year 9 history assessment on the first world war. 1914-1918
TRANSCRIPT
Year 9 History Assessment on the First World War.
1914-1918.
LIFE AND DEATH IN THE TRENCHES.
“Living and fighting in the trenches was a terrible and
terrifying experience for all the soldiers involved”
What evidence is therefor and against this statement?
In this assessment you will find out about conditions in the British trenches on the Western Front during the First World War.
You will use a range of SOURCES:• Photographs.• Diaries• Memories of old soldiers.• Film.• Textbooks• Songs• Poems• Statistics• Websites
The resources you need can be found on www.sirbernardlovell.s-gloucs.sch.uk
Look for the eportal >HISTORY. > Yr9.
1. Click on Trenches Assessment for the questions.2. Click on Life and Death in the Trenches to find sources.
You need to use the sources not copy them.
Timber holding up back of
trench.
No Mans’ LandSoldier on sentry duty
Are these soldiers asleep
or dead?
Bottom of trench is dry. It could be
summer.
No sandbags.Trench may be
damaged
Water cans.
Helmet, uniform and rifle are British
Timber bridge over top of trench
Capes used as cover
Barbed wire
This photograph does not looked posed as the soldier seems unaware of the camera. It is probably a reliable source.
How to annotate photographs
Source A.Wounded British soldiers waiting to be taken to a field hospital behind the front line. What can you see?
Source B.British soldiers playing football at a camp behind the front line.What can you see?
Source C. DiaryEXTRACT FROM THE DIARY OF JULIAN GRENFELLA young poet, killed on 26 May 1915
"I adore war. It's like a big picnic . . . I've never been so well or happy. No one grumbles at one for being dirty. I have only had my boots off once in the last ten days and only washed twice.“
What does Source C tell us about life in the trenches?How reliable are diaries written by soldiers in the trenches?
Source D. Letter.
Captain Lionel Crouch wrote to his wife about life in the trenches in 1917.
Last night we had the worst time we've had since we've been out. A terrific thunderstorm broke out. Rain poured in torrents, and the trenches were rivers, up to one's knees in places and higher if one fell into a sump. One chap fell in one above his waist! It was pitch dark and all was murky in the extreme. Bits of the trench fell in. The rifles all got choked with mud, through men falling down.
Why is source D (letter) so different from Source C (diary)?
How reliable are letters from soldiers about life in the trenches?
Source E. Casualties in the First World War.
How bad were British casualties compared with other countries?
Countries TotalMobilized
Killed& Died Wounded Total
Casualties
Casualties % of Mobilized
Allied Powers
Russia 12,000,000 1,700,000 4,950,000 9,150,000 76France 8,410,000 1,357,800 4,266,000 6,160,800 76
British Empire8,904,467 908,371 2,090,212 3,190,235 35
Italy 5,615,000 650,000 947,000 2,197,000 39
United States 4,355,000 126,000 234,300 364,800 8
Total 42,188,810 5,152,115 12,831,004 22,104,209 52Central Powers
Germany 11,000,000 1,773,700 4,216,058 7,142,558 64Austria-Hungary 7,800,000 1,200,000 3,620,000 7,020,000 90
Turkey 2,850,000 325,000 400,000 975,000 34Total 22,850,000 3,386,200 8,388,448 15,404,477 67
Grand Total 65,038,810 8,538,315 21,219,452 37,508,686 57
Source F. Silent Film. The Battle of the Somme.This film was made before and during the Battle of the Somme by filmmakers working for the British Army. It was the world’s first full-length war documentary. It was shown in British cinemas in August 1916. Over the next three months almost half Britain’s population had gone to see it.The film is a silent film (talkies do not arrive until 1929). When it was shown it would have been accompanied by a live piano or organ. Title frames provided information.
What could the film tell us about life in the trenches?
What could the film not show?
Battle of the Somme.Film.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/zc3dhyc#zppr7ty
Part of the original 1916 film
Throughout the autumn of 1916, 20 million people flocked to see a silent film, The Battle of the Somme. This was nearly half the population of Britain at the time. The film remains one of the most watched in British cinema history, even bigger than Star Wars.
Source G. BBC Documentary. 2002. The Trench.
Why was it produced? A docudrama to show people how living and fighting in the trenches affected the soldiers. A reconstruction of events in October 1916 taken from the War Diary of the East Yorkshire Regiment (the Hull Pals).What does it tell us?Trench routines e.g. duties, sleeping, eating, shaving, washing, foot inspections, keeping warm. Soldiers only spent 5-10 days in direct contact with the enemy. Rotated every few days.Bombardments. Gas attacks. Raids. Standing to. Friendships. Leisure? Roll calls. When and where did they sleep? How important were letters?What did they eat and drink? The average British soldier gained a stone and a half in the army.Sentry duties: 1 in 3 soldiers at night. 1 in 10 soldiers in the day time.What did soldiers miss most?How reliable is it?A lot of research was done to make sure it was as authentic as possible. However the “soldiers” knew that they were only acting.
• Source H. BBC website. How did so many soldiers survive the trenches?
• Watch Dan Snow’s short film. Write down his ideas.
• http://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/z3kgjxs
The soldiers were rotated
A typical day for a British Tommy
“Living and fighting in the trenches was a terrible and terrifying experience for all the soldiers involved”
What evidence is there for and against this statement?
Your answer should be in four parts.
1. Introduction. Explain the question.
2. Evidence that the soldiers’ experience was terrible and terrifying.
3. Evidence that the soldiers’ experience was not always so bad.
Photographs. Diaries Memories of old soldiers. Films. Casualty figures.How were soldiers killed or wounded?What were the trenches like?Health and hygiene problems.Shell shock.Desertion.Examples of battles such as the Somme (1916) and Passchendaele (1917)
Photographs. Diaries Memories of old soldiers. Films. Casualty figures.
Why did some soldiers enjoy life in the army?How much contact did soldiers have with the enemy?Why were soldiers not always in the front line?Which army roles kept soldiers away from the front line?Why did some soldiers cope better with the traumas of war?
4. Conclusion.
Give a balanced conclusion. Did some soldiers have a terrible experience?
Did some soldiers have a better experience?
CluesEvidence that the soldiers’ experience was terrible and terrifying.
Evidence that the soldiers’ experience was not always so bad.
1916 Battle of the Somme
1917 Battle of Passchendaele