Every layer that soldiers were expected to wear can be found in the National Army
Museum. In summer they would get very hot but in winter they would feel as if they still
needed a few extra layers. Those who were conscripted in 1939, were issued with eighty
items of clothing and were provided with six weeks of basic training according to the
National Army Museum.
Figures from the National Army Museum show that out of the millions of people
who were in the army, only 14% of them used guns and 90% of the men who used guns
were killed. It was the army’s job to lay barbed-wire along the beaches and cliffs. They dug
tank traps, built concrete pill boxes and plane obstacles across likely paratroop dropping
zones. Road blocks were built by them to force enemy transport to stop. Those in the army
were also expected to help in the construction of dummy airfields. These were made to
divert the attention of enemy bombers and the mission was a success. Figures from the
Battle of Britain Hall in the RAF Museum show that dummy fields were bombed twice as
much as the real, operative ones.
Most of the soldiers who were at Dover will always remember the departure and
return of the boats which went to Dunkirk. Overnight the atmosphere with the soldiers
changed to one of apprehension.
“The boys returning from Dunkirk were in a bad way. Terrible injuries and in rags.
They were helped along our pier.......what a blessing the sea was so calm.” Mr Chapman
was in the Royal Army Coast Defence and observed many tragic incidents. His quote was
taken from Shellfire Memories.
Many saw a number of ships and other craft bombed and sunk almost at their side.
It was terrible for soldiers to see them go down and with their own men on them. When the
German Luftwaffe campaign came into action, it infuriated many soldiers, making them feel
hate towards the Germans. This information was noted from the video called The era of The
Second World War. However, some experiences disagree with others as some soldiers did
enjoy themselves in a satisfying and exciting way.
“I know it was wartime, but we had our laughs.” These were the words of Mr
Downey and were taken from the book - Shellfire Memories.
Many soldiers would go to the local cinema occasionally and this would be the
highlight of their week. It was something for them to look forward to. The cinema was also
used as a way of propaganda towards the soldiers. It was the perfect opportunity for the
government to notify the soldiers of the consequences of their hard work. Films that were
shown would have pictures of beautiful British scenery. This made many army soldiers
patriotic about their country.
The British Army served alongside soldiers of the commonwealth. One of the
members of the commonwealth was Burma. British soldiers fighting in Burma would have
had quite different experiences from those fighting in Britain. Although they would have been
supplied with similar types of guns and protection, they were fighting a completely different
war. The allies re-conquered Burma from Japan in 1945. The soldiers fighting out in the Far
East felt that the British citizens were not paying attention to them and had forgotten them.
They called themselves ‘The Forgotten Army’. I know this because James Palmer, fighting
in Burma with the Royal Tank Division during the Second World War felt forgotten about.
His account is on the Mentor Series: World War Two. However, this changed when Lord
Mountbatten made sure that the British people knew what was going on in Burma.
The Japanese were better at jungle fighting according to the National Army
Museum. And as it was easy to get lost in the jungle, many British soldiers were scared of
jungle warfare until they were trained properly. Soldiers on the way to Burma who were
trained in the skills required for guerrilla operations were instructed in the use of explosives
for demolition and sabotage, particularly lines of communication. They spent time in
practising shooting with a pistol and were taught how to kill silently with a knife or bare
hands. Security was always stressed by instructors, for example a safe house would have a
back door. The soldiers learnt many interesting and useful skills including how to read upside
down. I found out about army training for Burma from the National Army Museum and the
Mentor Series under the category of 'Training for Jungle Ops' by Derek Headly who was
trained before going to Burma.
"The Japs wouldn't leave us alone. They followed us like a swarm of bees, stinging
and taunting us." These were the words of James Palmer and were taken from the Mentor
Series: World War Two on the school computers.
Soldiers fighting in Burma were entertained in the form of a concert and this was
probably their highlight of the day. They only had concerts in Burma and these were put on
by women. One of these women was Dame Vera Lynn. I found her account about
performing for the soldiers in Burma in the Mentor Series.
