Royal Navy & World War 1

If you cast your mind back to the beginning of 1914, Britain's Royal Navy was seen as the most powerful naval fleet in the world. By the summer of 1914, just before the outbreak of the First World War, Britain's naval force consisted of 18 dreadnoughts, 10 battle cruisers, 20 Town cruisers, 15 scout cruisers and 200 destroyers. There was also 29 battleships of the pre-dreadnought design and 150 cruisers that were deemed old. 

To give you an example of what this would have looked like, here is a break down of what you could expect from these ships:

Building of the Dreadnought took place from October 1905 and December 1906 at Portsmouth Dockyard on the south coast of Britain. This brand new design would see that the ships have the latest technology - engines that were driven solely by steam turbines. The ships design held the title of the most heavily armoured ship, housing ten 12" guns, twenty four 3" guns and five torpedo tubes that could be found under sea level. The waterline section of the hull was armoured by thick plates measuring 28cm thickness, whilst the placement of the gun turrets was also redesigned to be higher than its predecessors, to improve the accuracy in long distance firing. As if all of the wasn't enough, the main feature of the design of the Dreadnought was that it was to be faster than any other warship, reaching speeds of up to 21 knots which is a staggering speed at the time considering it was 526 feet long. To keep this ship running smoothly, it carried with it a crew of 800. It wouldn't be until 1915, that something better was built in the shape of the Super-Dreadnought, the first of its kind being named Queen Elizabeth. This new version had the added extra of carrying eight 15" guns that were able to fire a 1,920 pound projectile up to 35,000 yards. 

The Royal Navy kept some Battleships in their fleets but these were normally there for back up, as they had already been deemed obsolete by the modern Dreadnoughts. Despite this, they carried breech-loading artillery, mounted on revolving turrets, with an accuracy range of over 100,000 metres. 

The 1912 design of the Battlecruiser had the aim of achieving the speed of a cruiser but the striking power of a battleship. Unfortunately, whilst it carried 13.5" guns, its defence was weak, so it was redesigned. The first of this new design started being built in 1916 and was later named The Hood. It contained eight 15" guns placed in four turrets as well as twelve 5.5" guns and four anti aircraft 4" guns. As if this wasn't enough, The Hood also boasted two underwater and five surface 21" torpedo tubes and could travel at a speed of 31 knots. It took a staggering 1,341 crew members to keep the new battlecruiser going. Due to the length of time it takes to built, it wasn't completed until August 1918 and so missed most of the war.

The old style cruisers was designed around 1880 and had a top speed of 30 knots. There were two main types - Heavy Armoured Cruisers and Protector Cruisers. The Heavy Armoured Cruisers weighed in at 10,000 tons and boasted strong armoured sides to help them with the role of assisting lager battleships during sea battles. 42 of this type were built between 1885 - 1907 but it was replaced when the battlecruisers were built. The Protector Cruiser was also built from 1885 -1907, with 101 being made and had a varied weight range of between 2,000 and 14,000 tons. The Protector Cruiser had an armoured deck but lacked any side armour. During wartime it was made as light and as fast as possible so that it could carry out scouting and screening missions.

Between 1904 - 1913, 15 Scout Cruisers were built. They were to be used for scouting missions or as guards of destroyer flotillas but whilst being built for speed, they have very little and sometime no armour protection. Having said that, Scout Cruisers were the first British vessel to engage the enemy at the Battle of Jutland.

1914 saw the first of the Destroyers being built. These were small and fast warships that were to be used as defence for battle fleets. The early destroyers weighted between 500 - 800 tons and were armed with 4 - 12 torpedos and were deployed in flotillas consisting of between 4 - 20 ships, accompanying the Battleships and Battlecruisers. When needed, they could also be used for anti-submarine work and as mine layers. During the war about 450 Destroyers served with the Royal Navy and were steadily improved throughout this time as more needs had to be met. By the end of the war, the "new type" often weighed in about an estimated 1,000 tons.

The living and working conditions for those on Submarines have not improved much even today. Back then, they were a lot smaller, but could still be expected to be under the sea for a long time. This meant that what little space there was, was taken up for storing food and military supplies. With a small crew on board, each crew member had a specific role but would also find themselves undertaking over duties to ensure everything ran smoothly. Because the Submarines needed to work 24/7, the crew would work shifts to stay operational. 

