Questions I) What Do You Notice About the Lion S Mane?

Look carefully at the following postcard that was produced by Boots Group sometime during the Great War of 1914-1918.

Questions i) What do you notice about the lion’s mane? ii) What is the message of this postcard that was produced during the

Great War of 1914-1918?

The purpose of the lesson is to find out why The Great War of 1914-1918 has been termed a World War. You will find out about some of the individuals from the British Commonwealth who fought in the war and where they came from. You will also have the opportunity to find out more about the Battalions and Regiments that these soldiers fought with. The cemeteries that have been used as the basis of this study are all in Belgium. They are located along the Ypres Salient*.

This area is famous for the intensity of fighting that took place there throughout the First World War.

Three major battles took place here during the war. The First Battle of Ypres took place in 1914 and The Second Battle of Ypres in 1915. The most dramatic offensive however started on 31st July 1917. This was the Third Battle of Ypres (Passchendaele). This battle alone, which lasted from July to November and accounted for approximately 310,000 Allied and 260,000 German casualties.

Task – Internet Research

To begin the search you need to be logged on to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website (www.cwgc.org). The Commonwealth War Graves Commission was set up by Royal Charter in 1917 and its duties are:

“…to mark and maintain the graves of the members of the forces of the Commonwealth who were killed in the two World Wars, to build memorials to those who have no known grave and to keep records and registers, including, after the Second World War, a record of the Civilian War Dead.”

The website therefore holds the names of all known Commonwealth soldiers who lost their lives during World War One. You are going to use the sites search facilities to research individual soldiers that you will be given. Your task is to find out where these soldiers were from and any other additional information of interest that may not have been placed upon their gravestones.  Take Care….to research each soldier’s details carefully. For example, just because a soldier was in the Royal Welsh Fusiliers does not mean that he lived in Wales at the time when he joined up for military service.

Step One Log onto the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Website at: www.cwgc.org

Step Two Look at the first gravestone to be studied. Enter this person’s details into the Debt of Honour Register which is found on the right hand side of the CWGC homepage.

Step Three Once the details have been entered in the Debt of Honour Register, press Search. You should now be presented with a list of soldiers with that name. Go down the list of names until you can match the name with the cemetery where your soldier is buried. Click on that name. * If your search results in no soldiers of that name being displayed, go back and check

that you have entered the correct details.

Step Four Details of your chosen soldier should now be displayed. Read through the details and mark off where the soldier is from on the map provided. Once this has been done, fill in the soldiers details on your ‘graves’ sheet.

Now repeat steps one to four for each soldier Additional Research Your teacher may ask you to carry out further research upon one or more soldier and the Regiment that he belonged to. Below is a list of useful web links that should help you with this type of study.

* Note - If you are viewing this Word document on screen, you can use your mouse to place your cursor over the address, you will then be able to press down the ‘Control’ key and click your left hand mouse button to be taken to that particular website. If you have a paper copy of this Word Document you will have to type the address into the address box using an Internet browser.

South Wales Borderers www.rrw.org.uk This is the official site of The Royal Regiment of Wales. Here you will find a brief history of the regiment. www.1914-1918.net/swb.htm Here you will find a break down of the different battalions that made up The South Wales Borderers, where they formed and what became of them. Links are provided to further information upon battles fought. www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~dccfarr/3rd%20Ypres.htm This page gives information upon the 38th (Welsh) Divisions involvement during the Third Battle of Ypres, July 1917.

The Welch Regiment There were 34 Battalions of the Welch Regiment by 1918. The Regiment took part in all principal battles and campaigns during the War and lost 7,779 men. The names of these men are found in Llandaff Cathedral, Cardiff.

www.rrw.org.uk/museums/cardiff/fact_sheets/10.htm The Royal Regiment of Wales Museum Fact Sheets – WWI. These sheets give general information, the Battle Honours awarded from the 79 Battles and Actions fought between 1914-1918 and a Summary of Service for each Battalion. An account of each battle and the casualties sustained is also displayed.

