A Soldier's Kit WW1 Uncut

SHELL WHISTLES

EXPLOSION

To

win a war, you need the right

stuff - clothes, food and weapons.

Those are the essentials.

So how well-equipped was the British soldier in 1914?

British forces had lots of different uniforms and equipment

but the most iconic uniform of all was worn by the British infantryman

on the trenches

of the Western Front.

MUSIC: "Never Leave You (Uh Oooh, Uh Oooh!)" by Lumidee

# Uh-oh

# Uh-oh

# Uh-oh

# Uh-oh

# Honestly

# If I tell

# Tell you what

# What you want to know, love

# There ain't another

# I don't want no other lover

# I put nothing above you

# I kick them to the gutter

# They trying to shake me

# You know you loving me crazy

# Look at us lately

# And tell them who's your lady

# I never thought you'd be the one

# Make me shine brighter than the sun

# There ain't no ups and downs

# No in and outs

# We're here right now

# If you want me to stay

# I'll never leave

# If you want me to stay

# We'll always be

# If you want me to stay

# Love endlessly

# If you want me to stay

# If you want me to stay then I'll never leave you

# Uh-oh, uh-oh

# Uh-oh

# Uh-oh... #

So

there it is - the British

infantryman ready for action.

But just how ready?

The British infantryman went into World War I

as the best prepared soldier on the planet.

Let's take this, for example.

The Lee-Enfield rifle.

The Brits were famously fast and accurate using this rifle.

It could take ten rounds in a magazine.

The British built four million of these during the

war.

They were in service for years after.

This was the best rifle on the Western Front.

Instead of

gators,

the British had the ingenious idea

of putties that they brought over from their experience in India.

They'd wrap these right around the lower leg

and that would keep your legs dry

and also provide a lot of support as well.

One of the biggest challenges for any soldier

in the past or the present

is carrying

the sheer amount

of kit they need

to keep themselves alive and take the fight to the enemy.

The British soldiers had the 1908 pattern webbing.

Just slipped over the body like this.

And it allowed them

to carry

much of what they needed into battle.

A water bottle here, ammunition here and here,

and my bayonet, 17 inches of sharpened steel, right here.

Hidden around the back, the entrenching tool,

or spade to you and me. Simply drop that in there.

This allowed British soldiers

to get

themselves out of trouble

if they were being shot at by immediately digging

a mini hole in the ground and getting themselves out of harm's way.

British kit was good but it wasn't perfect.

This is a cloth cap, it's a good bit of camouflage

but, obviously,

it provided no protection

against high-velocity shrapnel.

And that's why, about halfway through the war,

steel helmets were issued to all the British troops.

But, believe it or not, this was still a lot better

than what the French and Germans had.

The German Pickelhaube.

It's made of leather and it provided an obvious target for marksmen.

If Britain had the best-prepared soldiers,

no

prizes for guessing

who wasn't too far behind.

But if the German kit wasn't as up to date as the British,

they did have one major advantage.

There were over four million of them.

At least German battledress was fit for fighting a 20th-century war.

In 1914,

one army's soldiers

were colour-coordinated more for the

Parisian runways than the trenches.

MAN: Ooh-la-la!

DAN: It's not that the French military hadn't heard of khaki

but lots of countries were unprepared in 1914

and couldn't prepare tons of new kit overnight.

Sometimes you've got to make do with what you've got.

The British Army's bang-up-to-date uniform

and weaponry

was down to

its battle-hardened experience.

Just as well, because they would need every advantage they could get.

SHELL WHISTLES

EXPLOSION

And what about that other essential of military life,

food?

The High Command knew that, without good food,

no battles would be won at all.

And that's why the Brits were actually provided

with a pretty generous diet.

Bacon here, some corned beef, quarter of a loaf of bread,

cheese, load of vegetables, some mustard and, last but not least,

each day the men were issued with two big tablespoons full of

rum.

This is the wash kit roll here

and they wouldn't have tended to use the knife and fork

when they were up in the front line.

They'd just use the spoon to shovel everything in.

But they would have used the razor.

They had to shave every single day, no matter what,

except their top lips.

Soldiers in World War I had to wear a moustache, if they could grow one.

But back to food. At

the start of the

war, how did enemy rations compare?

Bring on the heavy artillery, meat and potatoes.

In 1914, Brits enjoyed more meat than the Germans.

We're not talking juicy steaks, exactly,

but you could make a nice, hearty stew,

better than some of the soldiers had been used to back home.

But over the course of the war,

more and more meat was of the tinned variety.

Too much could lead to indigestion, diarrhoea and vomiting. Nice(!)

In the battle of the carbs, the Germans were the clear winners,

although at least the British soldier had something to put on his bread.

But as the war continued, resources became scarce,

and in Germany, especially, there was a crippling shortage of food.

For the soldiers, the daily ration dwindled

until, by 1918,

all

the German soldier might eat was turnip stew served with turnip bread.

Each side had an arsenal of condiments.

But probably of more interest to the soldier in his trench was exactly

how much alcohol he could look forward to each day.

The Germans were given generous rations of alcohol

and tobacco to enjoy, easily more than the British soldier,

but at least he had some cheese.

Party on(!)

So who wins?

At the start of the war, in terms of calories,

the British soldier is

the clear victor, with almost 1,000 more than his enemy.

But given that generous

booze

allowance,

perhaps the German soldier wasn't too bothered.

The British generals knew that food,

just like proper boots, uniforms and rifles,

was absolutely vital if they wanted to win World War I.

And the reason they knew that was because Britain had been involved

in a lot of fighting over the previous generation,

particularly during the Boer War in South Africa.

They'd learned from their mistakes so that, by 1914,

their food and their equipment was fit for purpose.

I get another one, right, Sarge?