So that is a main overview of the vessels that made up the Royal Navy. At the outbreak of the First World War, these vessels were stationed ready for action. The larger vessels were stationed at Scapa Flow in the Orkneys and Rosyth in Scotland whilst the smaller vessels like the cruisers, destroyers, submarines and light forces were clustered around the British coast. 

The Royal Navy also had a Mediterranean fleet that consisted of two Battlecruisers & eight Cruisers, who were based at Gibraltar, Malta & Alexandria. This fleet was used during operations to protect Suez and the landings at Gallipoli and were ready for action at all times. Naval forces in Canada, Australia & New Zealand were also on high alert and could be called on with a moments notice. 

The Grand Fleet was the main fleet during the war and was the main one that was the target for the German's during the Battle at Jutland. It usually included 35-40 large warships, with smaller destroyers & cruisers for defence and scouting duties, making the numbers up to around 160 vessels.

There was an estimated 200,000 sailors in the Royal Navy, with many different roles to be filled. Not only was there the Captain, there was also the gunner, armourer, signal man, stoker, steward, cook, bugler and various engineers. There was the Able Seamen who were skilled in routine deck duties as well as the Landsmen who had under two years experience. Added to this were the boy sailors who were sometimes as young as 14 and would carry out menial tasks such as cleaning quarters and washing dishes.

Anger was focused on the Royal Navy by the people of Britain in 1914 when they failed to protect the British coast when the German First High Seas fleet bombarded Scarborough, Hartlepool & Whitby without struggle, killing 18 innocent people. 

Apart from the Battle of Jutland, the Royal Navy spent most of their time trying to get supplies to their destinations, carrying troops to the front, carrying the wounded home, all the time, battling again the German U-Boat attacks. 

By the end of the war, the Royal Navy had lost two Dreadnoughts, three Battlecruisers, eleven Battleships, fifty four Submarines,twenty five Cruisers, and 64 destroyers. There were 34,642 fatalities, many of them people young boys.

The First World War - The Battle Of Jutland

100 years ago today, a huge battle at sea was about to begin. A battle which would unfortunately be overshadowed than the Battle Of The Somme that would take place one month later. The Battle Of Jutland would change the course of the war, with 36 hours of fighting. It would become known as the only major sea battle of the first world war.

German officials had a plan put in place, to attack Britain's Grand Fleet. The plan was to entice vessels away from the main fleet, trap them, and destroy them, a role that the German High Seas fleet would undertake. It was to take place near the coast of Denmark's Jutland peninsula. Whilst Germany was preparing for this, Britain meanwhile, through its excellent code breakers, had been forewarned of such an imminent attack. Both the Battlecruiser Force led by Admiral Sir David Beatty and the Grand Fleet led by Admiral Sir John Jellicoe had been ordered to set sail much earlier than planned. It was hoped that they would arrive much earlier than first anticipated and thus take the German High Seas Fleet by surprise. This did have the desired effect, however, after a hard and tiresome battle, the losses were high.

On the 1st June 1916, 36 hours after the fighting began, it ended. Of the 250 vessels and 100,000 men, some of them just boys, the losses were huge. Britain alone lost 6,784 sailors as well as Battlecruisers Indefatigable, Queen Mary, Invincible; Armoured cruisers Black Prince, Warrior, Defence; Flotilla Leader Tipperary & Destroyers Shark, Sparrowhawk, Turbulent, Ardent, Fortune, Nomad & Nestor. The total loss of British vessels amounted to a staggering 113,300 tons.

But it wasn't just that British that suffered, 3,039 German sailors were killed during the battle. Not only that, they also lost Battlecruiser Lutzow, Pre-Dreadnought Pommern, Light cruisers Frauenlob, Elbing, Rostock, Wiesbaden and Destroyers V48, S35, V27, V4 & V29.

Considering the amount of men, vessels and weapons that were lost, no decisive victory was made. Both countries celebrated what they thought of as victories in terms of the type of vessels that were sunk. However it was Britain that was really able to celebrate - which their naval dominance confirmed, the shipping lanes  in the area were kept relatively free from trouble and would aid the blockade to be put in place that would help defeat Germany in 1918 and bring the war to an end.

Merchant Navy & The First World War

Britain, being a small island relied heavily on the imports and exports of food and raw materials. This was transported by something that we call the Merchant Navy today, although it wasn't named that until after the war. 

