Weapons & The First World War - Bayonet

Welcome back to our Weapons & The First World War series. Today's topics is probably one of the ones that I always used to think of when I thought of the first world war but in actual fact, they weren't used all that much as a fully fledged weapon and that was the Bayonet. 

The Bayonet was designed so that it could be fitted onto the barrel of a gun in less than a minute. Although it had been used to great effect during previous conflicts, it was mainly used as a personal defensive weapon during the first world war. This was mainly because of the use of heavy artillery and machine guns. Despite this, every soldier in the British Army at infantry level was provided with one as part of their kit. 

Weapons & The First World War - Heavy Artillery

Welcome back to our Weapons & The First World War series where today we are thinking about heavy artillery. It is a term that is used often when describing wartime battles. It refers to the large calibre mounted firearms, which are typically in the form of a field gun. 

To be heavy artillery, they had to be movable as well as fire at long range. They were seen as a huge threat to not only infantrymen but tanks and other armoured vehicles as well. When you have the basic design of the field gun, you can then design the ammunition that can be placed inside. Heavy artillery was such a threat because you couldn't necessary see it before it fired at you. 

Weapons & The First World War - Armoured Cars

Welcome back to our Weapons & The First World War with today's topic being all about the armoured car. Now I know it may not sound like a piece of weaponry to some people however it was designed to not only protect its passengers but also to carry a gun when needed to. 

The armoured car mainly consisted of armour plating all around but it had an open top and so made it very easy for the enemy to shoot at the passengers. Although they were used on the Western Front, they found it difficult to manoeuvre on the un-level ground, which would then start the idea off of the tank. When tanks were introduced, the armoured car was used more by officers and for general travel. 

The Last Fighting Tommy

For many years, I have been interested in Harry Patch. Being born and bred in Somerset, I often saw him on the front of the local papers and on local TV, as well as many interview clips talking about various things. What I saw, was a hero, a man who had fought through the first world war and had lived to tell the tale so to speak. What I didn't realise though, was the real Harry Patch, the man behind the story. It was only by coincidence that Harry became the last fighting Tommy, if it hadn't have been him, it would have been someone else. 

I bought Harry's autobiography The Last Fighting Tommy written by Richard Van Emden back in the summer but it took me a little while to read it. I'm not entirely sure, but I think it had something to do with me thinking it would be all about military life and what happened. It might be a surprise to you, considering I write this blog, but I don't actually like reading about the military events or in depth about weaponry and battles. I much prefer reading about how it affected people's lives and how they coped. 

It was a complete surprise when I finally started to read the book because it only touched on the first world war for a little bit, it certainly wasn't the whole book. Once I started reading it, I find I just simply couldn't put it down. One thing that I really didn't expect was how great a sense of humour Harry had. I suppose I had only really seen him talk about a period in his life which he really didn't want to relive and it was certainly a sombre subject. Instead, whilst reading this book, I found myself laughing aloud, probably getting a few funny looks along the way, as Harry's personality really shone throughout the book. 

Being from Somerset, I loved reading about all the little villages in the area and how much both world wars changed Britain in various different ways. I really felt like I was part of the story and could see the transition of how it could change in one lifetime. What I didn't bank on was how some things had stayed the same all of this time. For instance, the train station he is to report to at the beginning of his military service was the same station I used to wait at to board the train to the seaside during my childhood. As he describes it, I could see it in my mind how much of it was still the same underneath all of the technology. His tales of village life had me in stitches and really hit home because it is only down the road from me and is certainly somewhere that I would like to visit and see for myself. 

The book captured my attention so much that when it touched on how he coped with the loss of his friends both immediately and in the years that followed, I found myself crying alongside Harry. After reading about the jolly times they had had and the stories of his friends, I felt I had lost them too! 

