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70 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
Pals Battalions |
People from one place eg employer joined together to volunteer and peer pressure local pride high numbers enrolled |
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Downside pal battalions |
If one battalion hit hard meant disproportionate no. People from place lost and all mean gone |
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British propaganda board set up |
Under liberal mp Charles Masterman pushed ideas German atrocities in Belgium based in part in real mistreatment civillians |
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Lord Derby scheme |
Trying maintain voluntary recruitment avoid conscription 1915 men 'attest' would serve upon if called to do so |
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35,000 men needed every week maintain size army |
5.7 million joined army in total through volunteer and conscription |
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Conscription |
Unmarried men January and married men May 1916 Thousands exempt as in vital work or not fit enough Less initially through conscription than volunteering |
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Mass army consisted of |
Regulars, territorials, new armies and conscripts Unlike others Conscripts didn't choose regiment or section put where required |
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Lloyd George titles |
Minister for munitions (1915) Secretary State for War (June 1916) Prime Minister (December 1916) Tried make supplies more efficient |
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Key points of good morale |
Leadership, Equipment, Confidence in outcome, Food, Pay, Contact with home, Rest & entertainment |
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Food |
Diet repetitive but good many people fed better only in time like retreat march 1918 did supplies fail get enough |
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Pay |
Accommodation, food clothes free basic pay 7 shillings per week better than Fr & Ger most had extra for special skills Buy extra food alcohol often free alcohol & tobacco or 70 woodbine 1 day pay |
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Put money in context |
Outbreak agricultural labourer 58 hour week 16 shillings 9 pence End war 52 hours £1 10 shillings and 6p |
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Contact with home |
Letters &parcels- Royal Engineers postal section. To front by train with munitions 1917 19,000 mailbags/day About 2-4 days Rarely more than fortnight leave/year |
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By 1918 how often were all soldiers receiving leave? |
Six months |
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Amount time in trenches |
Minority only about 10 days/month in trenches only 2-4 in firing line rotated troops between firing line, rear trenches and rear billets with hot water and food |
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Activities |
Rear billets focused around sport. Training and drills continuous but concerts films etc. common Visited villages cafes and increasing number brothels Shared songs And jokes comaraderie |
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Brothels |
Lots men caught STI veneral disease and had letter sent home to wife/mum pay docked painful treatment condoms issued as standard |
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Court martial rates |
Higher in 1914-5 than 1917-8 regimental system officer-man relationship and lots BEF didn't arrive till 1916 |
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Etapes 1916 |
Only minor incident no large scale mutinies like in all the other armies eg French and Russian 1917 and German 1918 |
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Soldiers governed by military law |
Under army act this meant trial if serious by court martial |
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Quite minor offences |
Drunkenness company commander confined barracks More serious battalion commander pay stoppage up to 28 days detention or field punishment (favoured kept in unit) |
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Serious offences |
By court martial harsher penalty up to death most were desertion. |
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District court martial |
Three officers president a major able to sentence to imprisonment with hard labour |
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General Court martial |
Nine officers president colonel impose death penalty and field " in active areas fighting colonel chair impose death |
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Field punishment 1 |
Offender tied to object for certain number hours a day up to 4/7 days lost pay and cigarettes debated by Haig and war office |
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Desertion |
38,000 1914-20 imprisonment or hard labour sometimes death |
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After war problem demobolisation |
Demobilisation scheme 1917 Derby war secretary key industry first small-scale mutiny and demo London when Churchill war secretary changed to age, length service, no. times wounded |
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Ground conscientious objectors and no. |
Religious (jw & Quakers) political (saw as imperialism) moral (humanitarian immoral like murder) 16,000 officially recorded and 16,500 applied exemption about 2425 refused apply |
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Conscientious objectors tribunal offered: |
Non military alternative (farming etc.) Non combatant (stretcher bearer cook) |
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Friends ambulance unit |
1200 CO wounded both sides |
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CO reactions |
Some accepted lesser evil. Some absolute line refusing tribunal lead court martial and prison sentence threat to morale recruitment etc. |
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Number executions |
306 3/4 for desertion nearly half repeat offenders |
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Problem medical services |
End Boer war only 21,000 beds not enough one day 1916-18 need massive medical effort |
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Doctors |
1000 1914 to 11,000 in 1918 half doctors in country increased no. Women practising and qualifying due to great need |
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Trench fever |
Caused by lice flu like change clothes and hot showers in base areas helped but never cured |
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Trench foot |