The Royal Welch Fusiliers www.regiments.org/regiments/uk/info/023RWF.htm This web page provides links to further websites that provide a wealth of history upon the regiment and the battles and actions that it has taken part in. www.lib.byu.edu/~english/WWI/poets/poets.html#Sassoon www.lib.byu.edu/~english?WWI/poets/poets.html#Graves Siegfried Sassoon and Robert Graves. Here you will find information upon two very famous Royal Welch Fusiliers. The pages mix some of their poetry with general information about their lives and conduct during the war.

The Machine Gun Corps The machine gun was a devastating weapon. It was responsible for the slaughter of millions of soldiers who tried to make their way across area between enemy trenches known as No-Man’s-Land. This area was often water-logged, full of shell craters and barbed wire which slowed the advancing soldiers down. All Commonwealth infantry battalions had at least two machine guns in 1914. This increased to four in early 1915. The British used Vickers machine guns, but as the war gathered pace this company found it difficult to keep up with demand. The B.E.F. was short of 237 guns by July 1915 and orders for more guns had to be placed with companies in the U.S.A. www.1914-1918.net/mgc.htm This site provides a history of the Machine Gun Corps during World War One. The information includes the types of machine guns used and tactics employed.

The New Zealand Rifle Brigade www.warpath.orbat.com/anzac/nz_army.htm This site gives information upon the different Units within New Zealand’s Army during World War One. www.greatwar.org.nz/over2.htm This website page gives a brief overview of New Zealand’s involvement during World War One. The theatres of war covered are Samoa, Gallipoli, France and Belgium and Sinai/Palestine. There is also information upon the Maori Pioneer Battalion.

The Canadian Pioneers www.firstworldwar.com/source/ypres3_watson.htm This page from the First World War.Com website provides primary documents on the ‘Canadian Effort at the Third Battle of Ypres, 1917’. www.ironsides.8m.com/pass.html This webpage gives an account of Canadian involvement in the Battle of Passchendaele from October to November, 1917. Some images have been included.

www.rootsweb.com/~canmil/ww1 The Canadian Military Heritage Project. There are links to information upon battles, weapons, uniforms and equipment, etc.

South African Infantry http://rapidttp.com/milhist/vol072iu.html This site will tell you about the 1st South African Brigade and the South Africans at Delville Wood. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_African_Army#World_War_I This site provides information upon South African involvement during World War One.

The Maori Battalion http://folksong.org.nz/te_ope_tuatahi New Zealand Folk Song Website. This page displays the recruiting song of the First Maori Contingent in World War One, together with a brief history of the Pioneer Battalion. www.greatwar.org.nz/over2.htm This website page gives a brief overview of New Zealand’s involvement during World War One. The theatres of war covered are Samoa, Gallipoli, France and Belgium and Sinai/Palestine. There is also information upon the Maori Pioneer Battalion and ‘other services’ performed between 1914-1918, e.g. hospitals, military police, chaplains…

Indian Regiments www.1914-1918.net/41div.htm This page gives a summary history of the division and lists the dates and locations of battles that it fought in. www.firstworldwar.com/features/lionsofthegreatwar.htm An article from the First World War.com website that describes the contribution made by Indian troops during World War One. www.mgtrust.org/ind1.htm Information from the Memorial Gates Trust which includes information upon volunteers from the Indian subcontinent who volunteered for service between 1914-1918. There is information upon individuals, as well as statistics for medals won and the numbers of dead, wounded and missing.

The Tank Corps www.1914-1918.net/tanks.htm This page from the Long, Long Trail website gives information upon the development and deployment of the first tanks to be used in battle. Tank Companies and their organisation is explained and the specific battles where tanks were deployed are highlighted. www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/FWWtankdevelop.htm The development of the tank and its future importance in the history of warfare is explained and illustrations and first hand accounts from 1914- 1918 are provided. www.worldwar1.com/armory.htm#tanks Trenches on the Web. Lots of photographs and information can be found here.

General Information Sites www.westernfront.co.uk/thegreatwar/maproom.php Here you will find maps showing the progress of the German offensive on the Ypres Salient in 1918 and the German and Allied lines at different stages of the battle. http://encyclopedia.learnthis.info/l/li/list_of_british_divisions_in_wwi.html List of British Divisions in WWI. A key indicated whether the Divisions belonged to the Regular Army, Territorial Army, Yeomanry, New Army, or ‘other’. Hyperlinks take you to further information upon particular divisions, the battles that they fought in, etc.