World War One

[Oberon]

A seperate thread aside from the 100 years thread which chronicles the day by day events. This thread is for general discussion about the war as well as remembering family members who fought in the war, both those who lived and those who died.

[Betonov]

I'm planing a trip to Bovec on Saturday. It has a WW1 museum focusing on Slovenes on the Soča front (Isonzo front but I'll be offended if you use that very very incorrect Italian name for a Slovene river).

[Dread Knot]

To start things off I found an interesting article on the BBC a few months back that tried to debunk some of the most common myths about the Great War. I'm sure some of them can be cannon fodder for...debate.

http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-25776836

1. It was the bloodiest war in history to that point. The 1850-1864 Taiping Rebellion in China killed more.

2. Most soldiers died. For British soldiers it was 11.5%, less than during the Crimean War.

3. Men lived in the trenches for years on end. More like 10 days a month and three in a row at the front line tops.

4. The upper class got off lightly. The death rate was 12% of soldiers, 17% of officers. Eton lost more than 1,000 former pupils - 20% of those who served.

5. 'Lions led by donkeys'. Over 200 generals killed, injured or captured and a unique type of war was won organizing a multinational force.

6. Gallipoli was fought by Australians and New Zealanders. British losses were higher than both Australian and NZ and the French lost more than the Australians.

7. Tactics on the Western Front remained unchanged despite repeated failure. There were significant equipment and tactical changes during the war, from planes to helmets.

8. No-one won. Germany surrendered before the country was crushed as it would be in WWII. It was still a loss to Germany.

9. The Versailles Treaty was extremely harsh. Germany was still the biggest and richest country in Europe and much of the reparations went unenforced. It was not as harsh as after WWII.

10. Everyone hated it. Those not on the front line often had better food, more money and more freedom than at home.

[Rhodes]

3 images from the BD books from TARDI, C'Étais La Guerre de la Tranchées and

Goddamn this War! (English title of the book, since the original french one has a stronger word, please look it at google):

For me, this author can deliver, in a comic/BD way, all the madness of 1º World War.

Edit: changing the name of the second book.

[Oberon]

I have at least three family members that I am aware of who fought in the First world war.




Edward Clack in 1917, his military medal ribbon visible. His wife, who he married that year, Madge Hayes is also shown.

The first, who I know the most about, is Lance-Sergeant Edward Clack who joined up on the 18th August 1914, joining the Wiltshire Regiment at Devizes and being assigned to the 5th Battalion and sent to Anzac bay in August 1915, landing to support the 'August Offensive'. However during the Ottoman counter-attack of the 10th August, he and a group of four other men were wounded by Ataturks forces and trapped in a gulley for a fortnight before being found and retrieved by a search party.

The Battalions diary for the 10th August notes:

Tuesday August 10th 1915. (Battalion War Diary entry).
(01.00): Battalion moves away in single file less D company and part of B Company. Order of march C - Machine guns - A - B companies "Move by a steep and winding course to a cup-shaped deformation at the head of the Gulley to the right and some distance in front of our salient." (Words of 2 Lieut R.W.M. Dewhurst one of the few officers on the march who subsequently survived.) The Battalion was guided, as far as I am able to ascertain by a New Zealand Officer. Here they arrived two hours before sunrise (0300) and the men were told to dig into dugouts and make themselves comfortable as the position was quite safe. Men therefore removed equipment and rifles. This position I take it to be just N. of the H in Chunuk Bair and the march to it from the Aghyl Dere must have been via the APEX (Ref. Gallipoli Map 1.20,000 Koya Dere) (0430) As soon as it was light machine guns opened on the men lying in their dug outs. About 1/4 of an hour later there was a rush of Turks from both sides of the depression which drove the men, unarmed and unequipped down the gulley (SALZLI BEIT). The bottom of the gulley commanded by machine guns and so escape was cut off. Three courses were possible:-

1. To rush past the machine guns down the Sazli Beit, this was tried but in nearly all cases proved fatal.
2. To climb the northern slope of the ravine under fire and try to escape over the top. This was done in a few cases
with success.
3. Hide in Gulley till night; this also was done with more success. (A party of 5 men was rescued from the Gulley
having been there 16 days from August 10th to August 26th. They reported numbers of men, who were wounded,
unable to get away and died of exhaustion and starvation.).

Parties arrived on the Beach in fours, fives, and some carried bodies during the 11th, 12th and 13th unarmed, unequipped and demoralised.

FROM: http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/fo...owtopic=154975

The medical record I have on file from the then Private Edward Clack have his date of wounding on the 10th August, but the record itself is not actually dated until the 26th August. It is therefore likely that he was one of the group of five men rescued from the Gulley on the 26th.
He suffered a gun shot wound to the left leg and was returned to England.
In December of the same year he returned to service as part of the 6th Battalion Wiltshire Regiment, where he served until the 5th July 1916, where he was wounded again during the Battle of the Somme at La Boisselle (part of the Battle of Albert) suffering wounds in the right thigh and shoulder. Again, he returned to England, and again he came back, on the 5th April 1917, joining the 1st Battalion of the Wiltshire Regiment in the field. He was involved as an orderly, conducting messages during the attack on Messines Ridge in July 1917, where he was awarded the Military Medal for his service under fire, apparently at one point he was half buried by shell fire, but dug himself out and continued in his duty. Promotion to Lance Corporal soon followed, and by the 12th August he was Corporal Edward Clack. However, nine days later he was wounded at the Battle of Passchendaele, likely in the Westhoek area (although it is possible that he was wounded at Dominion Camp by an enemy aircraft, the Battalion diary notes on the night of the 20th August that '3 Casualties were caused to the Battn by bombs dropped in the neighbourhood of the camp by enemy aeroplanes on the night of the 20th. Wounded, 2nd Lieut G B Hillings and 2 other ranks.), receiving a gun shot wound to the left arm. Following recovery, this time he was posted into the reserve unit, joining the 3rd Battalion back in England, and being promoted to Lance-Sergeant. It was there he remained until wars end, being demobbed in March 1919.