German officials knew how important the shipping lines were to Britain and set about trying to control and blockade them in order to disrupt Allied trade and thus in turn weaken Britain. For many years Britain's naval fleets had been known all over the world as the best and so rather than just trying to sink naval vessels, German submarines were told to target any enemy vessel, including the Merchant Navy. German headquarters had ordered an unrestricted submarine warfare that would have devastating consequences. 

In 1916, Britain formed a new strategy for their ships, which was desperately needed when ships were being sunk quicker than they could be made. The idea was for ships to sail in convoys, with the hope of being strength in numbers. This meant that warships would help escort merchant and passenger vessels for protection. The new ideas didn't stop there though - courses were made in a zigzag to confuse German submarines of the route and destination the British vessels were taking. The Royal Naval Air Service provided extra surveillance and protection as they flew over the convoys, spotting submerged submarines and as air cover should enemy planes arrive.

Despite these new tactics, the Merchant Navy alone suffered greatly. With German submarines sinking ships on sight, the British Merchant Navy lost an estimated 15,000 sailors who were travelling on over 3,000 merchant and fishing vessels during the course of the war. After the war, King George V recognised just how much of an important part the Merchant Navy and its crew played in helping to win the war and as a result, those ships that helped get supplies to the island, the sailors who helped make it happen and the service they provided became named the Merchant Navy. 

Hygiene & The First World War

Just before the outbreak of war, if you looked at people's general hygiene there was a massive divide. Like with most things, the divide was between those who had money and those who did not. For the people that lived in large houses, they could afford to have a bath when they wanted to and were expected to wash everyday, for standards were high. However, for those living in the overcrowded dirty slums, hygiene wasn't taken as seriously. We all know now that diseases spread like wildfire through the slums, passed on from person to person. Their running water would mainly consist of a pump in the yard, more often than not shared by many families. A lot of these families were weak with malnutrition and so had just about enough energy to pump the water for eating and drinking, but cleaning themselves and their surroundings weren't very high on their list, especially as a lot of them were living alongside bugs as well. 

Whilst a lot of things improved for those who volunteered to fight when the first world war broke out, with many of them getting more food than ever before, their health deteriorated hugely whilst living in the trenches. Like those that had been living in the slums, the men were packed so tightly into the trenches that diseases soon spread. 

Whilst in a lot of cases Cresol solution and chloride of lime was used as a disinfectant, it could only do some much. With the constant fighting, hygiene was pushed further down the list, there was a war to win after all. 

The trenches were designed into sections with the toilets being made away from the dugouts and living quarters. However what with the lack of space and the constant fighting, toilets soon became buckets or holes in the ground, with soldiers living and eating next to them. With bad weather, trenches often flooded, toilets included, which as we now know today can cause serious healthy problems. However at the time soldiers were told to just carry on. 

The design of the trenches was partly the the reason for the downfall of soldiers health and caused the spread of diseases. With space tight, there wasn't really any proper storage for food, which should have been hugely important when you remember that this was a time before a lot of packaging was used. As mentioned in previous posts, rats the size of a cat, could be seen living alongside the soldiers in the trenches. These rats were drawn to the areas where the food was in large supply and so stayed there. Of course with rats and other vermin are carriers of diseases, some of them deadly, but the soldiers had nowhere else they could go. 

As the fighting grew more intense and more men were being killed or injured, it was reported that due to the lack of men to carry out each role, when a man died, they were sometimes just left there or were buried where they had died rather in graves. Again, as the bodies decomposed, rats were attracted as well as reports that the bodies would sometimes rise to the surface. 

The rats, who climbed over soldiers as they slept, brought with them Weil's disease. If untreated, this could cause organ failure and internal bleeding. It is spread when humans come into contact with soil or water that has been contaminated with animal urine, and then touch their mouth, eyes, nose, open cuts or by drinking the contaminated water. 

Another problem with poor hygiene in the trenches was the spread of dysentery, which is an infection of the intestines. It not only causes diarrhoea containing blood, it also caused severe stomach cramps and vomiting. Dysentery is typically spread through people not washing their hands after using the toilet, which was something at the time wasn't deemed as important. For example, if the cook uses the bathroom and doesn't wash his hands before he prepares any meals, the bacteria will go into the food and be eaten by the soldiers and so it spreads. Anybody who comes into contact with utensils & bowls that the cook has used will also likely touch the bacteria. 

