Paper 2 How Far Checklists: Scotland and the Impact of the Great War

Paper 2 How Far Checklists: Scotland and the Impact of the Great War

ISSUE 1: SCOTS ON THE WESTERN FRONT

Voluntary recruitment

1.  All young men aged 19-35 were asked to volunteer via a massive government propaganda campaign such as Kitchener’s ‘Your Country Needs You’ poster and it was a huge success, by 1915 almost 1¼ million men volunteered.

2.  More Scots volunteered in proportion to the population than any other part of Britain e.g. by the end of August 1914 over 20,000 had volunteered to fight from Glasgow alone.

3.  Many joined due to Patriotism/Belgian atrocities – doing your duty for Scotland and Britain and the fact that the censored media told horror stories of German troops raping women as they invaded Belgium – increased hatred of ‘The Hun’

4.  Peer pressure – friends volunteered, girl friends etc – many men didn’t want to miss out on an adventure that all their workmates/ classmates/ brothers were going on. Fathers/ Grandfathers encouraged young boys. Wives and Girlfriends often encouraged men to become war heroes – men didn’t want to be the only one not going

5.  Guilt, fear of white feather – many men felt that they were letting their country down by not volunteering; they felt a duty to ‘King and Country’ or to protect their town or village. The White Feather movement humiliated men not uniform; no one wanted to be a victim of it

6.  Sense of adventure – get away from mundane lives. Many men had boring manual labour jobs and no prospect of ever leaving their town/ city. Joining up was a chance to see Europe and have experiences that they never thought possible.

7.  Money – many men worked in difficult jobs and worked long hours for little money i.e. shipyards, therefore joining up was a chance to make a living and enjoy a decent income

8.  Scottish martial (fighting) tradition inspired many. Many grew up hearing stories of the Scots regiments and bravery – many men were inspired and wanted to become the next Scots war hero

9.  Scotland suffered higher unemployment and more widespread poverty than most areas in Britain. The army was a chance for a regular job and wage.

10.  Over By Christmas – according to the Press, Britain would win the war in a matter of months. Men didn’t want to miss their chance to fight for their country and become a hero therefore rushed to join up

11.  Paper 2 How Far Checklists: Scotland and the Impact of the Great War

ISSUE 1: SCOTS ON THE WESTERN FRONT

Experience of Scots on Western Front (including Loos and Somme)

1.  Trench conditions – wet, muddy, no shelter, rats, lice, no sanitation, little sleep, bad weather etc

2.  Trench illnesses – Trench Foot, Trench Fever, Shell Shock (make sure you can describe the causes and symptoms )

3.  Trench Life - monotonous and boring, constant chores to do i.e. repairing barbed wire, cleaning rifles, little time to do personal things such as write letters or play cards – Generals ensured soldiers were always busy

4.  Trench Food – meagre rations; bully beef, hard biscuits, beans and pork fat, tea. Little fresh food available as food had to be tinned and last a long time.

5.  Battle of Loos September 1915 - Over 3 days 35,000 Scottish soldiers were involved, almost half of all battalions involved were Scots or Scots Canadian.

6.  Out of the 21,000 dead over 7,000 (over 1/3) were Scots, a far higher proportion than any other nation involved, nearly every community in Scotland was affected by loss.

7.  Battle facts for Loos – most soldiers volunteers, troops led by French and Haig, British used Chlorine Gas for first time but it was unsuccessful due to wind direction, gas masks proved largely ineffective due to how new they were, little ground was gained from Germans

8.  Battle of the Somme July 1916 - at least 3 full Scottish divisions, between 36,000 – 50,000 troops were to be involved in the British army’s greatest offensive to date, commanded by General Haig.

9.  Scots suffered disproportionate losses e.g. the Highland Light Infantry lost 3,500 men in one day; McCrae’s battalion of Royal Scots had a 75% casualty rate.

10.  Battle Facts for Somme – Haig led the troops, British bombarded Germans unsuccessfully due to their deep dug outs, tank used for first time but proved unreliable, battle ended November 1916, massive losses (400,000 British dead)

Paper 2 How Far Checklists: Scotland and the Impact of the Great War

ISSUE 1: SCOTS ON THE WESTERN FRONT

The kilted regiments

1.  When war broke out in 1914 the British Government focussed on the heroic deeds of past Scots soldiers to encourage men to enlist. The government brought back the ideas of Highland clans to appeal to the patriotism of Highlanders.

2.  Highland soldiers wore the kilt as part of their uniform. They marched to the sound of bagpipes wherever they were in the British Empire.

3.  Scottish soldiers were seen as brave, loyal and trustworthy who would fight to the end. Scots soldiers were also seen as aggressive types who would terrify the enemy. They were also viewed as hardworking and committed.

4.  Scots Regiments such as the Royal Scots were often used as shock troops – they would be sent across No Man’s Land first to terrify and weaken the enemy before the other regiments came behind

5.  However Scottish soldiers (Jocks) often faired better than many as Scots regiments employed a rotation system so Scots troops would only spend a short period time on the frontline, roughly a week, before being sent to the rear.

6.  William Angus VC was a Celtic player who served in the Royal Scots. In 1915 he left his trench under heavy rifle fire to rescue a wounded officer. He received 40 wounds but was awarded the Victoria Cross on return to Scotland and was met with a Hero’s welcome.

7.  Unlike England there were no official ‘pals battalions’ but many Scots rushed to join up together to fight alongside friends. Examples - Highland Light Infantry (the HLI were Glasgow’s regiment) called the Tramway battalion as it was made up mainly of tram drivers and workers

8.  McCrae’s battalion of the Royal Scots Regiment which included the entire first and reserve team as well as supporters of Hearts Football club.

Paper 2 How Far Checklists: Scotland and the Impact of the Great War

ISSUE 1: SCOTS ON THE WESTERN FRONT

Role of Scottish military personnel

1.  More Scots volunteered in proportion to the population than any other part of Britain e.g. by the end of august 1914 over 20,000 had volunteered to fight from Glasgow alone.

2.  Due to the nature of the war on the Western Front (e.g. so many bodies were left in no man’s land) it proved impossible to accurately calculate the number of war dead.

3.  Over half a million Scots served in the war. Figures on Scottish dead vary from 74,000 to 100,000.

4.  The Scots had a casualty rate of 26%, roughly 1 in 4 Scots soldiers were killed or wounded, among the highest of any nation.

5.  The Battle of Loos became the ‘Scottish Battle’ due to the massive involvement of Scots regiments such as the Black Watch, Cameron Highlanders, the Cameronians, the Scots Fusiliers and Gordon Highlanders

6.  The Battle of the Somme signalled the end of ‘Pals Battalions’ due to the devastation it caused for many Scots towns and villages such as Cranston’s and McCrae’s Battalions of Edinburgh. Many smaller villages lost most of their male population.

7.  Of the 16th Battalion of the HLI (who were mainly ex Boys Brigade members), 500 alone were killed on the Somme

8.  General Douglas Haig was a key leader at both Battles of the Somme and Loos – born in Edinburgh, he had been in the army for 30years when war broke out. He was old fashioned and spoke highly of the use in cavalry in war but it was his decision to use the Tank at the Somme

9.  Critics have hit out at Haig’s leadership, saying he sent hundreds of thousands of men out to their death in the Somme – he is often known as the ‘Butcher of the Somme’

10.  After the war Haig made efforts to see justice done for veterans, helping create the British Legion and the Earl Haig Fund to help ex servicemen

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