Above all, they main thing I took away from the book was that Harry was just an ordinary man. He started as a apprentice, before going off to war, if somewhat reluctantly. He saw and did things that nobody should be expected to and had to cope with the sudden devastation of war. After the war, like many he didn't really want to talk about his experiences - he simply wanted to get back to civilian life and continue on his way. As it turned out, after the rest of his comrades had passed before him and so him became the last surviving soldier of the first world war and so the world focused on him again. 

I remember in 2014 visiting our local museum as they put on their new exhibit to mark the first world war centenary, with various artefacts as well as people's stories and experiences. There was one particular part which showed a lovely painted portrait of Harry Patch, the man, not the soldier. It had a speaker next to it in which it played a recorded message from Harry, talking about his experiences in the trenches. I remember thinking then that he sounded so upset and tired from talking about those experiences and I realised that, if you are asked the same questions over and over for the best part of 90 years, you wouldn't want to talk about it either. 

I realised through reading this book, that many people just wanted to hear about the glory of war and what it was like. They didn't necessary want to get to know Harry as a person and hear about his life, because lets face it, the first world war was just a tiny part in a long life. I now feel like I can truly appreciate that and I feel like I really know the person beyond the uniform. I highly recommend taking the time to read The Last Fighting Tommy by Richard Van Emden  for yourself, I promise you, you won't be disappointed and you will come out the other side a better person, with a completely different perspective on life. 

Weapons & The First World War - Machine Guns

Welcome back to our Weapons & The First World War series where today we are thinking all about machine guns. Now the idea behind the machine gun was to allow a steady stream of constant fire so that you could continually use it against the enemy without having to stop to reload it after each shot was fired. 

The main difference with a machine gun was the self powered coil that was built into the design so that you could concentrate on the firing and keeping clean of the gun rather than the mechanical side of constantly firing a weapon. Again there is different variations of the machine gun which we will look into as the series unfolds. 

Shot For Desertion

The official meaning of desertion in military terms is extremely cold hearted - Abandonment of a duty or post without permission, with the intention of not returning. 

In actual reality, many of those men were more likely suffering from severe shell shock and simply could not face being on the front line with the sounds of guns and shells exploded all around. They were men with unseen injuries that would, in today's terms, have meant that they would have been medically discharged and sent for treatment. 

In total, its recorded that 306 British and Commonwealth soldiers were short for cowardice or desertion. They were usually blindfolded and tied up in front of a firing squad of 12 men.

Post-war, the names of those men were not placed on the war graves alongside those that had fought and died serving their country. Even today, many of the names of those men are still missing and families continue to tirelessly fight to change that. It wasn't until 2006, that the men were giving a blanket pardon, yet it really shouldn't have taken so long.

Today, you can visit the Shot At Dawn memorial situated in Staffordshire, England. It was designed by Andy DeComyn and unveiled in 2000 and depicts a young British soldier blindfolded and tied to a stake like those 306 men were, ready to be shot by a firing squad. It is one of the only memorials of its kind and really makes you think about whether those men really deserved it. 

Weapons & The First World War - Bolt Action Rifles

Welcome to our brand new series all about the weapons used during the first world war. Over the next few months, we will be exploring what weaponry was used to fight during the war and at the end of this series, hopefully you will have a better understanding of whether they were a good idea or not. 

For today's post, we are thinking all about bolt action rifles. These were the basic design from which there were many variations depending on the country of original. Bolt action rifles were at their most used point in their life during the first world war, with all sides using a variant of one. British soldiers were each issued with a bolt action rifle as part of their kit but we will get onto what it was like as this series unfolds. 

