tank was described by Bert Chaney, a soldier, as:
Huge mechanical monsters such as we had never seen before. My first impression was that they looked ready to topple on their noses, but their tails and the two little wheels at the back held them down and kept them level. Big metal things they were, with two sets of caterpillar wheels that went right round the body. There was a huge bulge on each side with a door in the bulging part, and machine guns on swivels poked out from either side. The tank is a perfect example of how the advancements of World War I were inhumane in nature and caused heartless actions. The design of the tank allowed for its drivers to trample the battlefield and easily destroy anything in sight. This influenced soldiers to act inhumanely since they were provided with weaponry that facilitated this behavior. These weapons developments resulted in the merciless and inhumane behavior of soldiers as a result of the barbarous killing machines they were provided