With no where to really wash your uniforms and certainly no chance to put a clean uniform on each day, soldiers uniforms were infested with lice. The lice carried with them what became known as Trench influenza and made a great many soldiers poorly and unable to fight for a while.

Of course the most famous illnesses brought about by poor hygiene during the war was Trench Foot. This came about by the cold and wet conditions, with soldiers standing in muddy puddles for hours on end without the chance to change their boots. This was particularly different during the winter months, when soldiers could be in wet and cold uniform and boots for several months waiting for them to dry out.  Symptoms start with the foot becoming numb and swelling before all the time causing damage to the blood vessels, nerves and skin. Once this starts to get bad, a horrible smell is emitted from the foot. Without prompt treatment gangrene will set in and a lot of soldiers found themselves having to have a foot or leg amputated to stop the infection. 

Of course during wartime, protocol goes out of the window, however with just a few basic routines, soldiers hygiene could have improved and a great many men could have been saved from such diseases. If food and water had been properly stored, in a way that bugs and rodents couldn't get in, the food wouldn't have been contaminated, the same as if the toilets had been further away from the living quarters. If soldiers had been made to wash their hands after using the toilet, they could have killed the bacteria and stopped it spreading through the trenches. If soldiers had had clean, dry socks and boots to put on after washing their feet, they would have been less likely to have got Trench Foot. 

Animals & The First World War

Animal's have been used during war for hundreds of years. Even at the outbreak of the First World War, the majority of the army was cavalry based. On the Western front horses were being used and in desert areas camels were being used, all for one reason, to help the fight during wartime. The First World War saw a great many changes in tactics and one that would change the course of the war was a new weapon - the machine gun. The machine guns were just to big, bulky and heavy to assist on cavalry charges, so the majority of the cavalry was disbanded and soldier's regrouped with new tactics and weapons. 

Having said this, the use of animals didn't lesson. Large, strong animals, such as horses, found themselves being used to carry supplies such as food, water, ammunition and medical supplies to the soldiers on the front line. Those horses at the front line, found themselves carrying the injured and were also used to transport goods alongside the soldiers fighting as they advanced or retreated. In fact horses where seen as a huge necessity during wartime and even had gas masks made for them. Of course, if any of you have seen the film War Horse, you will know how the army came about so many horses and how much of a daily struggle life was for the horses used in wartime. 

Dogs were also used during the first world war as messengers, scouts and guards. They also helped to find the wounded soldiers and provided companionship in times of distress. Many soldier's found themselves looking on the dogs as their trench mascot and took great care of the dogs when they weren't working. Cats could also be found in the trenches and also became mascots. This was because of the job they were there to do - catch the rats. Unfortunately, rats were extremely common in the trenches and they were an animal the soldiers would rather not sea. Not only did they eat the suppliers, but they carried germs and diseases as well. They were also reported to be the size of rabbits and sometimes bigger which would be enough to give anyone nightmares. 

It wasn't just bigger animals that were used during wartime. Pigeons are one of the most famous animals to be used and their role was to carry messages. Sometimes they would even send messages to the enemy in the hope of confusing them. Another type of bird used was canaries which were used to detect poisonous gas. By today's standards we would deem it too cruel, but during the first world war it was a necessity. If gas was in the air, the canaries would die before the soldiers, hopefully giving them enough time to put their gas masks on. Of course, we now know that in many cases the gas had reached the lungs before anyone had a change to put the mask on, yet on the front line, that was the only way of knowing gas was in the air. 

It goes without saying that many animals were injured or killed during the war, with shooting and shelling a constant danger. Extreme weather conditions and mud and barbed wire were also dangerous, especially to an animal who probably wouldn't have understood what was going on. An animal could slip off the duck boards and fall in the mud with no hope of being rescues, just the same as a soldier could. With the noise of war and the explosions, I would imagine that the animals would be absolutely terrified, after all, they never asked to be a part of the war. 

This photograph belongs to animalsinwar.org.uk
and is used solely to show how moving the memorial, of which I am yet to visit, really is.

