HOW DID THE WESTERN FRONT IMPACT UPON THE LIVES OF BRITISH SOLDIERS AT WAR 1914-1916

Authors Avatar

HISTORY COURSEWORK

HOW DID THE WESTERN FRONT IMPACT UPON THE LIVES OF BRITISH SOLDIERS AT WAR 1914 -1916 ?

The Great War was a war of uncertainties. At 1914 the war set to end by Christmas, but was still going by 1916 and the attitudes of war lifestyle differed. The perspectives of the already-recruited soldiers and the public in England, contrasted. Initially soldiers flocked to join the army they had a vision of them returning as heroes also the ‘Pals Battalion’ scheme further encouraged people to recruit, as they could be with friends and family in the Western Front which the public saw as a great idea . The soldiers were enthusiastic, brimming with ‘war fever’ and had a great feeling of patriotism, even so that some soldiers lied about their age to recruit in the British army. However, as the soldiers already in the trenches knew, the reality of trench warfare is grim. As they soon see the real trench warfare, with the huge social, mental and physical impacts on the soldiers in the Western Front.

Join now!

The British soldiers in the western front were hugely affected physically. The trenches were dug as a consequence of stalemate, where both armies could not advance, so this was where the soldiers spent most of their time. The conditions of these trenches affected the soldiers immensely. The trenches were unhygienic, with many troops living in close proximity, soldiers caught lice, and these lice were irritating and led soldiers to loose morale. They were pale, and left blotchy red bite marks all over the body, they caused frenzied scratching and left a sour smell. The method of getting rid of ...

This is a preview of the whole essay