Conscientious Objectors During The First World War

We have by now probably all heard about the volunteer drive led by Lord Kitchener at the outbreak of the first world war. Where men up and down the country flocked in their thousands to enlist to fight. But not everyone wanted to fight and this became even more apparent when conscription was introduced in early 1916. In fact, there was over 16,000 men that refused to fight, usually for either morale or religious grounds. As a consequence, they were sent to a tribunal which more often than not were often harsh and the defendant could expect to be ridiculed. The details of these tribunals would be made public and men would often find that whole villages or towns would turn against them. They had a stigma attached to them and nobody wanted to be associated with them. There are a countless number of stories where these men have been refused service at a shop or pub and people would actually cross the road to avoid these men. Added to this, those men, known more commonly as Conchies, were often beaten up by groups of men. I can only imagine what a scary and lonely time this would have been for them. 

Despite all this, these men weren't just going to be allowed to sit at home for the duration of the war and in fact many of them didn't want to anyway. The often carried out medical roles such as stretcher barer's which I think is one of the most bravest things to do - go out on no mans land, without a weapon to collect wounded soldiers. Others carried out work of national importance often on roads or on the land. 

For over 6,000 of those men sent to tribunals, life wasn't like that. This was because they were refused exemption and were told instead that they still had to fight. If they still refused, they were either sentenced to prison or even the death penalty. 

A controversial organisation in connection with conscientious objectors was that of The Order Of The White Feather, which was set up by Admiral Charles Fitzgerald, almost immediately after war broke out.  The organisation asked women to hand a white feather to any young man who was not in uniform. It caused upset and humiliation to those men as the white feather was seen as a symbol of cowardice. Stories told of receiving a white feather show that they often had the desired effect, with those men joining up very soon after receiving one. 

As the war continued, these white feathers started to do more harm than good. For instance those soldiers home on leave and out of uniform often found themselves recipient of one as well as those who had been honorarily discharged. The Order Of The White Feather was starting to work the other way and was causing huge outrage. So much so that by the end of the war, the organisation was hugely frowned upon. 

The damage had been done and for many of those who had received a white feather, they would probably never forget the humiliation. For the conscientious objectors that returned to civilian life after the war, their lives would never be the same and many of them still found themselves carrying the stigma and being outcast from the rest of the community. Sadly, for those who were shot for their believes, it would be 90 years and many battles for their families to face, before they would be pardoned. 

Lawrence Of Arabia & The First World War

Thomas Edward Lawrence was born on the 16th August 1888, in Wales. Interested in archaeology at a very early age, he spent the early years of his life exploring various historical places. When the first world war broke out, the British Army intelligence section recruited him where he carried out the role of Junior Officer in Egypt.

In October 1916, T E Lawrence was sent to meet with two crucial Arab leaders at Jiddah, a Saudi Arabian port situated on the Red Sea area. Here negotiations were held between Lawrence, Faisal ibn Ali and Nuri es-Said with the outcome being an agreement to help lead an Arab revolt against the Turkish Army. Just one month later, T E Lawrence became part of Feisal's forces in the role of a trusted Liaison Officer. It was at this point that he started to become known as Lawrence of Arabia. 

July the following year, Lawrence and his men carried out raids on the Damascus-Medina railway as well as successfully capturing the port of Aqaba. November 1917 saw Lawrence part of a raiding party in Southern Syria against the Turkish in the hope of disrupting communications. However, he was captured by Turkish forces, tortured and raped, yet surprisingly, the very next day, old clothes were left for him and he was able to escape. 

For some people, those experiences would be too much to continue, however, Lawrence then joined forces with Edmund Allenby and it was them that entered Damascus with their forces on the 1st October 1918. 

Post-war, Lawrence attended the Paris Peace Conference alongside Prince Feisal and chose to wear traditional native dress, consisting of a long white robe and headdress. As the Paris Peace Conference came to a close, Lawrence felt that, after everything the Arabs had done to help win the war, they had been betrayed. The main course of this being the French becoming in charge of Syria, when the Arabs could have had this area themselves. 

Lawrence achieved so much during the first world war but his story doesn't end there. In fact it continues for a quite a while, often causing controversy, until his tragic death.  