The jungle was a noisy place and the insects made chirping noises throughout the
day. Many soldiers used the squawking of birds as a sign for enemy soldiers being nearby
and prepared themselves for an attack. They would be covered in jungle sores and thorn
scratches, bleeding. Diarrhoea was common and jungle fever hit everyone. Soldiers were
physically drained because of sweating and nausea. The jungle also had a damp heat about
it. In Burma between 1941 and 1945, diseases also spread quickly and making it very
dangerous. Burma monsoons rotted equipment and washed away roads. Lines of
communication were set up by the soldiers. These helped to bring supplies and aided in the
transport of casualties. Fighting in the jungle involved surviving in unpleasant conditions. The
jungle has a tropical climate which meant it was very humid with heavy rains. It made it
frightening knowing the enemy could be camouflaged and hiding amongst the trees. There
were millions of insects and the conditions were not made better with mud, malaria,
exhaustion, rotting feet, quick sand and leeches. Most of this information about conditions in
Burma was in the National Army Museum although there was some more to be found on the
Mentor Series on the school computers.
Many soldiers were also affected by the one thousand yard stare. This was when it
would seem as if they were looking into space. They would not focus on anything because
of all the terrifying sights they had seen. It was quite similar to shell-shock as it took time for
doctors to discover what the problem with those soldiers was. There was a picture in the
National Army Museum showing a soldier "looking far out into the distance". It cannot be
proved that he was suffering from the one thousand yard stare although that could be one of
the more likely explanations for the distant look.
Quite a few soldiers fighting in Burma were held as prisoners of war. Some were
treated very badly and were not given enough to eat. There was a picture of an eighteen
year old soldier who had not been fed properly for several weeks. This picture was in the
National Army Museum and all of his bones were visible. Many postcards from prisoners of
war, sent to their families were also to be found. Any postcard that was sent always said
that they were well and that they shall be back soon. They did not see their families for
several years and if the prisoners tried to write in code or wrote bad things about the way
they were being treated, their postcards were censored. The prisoners were made to suffer
and the enemy often tortured many of the prisoners trying to get as much information as
possible about the allied plans.
I expected the experiences of soldiers in Burma and soldiers in Dover to be very
different because of the location of each but as I did more research I came to see how
wrong I was. As you have read, weather conditions in countries on opposite sides of the
world differed, but this was to be expected because of the different climates. However,
experiences were quite similar for soldiers that were thousands of miles apart. In both parts
of the world, conditions for fighting were terrible. The soldiers were made to live in slums
during the war and eat horrible food. They were made to walk several miles a day wearing
hundreds of pounds of clothing, and unfortunately all the equipment they had was necessary
for the war. There was a difference in the form of entertainment, soldiers in Dover went to
cinemas but in Burma the soldiers did not have access to cinemas so they went to concerts
instead. This, and the fact that Dover is a port so the soldiers there had the experience of
seeing a lot more ship related things compared to those in Burma, are the only major
differences. It was quite surprising how alike the experiences of those in Britain and those
out of Britain were. All of the soldiers fighting in the war went through some amazing yet
appalling experiences. Many of them have no choice but to keep their memories with them
although some of them will remember some good times.
Most of the information in this paragraph was taken from chapter 21 in Expanding World by Philip
Sauvain.
The information in this paragraph and the next paragraph was taken from Shellfire Memories which is
about World War Two reminiscences by those living in Dover.
This paragraph also contains quotes from Shellfire Memories however, there is also information from
the trip to the National Army Museum in this paragraph.
The information in this paragraph comes from both the National Army Museum and the Battle of
Britain Hall in the RAF museum.
The evidence in this paragraph was taken from Shellfire Memories.
The evidence in this paragraph was also taken from Shellfire Memories.
Shellfire Memories was used for this paragraph but a little bit of information from the video ' The Era of
the Second World War' that was watched in one lesson was also used.
Expanding World by Philip Sauvain was used for this paragraph. Discussion that took place in a
lesson was also used.
Some information in this paragraph was taken from the National Army Museum but some evidence
from the Mentor Series: World War Two was also used.
Information from the Mentor Series: World War Two was used in this paragraph to back up army
training experiences.
Information from the Mentor Series: World War Two was used in this paragraph to back up facts from
the National Army Museum.
The information in this paragraph was in the presentation that took place in the National Army
Museum.
The facts in this paragraph came from the visit to the National Army Museum.
Number of words used in coursework: 2, 040 ( excluding footnotes )