British Army 1914-18

In this episode, I talk about how men were rewarded for their service and their deeds with medals. We shall see how everyone was awarded with different types service medals, according to their length and location of their service. We shall also see how the officers and other ranks were awarded with different gallantry awards, for different levels of bravery or leadership. I also explain how those who were invalided out of the army were given a badge to wear, denoting they had 'done their bit'. In each case I describe what the medal and its ribbon look like.

In this episode, I explain how the soldiers’ uniforms looked when they went to war in August 1914. Then we will see how uniforms were altered and the extra items the soldier had to carry, to cope with the challenges of trench warfare. I also discuss the badges of rank and the responsibilities associated with each rank. Finally, I look at the daily ration a man could expect to eat while he served in the trenches.

In this episode, I discuss logistics by looking at the work of the Army Ordnance Corps and the Army Service Corps. We see how huge amounts of ammunition, food and equipment were delivered to France. Then I explain how the huge stacks of supplies were organised as they were moved from the ports by train to the railheads. Then they were taken by lorries to the refilling points and brigade dumps before wagons took the supplies to the trenches. Finally, we see how the men carried everything they needed into the front line by hand.
I also discuss the huge quantities of petrol, coal and rations required by the British Expeditionary Force. I finish with a look at how large numbers of items were salvaged for repair, so they could be mended and recycled for reissue.

In this episode, I look at six support services which all begin with the letter P!
I start with the Post, a very important service, because letters were the only form of communication between the soldiers and their families. 
Then I look at the Military Police and the work of the Provost Marshal. Next it is the turn of the prisons, which held errant soldiers, often putting them to work unloading and loading ships and trains. 
Then we see how the padres and chaplains of the various religious denominations looked after the men, either through religious duties, by providing facilities or through entertainment.
Finally, we look at the important work of printing the thousands of maps, orders and instruction pamphlets required by the army, so it could go about its daily business. Then there was the roaring trade in less serious items, such as Christmas cards and entertainment programmes.

In this episode, I look at how the Royal Army Medical Corps handled an injured man’s recovery. I start with  the ambulance trains and canal boats which transported the casualties to the French coast. I explain how the men expected to recover quickly were looked after at the Base Hospitals and Convalescent Depots before they returned to their units. I then look at the work of the hospital ships which took the seriously wounded across the Channel to England. Then we see how trains distributed casualties across Britain, so they could be treated near their homes. I also discuss the different types of British hospitals and how they were staffed. We see how the men's health was monitored in the trenches. Finally, i take a brief look at how the thousands of horses and mules were cared for.

In this episode, I look at the small calibre guns and howitzers deployed by the Royal Horse Artillery and the Royal Field Artillery. I then look at the large calibre guns and howitzers deployed by the Royal Garrison Artillery. In each case, I look at the range of the gun and any special features. I also look at the characteristics of the different types of ammunition they fired; shrapnel and high explosive. (Gas shells are discussed in an episode on gas). Finally, I look at the increasing role of anti-aircraft guns on the Western Front.

In this episode, I look at the work of the Royal Army Medical Corps as it evacuated casualties from the battlefield. We see how triage was carried out as the wounded were moved along along the casualty clearing chain. I discuss the organisation of the medical help at each stage, including the Regimental Aid Post, the Divisional Collecting Post, the Advanced Dressing Station, the Main Dressing Station, the Casualty Clearing Station, the Walking Wounded Collecting Station and the Rest Station. I also explain how the casualties were moved between the various medical facilities.

In this episode i discuss the organisation of the Royal Artillery, from the artillery brigade right down to the gun crew. I then look at how the gun was kept supplied with shells and how batteries were split between the gun lines and the wagon lines, when they deployed for battle. I also discuss the several reorganisations of the artillery brigade, made necessary by the challenges of trench warfare. Finally, I examine the methods introduced to help spot targets and the techniques used to improve the accuracy of artillery fire; two important requirements on the battlefield.

In this episode, I look at how tank tactics developed, starting with their first time on the battlefield during the Somme campaign in 1916. We then see how they were used during the Arras campaign in the spring of 1917 and how the new Mark IV tanks coped in the Messines campaign during the summer. The tanks struggled to cope with the Flanders mud in the autumn of 1917 but their crowning glory came during the battle of Cambrai in November 1917. The episode concludes with the huge contribution the Mark V and Whippet tanks made during the Advance to Victory, in the summer of 1918.

In this episode, I explain three important aspects of the Royal Engineers' work, which were unique to the Great War. I explain how they established and maintained communications in the very difficult conditions presented by pre-radio days. I then look at the dangerous work carried out by the tunnellers, as they looked to blow up the German trenches. Finally, I discuss the important work of camouflage, made necessary by the increase in aerial activity over the battlefield.