Railways & The First World War

Railways had been used for a long time before the first world war broke out and actually played a huge part in history in the days before the war broke out. It was the railways in neutral countries Luxembourg and Belgium that Germany wanted to use to get to France. They were told no but the Belgians knew that Germany would ignore this and so set about digging cavities, before filling them with explosives that could be set off with a moments notice. Added to this, derailed trains and emptied engine tanks were used to also block passages. At the beginning of August, German troops took over the railways in Luxembourg, with some travelling right into Belgium by train. Whilst sabotage efforts did manage to slow them down, it didn't stop them. In fact many of the explosives that had been placed inside tunnels failed to explode. 

German troops set up Metz, which is now part of France, a huge station that would aid them in the war. It had a staggering eleven platforms and could receive anything up to eighty trains a day. A lot of planning must have gone into this war station because every track had two platforms, one which was to be used my troops and one which would be used for the loading of weapons and other supplies. This meant that trains could be loaded and unloaded relatively straight forwardly and with as little chaos as possible. What Germany really wanted was to get to Paris, the heart of the French railway. Here you could find two railway ring road tracks with lots of lines leading off of them that travelled straight to German boarders, but it was not going to be easy. 

On the 4th August, Britain declared war on Germany and Lord Kitchener created a huge recruitment drive which successfully gained thousands of volunteers within days. Volunteers needed to get to training camps as soon as possible and usually travelled the distance by train. As well as this, 80,000 already trained soldiers needed to get to Southampton as soon as possible so that they could get across to France to begin the fighting. Train lines were already in place that went straight to the port key and it was estimated that they would get about seventy trains a day arriving, however they actually managed to get over ninety a day there and so exceeded expectations. The use of the railways and their hard working employees meant that over 66,000 soldiers managed to get across France just in time for the battle at Mons in Belgium. In fact Germany couldn't believe how quickly the British had managed to mobilise an army and get it across the channel. 

At the same time, the French 6th Army had been transported, along with their supplies, by train to Marne, where they joined up with British soldiers and fought off the German advance. By this point, it was obvious that the Schlieffen Plan had failed and it was going to be much harder than the Germans had anticipated. 

Lord Kitchener's recruitment drive not only hit unskilled workers but it also hit the railway workers with over 100,000 enlisting shortly after war was declared. Many of them were assigned to the Railway Operating Division of the Royal Engineers due to them being highly skills. Their main role was to assemble and maintain the pre-made railways so that they could then get troops and supplies to the front. These pre-made tracks could be assembled along roads wherever needed, at a moments notice. The railway workers possessed skills that could be used at the front and so women were seen more than ever working on the railways. They had previously held domestic roles such as waitressing and cleaning however they were now undertaking harder tasks with some even becoming engineers. Although I would imagine the men too old or young to fight weren't happy about women taking these roles, they had no choice because at the outbreak of the war, the railways had become under government control for the duration of the war. They wanted to transport huge numbers of troops and supplies daily to help the war effort and they didn't care who was doing it so long as it run quickly and efficiently. 

The railways also became hugely important when the wounded soldiers began to trickle through and was soon a steady stream as the war progressed. Trains were converted as hospital trains with beds or stretchers laid out instead of seats. It meant that as many of the wounded could be transported within one journey as possible, to get these men much needed treatment. The trains at Southampton were then responsible for transporting those soldiers so badly wounded, to hospitals and convalescent homes around the country. Without these trains, many of those men would have died of their wounds or of infection before they could be treated. 

The hard work and efficiency of the railways and the workers helped us win the war for sure. Without them, our soldiers would have arrived at the front a little to late and would have had an uphill struggle to even create the trenches in which they were to live. Although there was still the matter of the shell crisis, it would have been a whole lot worse if we hadn't have been able to transport munitions to the front as quickly as we did. Of course it goes without saying that an army marches on its stomach and our soldiers would have certainly have died from starvation had much needed food not got to the front. One thing that is certain is that the railway helped Britain and her allies win the war.