Standing damp cold conditions later stage amputation issued whale oil apply feet b4 duty extra pair clean dry socks foot inspections 1917-18 incidence measure unit efficiency |
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How medical and surgical changed 1914-18 |
No. X rays 1- 6. Blood transfusion really developed all clearing some dressing stations. complicated from tetanus infection in wounded 32% - 0% gas gangrene 12% then debridement irrigation mild antiseptic took to 1% |
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More changes medicine |
Saline drops common reduce shock Thomas splint for fractures standard 1917- death rate fracture 60%-30% |
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Brain and face |
Harvey Cushing surgeon real advance head wounds major advance brain surgery. Facial injury common Harold Gillies developed skin graft foundation plastic sugery |
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Shell Shock (known from 1917) |
Unwilling/able do duty try discipline no way distinguish malingering &trauma no known answer war office neurologist enquiry Jan 1915 if follow explosion wounded if not then is shell shock not entitled wound stripe or pension |
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Result shell shock |
Authorities realised early mental illness not punishable increase follow somme set up psychiatric centres mental wards in base hospitals 80,000 cases mild just rest & sympathy more sophisticated treatment uk IP Dr Rivers Craiglockhart military hospital |
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Three phases public support |
Enthusiasm at start- feeling be over by Christmas Resolution to see an unpleasant job to end Questioning purpose sacrifice caused by war facing unemployment & economic difficulties in 1920s. Trade unions expressed support offered no strike agreements |
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Two organisations campaigning women suffrage |
Law abiding Suffragist Smaller law breaking suffragettes Stopped for war suffragettes persuade men volunteer stopped the Suffragette, launched Britannia |
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Politicians supported war |
Liberal Party, conservative, labour, Irish nationalist party, all supported |
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Press overwhelming supported the war |
Lord Northcliffe's owner both times and daily mail particularly enthusiastic |
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Opposition |
James Ramsay leader labour party pacifist resigned when they decided support war Irish republican brotherhood |
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Reasons for opposition |
Restrictions public &private life, moral opposition, capitalist war, dilution, CO, opposition conscription, war weariness |
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More reasons for opposition |
War defeats & casualties- stalemate trench warfare, casualty number. Economic pressures-rationing, rising food prices, rise in income tax |
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Impact opposition political and industrial |
Differing leadership Asquith rise labour party strains within liberals. Influence Bolshevik rev. , powerful trade unions, discontent living working conditions |
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Lord Lansdowne war weariness |
Leading tory, Proposed 1916 negotiated peace to war cabinet little support though some disillusionment 17-8 gov. set up committee enquiry industrial unrest, food prices |
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German U boat |
1916-8 imports 6% decline protein margarine consumption x4 |
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Who suffered |
Upper and middle class with high taxes without usual luxuries work class gained more work & higher wage |
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German atrocities |
Shelling Scarborough use chlorine gas April 1915 Ypres sinking Lusitania |
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Press |
Newspapers self censored with gov. issued D notices how info used was confidential info disclosed to 50 editor. Provincial press less controlled |
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Army and press |
Didn't want press Kitchener didn't want reporters appointed member army write reports for secretary state check and pass to press ones who were there arrested sent to England |
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Correspondents |
4 accredited allowed accompany BEF 1915 checked and changed by authority allied success German atrocities emphasised sense horror conveyed and no lies |
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DORA (censorship) |
August 1914 power censorship most part not used with press, censor letter home but easy communication home and soldier. |
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Support for Belgium |
People felt moral issue with attacks on Belgium strong public reaction august 1914 |
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By 1917 how much gross national product spent on war? |
70% |
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Total war implications |
Everyone in fight so justified gov. intervention lots social and economic life |
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Some things banned under Dora |
Light bonfire, fireworks, feed animals bread, ring church bells, buy binoculars, discuss military matters in public |
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Power to gov other than censorship under DORA |
Nationalise industry such as coal and steel, take over land Was rewritten 6 times |
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Tax |
Duty on beer increased by 700% more people paid income tax and higher rate 6 million more people pay income tax |
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Munitions of War Act and ministry shipping |
1915 Lloyd George privately owned industries under gov control determine wage etc. not allowed leave without employer permission, 65,000 officials Dec 1916 |
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Food consumed bought and sold by state |
85% Ministry of food |
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Transport women |
Employees rose from 18,200 117,200 |
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Women munitions |
July 1914 90,000 by end 947,000 |
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Women's land army |
1915 high profile 16,000 middle and upper class women |
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Nurses |
In queen Alexandra imperial military nursing service reserve 700- 23,000 1918 |
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Other women organisations |
FANYs, WAAC (army auxiallry corps 1917 set up) VAD (1909) WRAF |