Troop Morale and Popular Culture in the British and Dominion Armies 1914–1918

Abstract

The front-line soldiers of the First World War endured appalling conditions in the trenches and suffered unprecedented slaughter in battle. Their morale, as much as the strategy of their commanders, played the crucial part in determining the outcome of ‘the war to end all wars’. This book examines the experience of the soldiers of the British and Dominion armies. How did the troops regard their plight? What did they think they were fighting for? The book draws on a variety of contemporary sources, including over a hundred magazines produced by the soldiers themselves. It looks at the trench journalism which played an important role in the lives of the ordinary soldiers. Other themes explored include the nature of patriotism, discipline, living conditions, and leisure activities such as sport, concert parties, and the music hall. The book's vivid study throws new light on the question of warfare, and in particular on how the British and Dominion armies differed from those of their allies and opponents, which were wracked by mutiny or defeat as the war went on.

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