Yr9 spring test Flashcards
how many soldiers did the UK have at the outbreak of WW1
around 700,000
who was appointed secretary of state for war
lord kitchener
lord kitchener was responsible for recruiting soldiers. what did he do to recruit them
a huge poster campaign was launched with the aim of reaching as many potential soldiers as possible.
lord kitcheners campaign was very successful. within six weeks how many british men volunteered for the army
500,000
by the end of 1915 how many men signed up for the army
2.5 million
where did recruitment also take place
british colonies. most fighting was in europe but people from all over the world fought for the uk.
how many soldiers served from the uk
5,704,416
how many soldiers served from india
1,440,437
which country had 628,964 people serving for the uk
canada
how many people from australia served the uk
412,953
how many south africans served the uk
136,070
how mnay people from new zealand served the uk
128,825
how deep where trenches normally and what supported them
two metres
wooden supports on either side
where in trenches did soldiers try to sleep and rest
dug outs
what is the name for the area in between enemy trenches
no mans land
where were trenches dug
low land
trenches were dug in low land what did this mean when they had heavy rain and what conditions did this create.
trenches would often flood
creating muddy and waterlogged conditions.
when soldiers crossed no mans land what did they face.
enemy fire
muddy ground
barbed wire
shell holes that were difficult to navigate
what did soldiers clothing often get infected with
lice which would spread quickly
lice bites were itchy and uncomfortable what did lice also spread
trench fever
what did dead bodies and food rations attract
rats which spread diseases by bite
what did trench foot cause
blisters
losing feeling in nerves
sometimes needing to be amputated
what is shell shock and what sometimes happened to people who had it
a mental health condition caused by soldiers being scared of explosions.
some were accused of being cowards they would be shot.
what is shell shock now believed to be
post traumatic stress disorder.
before ww1 what did armies rely on
horses cavalry
hwo may bullets could machine guns fire how many people needed
how many deaths resulted
600 bullets a minute
2 people
tens of thousands
what new type of explosive were heavily produced and thrown into enemy trenches
grenades
what did mustard gas cause
blistering and burns
4000 british killed
what did chlorine gas cause/ what did it smell like
breathing difficulties
150,000 uk deaths
smelt like pepper
when were tanks first used
battle of the somme in france
why were tanks bad
slow 5mph
unreliable
stuck in mud
broke down
why were tanks good
provides soldiers protection form machine gun fire (men walk behind when crossing no man)
could attack german defenses , machine gun posts
what were planes mainly used for
surveillance behind enemy lines
provide leader good intel on where to attack/ shoot artillery
what else could planes do
shoot targets on the ground
although couldn’t carry heavy bombs
dogfights to shoot eachother down
where did the original idea of the battle of the somme come from
what was its purpose
french commander joseph joffre
a diversion from french attack at verdun
how many shells were dropped on the germans
1.6 million
german deep underground
many shells were duds
what were pals battalioms and what happended during the somme
they were used to encourage people to enlist
this meant entire towns and villages mourned all their young men
ended after this
when were tanks first used
battle of somme
who was haig
he was made commander in chief of the entire british army on the western front in december 1915
remained in control till november 1918