Private James Collins, date unknown.

The second relative who I am aware of, is Private James Collins, who served with the Gordon Highlanders (and possibly the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders too), I don't know much of his service record but I know that he was injured in the Roclincourt area, between the dates of 9-12th April 1917, possibly by machine-gun fire, and he subsequently died of his wounds a month later. He's mentioned in the Casualty list of the Highlanders here: http://gordonhighlanders.carolynmorr...tApril1917.htm and the Battalion diaries mention casualties from machine-gun fire around that period: http://gordonhighlanders.carolynmorr...-April1917.htm


Robert Currie, date unknown

The third relative is Robert Currie, and sadly I have no real information about him other than he left his wife and she subsequently told her grand-children that he had died during the war when in fact he had survived, and it wasn't until my great-uncle was 22 that he finally met him. I don't know what unit he served in, but it would seem from the photos I have that he had something to do with horses, so he could have been an artillery driver or cavalry based.

There is a fourth relative, who I think might be my great-grandmothers father, but aside from his photograph I have no information about him and there's no-one left alive on that side of the family to assist.

[Sailor Steve]

WOW! This is off to a great start! Good job Jamie for starting it, and to everyone who's posted so far.

[BossMark]

I can recall my granddad telling me that my great granddads brother (my great uncle I believe) was a gunnery officer on HMS Warspite and took part in the battle of Jutland

[Jimbuna]

My grandfather (mothers father) served in the army and was buried alive during an artillery bombardment. He survived but was as deaf as a post for the rest of his life.

I can still remember growing up with him beside me on many a dark night but much to my shame I'm unable to remember any of the details of his regiment etc. and my mom (suffers from dementia) can no longer remind me.

[Oberon]

Finished my post.

[August]

My Great Grandfather, August Karl from Altenbuch im der Spessart.
6th Bavarian Infantry Division

KIA in Belgium 3 October 1918

[Dread Knot]

Originally Posted by Oberon

I have at least three family members that I am aware of who fought in the First world war.




Edward Clack in 1917, his military medal ribbon visible. His wife, who he married that year, Madge Hayes is also shown.

Fascinating bio.

So he participated in Gallipoli, The Somme, Passchendaele and Messines Ridge?

Gads. If anyone ever deserved reserve status it was this brave chap.

[Platapus]

"We were off to fight the Hun
We would shoot him with a gun
Our medals would shine like a sabre in the sun
We were off to fight the Hun
And it seemed like so much fun
It did not seem to be a war at all; at all ;at all
It did not seem to be a war at all...."


Here is an interesting video on the war.
http://www.canadaka.net/video/659-we...t-the-hun.html

[Kptlt. Neuerburg]

A few WWI photos and posters I've found, mostly on Retonaut.

ANZACS at the Pyramids.

British Soldiers inspect an observation "tree"

A French anti-aircraft machine gun.

British soldiers before a game of gasmask football.

RFC gunnery training.

Men of the 369th Infantry Regiment "The Harlem Hellfighters" while attached to the French 16th Division.

An advertisement for Albatross.

Fragments from France cover.

"The Better 'ole", I watched the silent film by the same name made in 1926 (it is hilarious btw).

Another advertisement poster.

A RN recruitment poster featuring Nelson's flagship HMS Victory.

A recruitment poster for the US Army Air Service.

[Feuer Frei!]

Stubby, mascot of the U.S. Army's 102nd Infantry, 26th Division, became a media sensation after he saved lives in the Great War. Shown here in November 1924, Stubby visited the White House and met three presidents.




An elephant donated to the German Army during World War I moves logs under the supervision of soldiers.





















German WWI War Cemetery, Cannock Chase, England



Es ruhen in diesem Grabe vier,
Nimm auf sie Herr zu Dir.
Sie sind vom Leibregiment,
Das weder Furcht noch Feigheit kennt.
Es waren vier tapf're Helden,
Laß ihnen nichts entgelten.
Sie taten treulich ihre Pflicht
Und scheuten die Gefahren nicht.
Der Leiber achte Kompagnie
Vergißt die Kameraden nie.

"Am Waldesrand mit wildem Mut
Hast Du gekämpft und geschritten,
Fürs Vaterland in heil'ger Glut
Hast Du den Heldentod erlitten.
In majestätisch ernster Ruhe
Dein Kampffeld lag nach hartem Strauß,
Mit Hurra war die Schlacht entschieden,
Doch weh und leise klang sie aus.
Doch nach dem wehen, heißen Ringen
Von Fern erscholl das deutsche Lied,
Du Held kannst ruhig weiterschlafen
Das Vaterland, es feiert Sieg!"


Gott mit uns.

[Oberon]

Originally Posted by Dread Knot

Fascinating bio.

So he participated in Gallipoli, The Somme, Passchendaele and Messines Ridge?

Gads. If anyone ever deserved reserve status it was this brave chap.

Yup, I could barely believe it myself as I read through his papers, what he must have seen and went through I can scant believe. Then, as if what he went through in the first war wasn't enough, he joined up in WWII, got rescued off the beaches at Dunkirk and then survived being torpedoed by a Uboat in the Med while on the way to North Africa. He was finally invalided out of the war with a nasty illness, can't recall the type off hand, in 1943.
He never spoke about it though, not to my mother at least, but that is perhaps to be expected. When she stayed with them, he'd be happiest down his allotment, gardening, and watching the kingfishers in the nearby stream.