ia_2010_degraaf_d

=**Section D: Analysis**=


 * //__Section D: Analysis__//**

//__Importance of the investigation in its historical context.__//

Life in the trenches during WWI is historically significant because, despite the notorious difficulty to give firm statistics, “it has been estimated by various sources that the total number of deaths lies somewhere between 10 and 13 million.” [1], whole generations were wiped out. Its still carries significance today, only last summer “The last British survivor of the World War I trenches, Harry Patch, has died at the age of 111.” [2] He was a powerful eyewitness and with him dies the last British survivor of the horrors of war and the living symbol of this lost generation.

//__Critical Analysis of the Evidence__// Graves’ book numerously mentions of armaments, such as rifles, snipers, shells, gas bombs. His description of a “man of company” is very specific [3], whereas more common sources focus more on general aspects such as advances in Chemical Warfare, “The War in the Air” [4] , the introduction of Tanks and the machine gun - “the master of the battlefield” [5] as J.R. Roberts called it. The book highlights some inefficient war tactics and armament [6]. Gas bombs very quickly became an inept killing weapon; soldiers simply wore “gas masks as soon as they subjected an attack” [7]. Nonetheless, historian Robert Wilde observed that “the First World War's military legacy involve[d] tanks [and] air forces…used by all sides in the Western and Eastern Front.” [8] Graves naturally was unable to comment here as he only served for two years, on only one side of “the Western… Front”. Wilde, was able to offer an exterior perceptive by examining sources and archives. However, his statement is only as reliable as the sources he used to formulate it. Graves describes soldiers enduring “rapid firing over our heads” or “gas discharges” [9] attacks. Soldiers “lost [their] legs”, were “riddled through” with bullets, found lying unconscious in No Man’s Land, sometimes only to “recover consciousness after two days.” The picture Graves has presented is accurate, only it is not whole picture that is being presented. Graves only saw a certain sector of the Front, officers could not have seen the ‘bigger picture’, available to a General at the time or a historian since. The later psychological effect of the War on soldiers, known as “shell-shock” would be something only historians could have commented on in later years.
 * //Armaments & Injuries//**

In the book, it appears necessary to re-enforce discipline on several occasions. Punishments were used to keep the soldiers on their toes, for example, always “address [a] Corporal” [10] correctly. Graves neglects to mention more serious incidents like the numerous attempts by severely depressed soldiers to “kill or wound themselves [to] be excused from fighting” [11]. “If found guilty of a self-inflicted wound…[the] penalty was… death.” [12] For instance, Private Harry Farr suffered from ‘shell-shock’. When in the trenches, he “asked to return to camp… he could not stand the noise of artillery”. In October 1916, he was “found guilty of ‘misbehaving before the enemy in such a manner as to show cowardice’ and was shot the following morning.” [13] Graves hardly ** wanted to name people in his book as being ‘cowards’ or ‘deserters’, it would be insensitive to the families around at the time and thus avoids the subject altogether. In the prologue, he shows sensitive by stating his use of anonymous names. ** [14]
 * //Discipline & Sanctions//**

Erich Remarque argued that soldiers need two things for contentment: “good food and rest” [15]. In Graves’ book, some of the “special meals” are highlighted, consisting of “potatoes, fish, green peas, asparagus, mutton chops, strawberries and cream, and three bottles of Pommard.” Some soldiers, Alfred Bromfield included, made their own meals [16], however the majority of soldier had very plain meals, consisting of “canned Bully Beef or canned stew.” [17] Sometimes, simply to have “food in the trenches was considered a luxury” [18]. Graves states, whenever soldiers had the opportunity to rest, they “engaged in getting in a bit of extra sleep…, talking and smoking, writing letters home, cleaning their rifles…, gambling” or playing “a cricket match”. However this was rare, soldiers did not even get enough time for the necessities such as sleeping [19]. Principally due to the fact that, “every night, at dawn, [they] went out to fetch in the death and wounded] of the other battalions.”
 * //Food & Rest//**

In each of these areas, Graves never presents a false representation of what happened, it is simply incomplete. For the obvious reason that Graves is just one man, of a certain rank, with therefore a certain perspective on and experience of the War. Also, the aim of the book was not to produce a dry factual account of his life in the trenches, but instead to recount Graves’ own war experiences in such a way that the book would be a success.

