Tommies: The British Army in the Trenches (Casemate Short History)

The Casemate Short History Series presents readable and entertaining introductions to military history topics. British soldiers have been known as Tommies for centuries, but the nickname is particularly associated with the British infantryman in the trenches of World War I. In August 1914, a small professional force of British soldiers crossed the Channel to aid the French and Belgians as the German army advanced. As it became apparent that the war would not, in fact, be over by Christmas, a vast drive for volunteer soldiers began. As enthusiasm for enlistment tailed off, eventually conscription was introduced in order to replenish the forces weakened by years of bloodshed. By 1918 the British Army was transformed, fielding 5.5 million men on the Western Front alone. These Tommies fought an entirely new type of war, living in vast trench systems, threatened by death from the air and gas attack as well as by bullet, bomb, or bayonet. This introduction explores the experience of Tommies on the Western Front, explaining how their war evolved and changed from the mobile battles of August 1914 to the final days of the war, and discussing daily life as an infantryman on the front line using firsthand accounts, contemporary poems, and songs Table of Contents When the Drums Begin to Roll Timeline Abbreviations Uniforms and kit Chapter 1: Deadlock (1914) Chapter 2: Stalemate (1915) Chapter 3: Attrition (1916) Chapter 4: Mud (1917) Chapter 5: Breakthrough (1918) Chapter 6: Remembrance Sources Acknowledgements “Everything you need to know to get you started on the subject of the men of the British Army who found themselves in the trenches in WWI. Superb.” —Books Monthly British soldiers have been known as Tommies for centuries, but the nickname is particularly associated with the British infantryman in the trenches of World War I. In August 1914, a small professional force of British soldiers crossed the Channel to aid the French and Belgians as the German army advanced. As it became apparent that the war would not, in fact, be over by Christmas, a vast drive for volunteer soldiers began. As enthusiasm for enlistment tailed off, eventually conscription was introduced in order to replenish the forces weakened by years of bloodshed. By 1918 the British army was transformed, fielding 5.5 million men on the western front alone. These Tommies fought an entirely new type of war, living in vast trench systems, threatened by death from the air and gas attack as well as by bullet, bomb, or bayonet. This introduction explores the experience of Tommies on the western front, explaining how their war evolved and changed from the mobile battles of August 1914 to the final days of the war, and discussing daily life as an infantryman on the front line using firsthand accounts, contemporary poems, and songs. The Casemate Short History Series “would be excellent for someone with an early interest in military history or for someone talking history at school. Very readable and easy to understand with some good illustrations” (Army Rumour Service). Annotation The Casemate Short History Series presents readable and entertaining introductions to military history topics. British soldiers have been known as Tommies for centuries, but the nickname is particularly associated with the British infantryman in the trenches of World War I. In August 1914, a small professional force of British soldiers crossed the Channel to aid the French and Belgians as the German army advanced. As it became apparent that the war would not, in fact, be over by Christmas, a vast drive for volunteer soldiers began. As enthusiasm for enlistment tailed off, eventually conscription was introduced in order to replenish the forces weakened by years of bloodshed. By 1918 the British Army was transformed, fielding 5.5 million men on the Western Front alone. These Tommies fought an entirely new type of war, living in vast trench systems, threatened by death from the air and gas attack as well as by bullet, bomb, or bayonet. This introduction explores the experience of Tommies on the Western Front, explaining how their war evolved and changed from the mobile battles of August 1914 to the final days of the war, and discussing daily life as an infantryman on the front line using firsthand accounts, contemporary poems, and songs British soldiers have been known as Tommies for centuries, but the name is particularly associated with the British soldier in World War I. In 1914, a small professional force of British soldiers crossed the Channel to aid the French. It soon became apparent that the war would be protracted, and a vast drive for volunteer soldiers began. By 1918 the army was transformed, fielding 5.5 million men on the Western Front alone. These Tommies were fighting an entirely new type of war, living and dying in vast trench systems, threatened by death from the air or by gas attack as well as by rifle or bayonet. This book explores the development of the 'Tommy', and his experience of war