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The Great War > Issue 1 - Scots on the Western Front > Flashcards

Issue 1 - Scots on the Western Front Flashcards

Scotland on the eve of the Great War. Political, social and economic conditions. Martial traditions. Voluntary recruitment. Experience of Scots on Western Front: Battles of Loos and the Somme. Kilted regiments. Role of Scottish military personnel in terms of commitment, casualties, leadership and overall contribution to the military effort.

1
Q

What cities are in the Central Belt of Scotland?

A

Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee and Aberdeen

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2
Q

What were Scotland’s key industries?

A

Shipbuilding, coal mining, iron and steel making and jute industry.

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3
Q

Where was shipbuilding based?

A

On the River Clyde.

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4
Q

How many tonnes of shipping were launched on the River Clyde in 1913?

A

750,000 tonnes.

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5
Q

How many tonnes of steel were Scottish steel towns producing each year by 1914?

A

Over 1 million tonnes.

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6
Q

What percentage of the world’s ships were built on the Clyde by 1914?

A

Over 20%

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7
Q

Where was the centre of Scotland’s jute making industry?

A

Dundee.

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8
Q

What was jute used for during WW1?

A

To make the sandbags that lined the rows of trenches.

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9
Q

How many people in Dundee were employed in making jute in 1914?

A

Over tens of thousands.

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10
Q

How many jute mills were in Dundee?

A

70.

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11
Q

What party controlled Scotland in 1914?

A

The Liberal Party.

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12
Q

Why did people in Scotland support the Liberal Party before WW1? (2 reasons)

A
  1. The Liberals seemed to support the working man (only men had the vote at this time in Britain).
  2. The Liberals appeared to want to help people improve their life (Old Age Pensions, Unemployment benefits and even a minimum wage).
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13
Q

What was Scotland like as a country before 1914?

A

People thought of themselves as British first. They were happy to be part of Britain and rulers of a large empire overseas.
However, they did have pride in Scotland’s long history.

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14
Q

What percentage of Scottish soldiers in WW1 were killed?

A

25%

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15
Q

In 1914 the British army was entirely voluntary. True or False?

A

True.

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16
Q

Who began the recruiting campaign?

A

Lord Kitchener.

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17
Q

How many men volunteered in the first 3 months of the recruiting campaign in Britain?

A

900,000.

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18
Q

More Scots volunteered in proportion to the size of the population than any other area in the UK. True or False?

A

True.

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19
Q

What were the main reasons that Scots joined? (6 reasons)

A

Patriotism, Xenophobia, Local loyalties/pals battalions, Opportunity, Peer pressure and Economic necessity.

20
Q

What role did Patriotism play?

A

Patriotic appeal of recruiting posters with, ‘Defend the Glory of the Empire’
Popular histories of Scotland’s heroic past - The Wars of Independence (Wallace and Bruce).
Military symbols such as the kilt and the bagpipe were important in parts of Scottish identity.

21
Q

What role did Xenophobia play?

A

Anti-German hysteria played a part in recruitment.

22
Q

What role did Local Loyalties/Pals Battalions play?

A

Attraction of setting out on a great adventure with your friends (knew that if they joined together, they would stay together).
Football loyalties became a target for recruitment - when 13 Hearts players signed up, in 6 days, 600 Hearts supports joined them (McCrae’s Battalion).

23
Q

What role did Opportunity play?

A

The opportunity to see new places and countries and perform heroic deeds (and quite possibly to leave behind a boring or difficult job).
The war was not expected to last long and there was a fear of missing out.

24
Q

What role did Peer Pressure play?

A

Propaganda - posters, newspapers, etc.
The recruiting campaign emphasised to young men the desire of women to see them join up. - “Women of Britain Say Go!”
The White Feather Campaign.

25
Q

What was the purpose of the white feather campaign?

A

‘Guilting’ men into signing up and highlighted cowardice amongst men who had not yet volunteered.

26
Q

What role did Economic Necessity play?

A

Soldiering was a way of escaping poverty.
Argued that fear of unemployment was an important reason in men joining up.
Research has shown that recruitment to the army in areas of high unemployment was more successful than in areas of low unemployment.

27
Q

Describe trench conditions.

A

Mud and rain were a common difficulty - Germans chose the best places to build their trenches.
Lice were a constant nuisance - left blotchy red bite marks all over the body.
Trenches were covered with dead bodies which attracted rats.
Boredom.
Letters home were censored to ensure that no sensitive information about troop movement and activities was leaked to the enemy.

28
Q

What were the 3 main trench diseases?

A

Trench Foot - fungal infection of feet caused by cold, wet unsanitary trench conditions.
Dysentery - caused by contaminated water/no proper sanitation.
Trench Fever - painful disease with severe pain followed by high fever caused by lice.

29
Q

Scottish trenches were almost always in a weaker position than those of the enemy. True or False?

A

True.

30
Q

Artillery caused more casualties than any other weapon in the war. True or False?

A

True.

31
Q

When was gas first used and by who?

A

April 1915 by the Germans.

32
Q

What did the use of gas result in?

A

Choking, blistering of the skin and blinding.

33
Q

Was gas an effective weapon and why?

A

No because of gas masks and wind could change to blow the gas back.

34
Q

What were the advantages of tanks?

A

Protection, tracks to cross mud and machine guns to kill enemy.

35
Q

What were the disadvantages of tanks?

A

Very slow, broke down easily and crews were poisoned by exhaust fumes.

36
Q

When did the Battle of Loos begin?

A

25th of September 1915.

37
Q

How many Scots took part in the Battle of Loos?

A

Over 30,000.

38
Q

How many Scots died at Loos?

A

1/3 were from Scottish regiments.

39
Q

Almost every town and village in Scotland was affected by the losses at Loos. True or False?

A

True.

40
Q

When did the Battle of the Somme begin?

A

1st of July, 1916.

41
Q

Who was commander-in-chief?

A

Douglas Haig, an Edinburgh born Scot. Known as ‘The Butcher of the Somme’.
He had to deal with unique situations which meant he had nothing to look back on.

42
Q

On the first day of the Battle of the Somme the British suffered their highest ever casualties. True or False?

A

True (9000 were Scots).

43
Q

What were the percentages of deaths at the end of the Somme?

A

26% were Scots and 11% were British.

44
Q

How many Scots volunteered by the end of 1915?

A

320,000 (13% of the total for the British Army).

45
Q

Loos gained the Scots a reputation as feared and aggressive fighting troops. True or False?

A

True.

46
Q

Who is quoted to having said “The nation must be taught to bear losses”?

A

Sir Douglas Haig.

47
Q

Double the number of Scottish soldiers died than the figure from the rest of the UK in WW1. True or False?

A

True.

The Great War (4 decks)

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