(799 words)

[1] Neil Stewart (2001), “The Changing Nature of Warfare 1700-1945”, Hodder & Stoughton (ISBN: 0-340-78075-4). However, casualty figures can never be exact. From source to source the number may vary in the millions. As can be seen in the source in Appendix B. [2] BBC News UK (25 July 2009), “WWI veteran Patch dies aged 111”, BBC News, [] (10/10/2009) [3] Graves describes that each “man of company… [was] to carry: 200 rounds of ammunition, bombs throws 50 and signallers 150 rounds, field dressing and iodine, one helmet…one smoke helmet…wire cutters”. Robert Graves (2000), “Goodbye to All That”, Penguin Classics (ISBN: 978-0-14-118459-3) [4] Neil Stewart (2001), “The Changing Nature of Warfare 1700-1945”, Hodder & Stoughton (ISBN: 0-340-78075-4) [5] J.R. Roberts (1990), “Europe 1880-1945”, Longman (ISBN: 978-0582357457) [6] Graves highlight the fact that gas bombs were rendered inefficient “where there had been a slight wind to take the gas over”. Robert Graves (2000), “Goodbye to All That”, Penguin Classics (ISBN: 978-0-14-118459-3) [7] Dr. Geoffrey Miller (1926), “The Medical Department of the United States in the World War, Volume XIV, Medical Aspects of Gas Warfare”, Otis Historical Archives, National Museum of Health and Medicine [8] Robert Wilde, “Overview: World War I”, [] (10/10/2009) [9] Gas discharges were often released “for forty minutes, after quarter of an hour’s bombardment”. Robert Graves (2000), “Goodbye to All That”, Penguin Classics (ISBN: 978-0-14-118459-3) [10] The book recounts an incident where a soldier “addressed [a] Corporal by his Christian name… the Corporal [was placed] under arrest” and charged “on conduct unbecoming to an NCO… [they] reduced him to the ranks.” The soldier was “punished for insubordinate language to an NCO”. Robert Graves (2000), “Goodbye to All That”, Penguin Classics (ISBN: 978-0-14-118459-3) [11] “Trench Warefare, Life in a Trench”, [] (29/10/2009) [12] Michael Duffy (22/08/09), “Self-inflicting Wounds (SIW)”, [] (29/10/2009) [13] BBC News UK (16/08/2006), “Shot at dawn, pardoned 90 years on”, [] (04/11/2009) [14] ** “Some proper names have been restored where their original disguise is no longer necessary”, the ‘some’ indicates not all disguises have been removed. ** Robert Graves //Prologue// (1957)//,// “Goodbye to All That”, Penguin Classics (ISBN: 978-0-14-118459-3) [15] Erich Maria Remarque (March 1987), “All Quiet on the Western Front”, Ballantine Books (ISBN: 978-0449213940) [16] Bromfield used to be “standing at the bottom of the trenches…making fried bacon and dried cheese.” Alfred Bromfield (July 2002), “Forgotten Voices of the Great War”, Ebury Press (ISBN: 0-09188-8879) [17] Steven Schoenherr (10/10/06), “Trench System”, [] (11/10/2009) [18] Chris Trueman (2000), “Soldiers food in the trenches”, History Learning Site, [] (11/10/2009) [19] Graves states; “from the morning of September the 24th to the night of October the 3rd, I had in all, eight hours of sleep.” “Goodbye to All That”, Penguin Classics (ISBN: 978-0-14-118459-3)