soldier killed in the shelling. He had been treated for his wounds by French medics at the cathedral. Watch lent by Her Majesty The Queen Atrocity photographs These photographs show some of the 262 inhabitants of the Belgian town of Andenne murdered by German soldiers on 21 August 1914. The town’s population was accused of attacking German troops in a ‘treacherous fashion’. An eyewitness described, ‘The corpses of …many civilians lying on the ground…In the square, desperate looking men, women and children, more dead than alive, half-clothed ... Everywhere terror and brutality’. Moneybox, poster and paperknife The German public celebrated ‘Big Berthas’ as symbols of military power and technological achievement. This moneybox and poster each depict an image of a ‘Big Bertha shell. The paperknife was made from a fragment of a shell fired at a Belgian fort at Namur. 42cm shell This 42cm shell was the type fired by the huge Big Bertha siege mortars to smash Belgian and French fortresses. Célestin Demblon, a Belgian politician, described the ‘frightful explosion’ of one being fired, ‘The crowd was flung back, the earth shook like an earthquake and all the window panes in the vicinity were shattered’. Photo caption
Display captions Summary caption Ottoman Turkey’s leaders hoped that the support of Germany would restore their failing empire. Although German military experts had described the Turkish Army as ‘a military nonentity’, Germany still hoped to use it to strike at Britain’s links with India. Turkey’s empire was in a good geographical position to do this, but it did not have a proper railway system to transport troops. Turkish uniform This Turkish officer’s uniform was worn by Second Lieutenant Abedine Houchemi of the 2nd Infantry Regiment, who fought at Gallipoli. His uniform was made in Germany, like much Turkish equipment. Turkey’s military chief, Enver Pasha, feared that his army was ill-prepared for war. Although short of modern weapons and equipment, its best troops, recruited from the Anatolian countryside, proved tough fighters. Rifles When Turkey entered the war in October 1914, it had 700,000 rifles designed by the German Mauser company.
their value to the war effort, they tried to secure higher wages. They also objected to ‘dilution’, the employment of unskilled workers for skilled work. Many saw them as unpatriotic, as echoed in this ‘Punch’ cartoon. Rule book and diary Every munitions factory produced a rule book and enforced strict discipline. A Women’s Police Service, unheard of before the war, supervised female workers, as described by policewoman Gabrielle West in her diary. Alcohol was seen as the greatest threat to productivity. Lloyd George declared that, ‘we are fighting Germans, Austrians and Drink’. The British tradition of ‘treating’, buying rounds in the pub, was banned. Leaflet, photograph and employer’s manual Employers encouraged workers to use their spare time profitably. The Church Army Rest Huts promoted in the leaflet here provided chapels, reading rooms and free writing paper. The photograph of a factory's football team reflects the popularity of the women's game at the time. Without such activities, the employer’s manual Health of the Munition Worker warned, ‘the public-houses and less desirable places of entertainment may benefit’. Women’s football team from a London munitions factory, captained by former actress Gracie Sinclair
Lee-Enfield rifles and Pattern 1907 bayonets The attacking British infantry expected to drive the Germans from their trenches with their Lee-Enfield rifles and Pattern 1907 bayonets. But many soldiers who advanced across no man’s land found little chance against machine gun fire and artillery. Some soldiers were cut down even before they had crossed their own front line. Photo caption Men of 55th Brigade after taking their objective at around 6pm on 1 July A costly apprenticeship ‘The British...infantry... is very brave but undergoing a costly apprenticeship.’ French officer, 10 July 1916 The Battle of the Somme lasted five months. The Allies kept attacking, but the Germans fought for every inch of ground. Soldiers from across the British Empire took part in the battle. For many of them it was their first experience of combat on the Western Front. Why did the battle last so long?