A staggering 484143 animals are estimated to have died whilst on duty during the war. When victory was finally declared in 1918, a lot of the animals that had somehow survived the war were just too ill or tired to carry on and had to be put down. Those that lived were sold off to local people in France and Belgium because they were too expensive to feed and transport home. I am sorry to say that those who could not be sold were shot on the spot, where the meat was often sold to local butchers for a price. Needless to say, animals were never to be used in such a huge way during wartime again. But it wasn't until 2004, 86 years after the end of the first world war, that the Animals In War memorial was unveiled and animals finally got the recognition they deserved. 
The epitaph says it all - "This monument is dedicated to all the animals that served and died alongside British and Allied forces in wars and campaigns throughout time. They had no choice."

Cricket - A Sport Of Peace

For many years now, cricket has been associated with Britain and even today, in local towns and villages, the cricket pitches are seen as sacred ground. At the outbreak of the First World War, when TV sets didn't exist, cricket was on everyone's calendar. Whether it was the men playing, the women who made the sandwiches, cakes and tea or the children watching and hoping to be able to play when they were older. Villages and towns would compete against each other to win cups and titles and back then would have been seen as our today's world cup but in cricket.

When the First World War broke, it was decided that the game would be abandoned for the duration. As we now know, this was to be a gruelling four years, but don't forget at the time, they thought it would be all over by Christmas. Many of the players, grounds men and officials volunteered to fight so they wouldn't have had the men there to play anyway. In the same way that the Pal's battalions were formed, you could find the whole of a cricket team and their grounds men fighting alongside each other. Even when it came to training, men were taught to throw a grenade in the same way that you would throw a cricket ball. It was just assumed that everyone played cricket.

As always with war, the number of those men who were seriously injured or even killed was high. When the game of cricket returned to play in 1919, good players became few and far between. Some had been killed, others had lost limbs or had be left blind, deaf or dumb. Some just couldn't face playing the game, being happy, when others had suffered so badly.

As a mark of respect, pavilions around the country created a memorial which included a roll of honour of those who had lost their life. Many of these memorials are still there today if you look closely. A staggering 274 first class cricketers and 4 test cricketers were killed as a result of the First World War. This number doesn't include those players who just played cricket for a bit of fun, neither does that include players of any other sport.

These men are just some of the many who seem to have been forgotten. When you watch a cricket match, most of the time they aren't mentioned. If you go to a cricket pitch, why not take a moment to remember those who fought for our freedom and say your thanks to them, to ensure that they are never, ever forgotten.

 

Refugee's Of The First World War

The term refugee has been one of the most talked about subject of recent months as Europe struggles with the huge influx trying to get into Europe over the last couple years. However this is not the first time that Europe has had this struggle, especially in Britain.

At the outbreak of the first world war, millions of civilians from all over what we now know as Europe found themselves either fleeing or being forced to leave their homeland by force as a consequence of the hostilities. When Russia invaded East Prussia in 1914, over one million Germans had to flee. This had a knock on effect as when Germany then occupied the like of Belgium, Northern France, Poland and Lithuania, people that called these countries there home also felt the need to flee, after hearing reports and witnessing for themselves the brutality of German soldiers.  When another country invades your homeland, the invaders expect you to automatically welcome them and fit into their beliefs and ideas. However throughout history, we have come to realise that this is never going to happy. At the start of the war, those countries Germany had invaded were very much divided but all fighting for survival. Neighbours and friends all to often became enemies. You had those who either wanted to be a part of the German ideals or were just too afraid to stand up and speak against them. You also had those that spoke against the German regime and the consequences could be fatal. Shortly after the Germans had entered Belgium without permission, stories filtering back to Britain told of German troops shooting innocent civilians including a tiny baby. This understandably caused widespread fear and panic enough for people to want to leave what had been their homes for generations. 
The refugee's travelled to France, The Netherlands and England in a bid to escape the enemy where charities were set up to give aid to them and find them places to live and work. Even back then, the refugee's were closely monitored to make sure they were behaving and that none were the enemy in disguise. Local people in Britain offered a room to the refugee's and helped find them employment. However as the war progressed, some refugee's demanded better care and treatment which caused bad feeling between them and the British. The British thought the refugee's were being ungrateful and that they had no intention of going back home after the war had ended. After all, this was only a temporary situation for the duration, it wasn't meant to last forever. 

By the time the war ended, most of the refugee's had decided to either go back home or emigrate to places like America. The was still some that did not want to return to Belgium, so both the Belgium and British governments pleaded with the refugee's to return home and even offered free passage home to them. By 1920 a staggering 90% had returned home. However, it was a very different home they had gone back to and one that would take a lot of time and money to get it back into a liveable country.