Basic Training in WWI

Taylor Harbin · Sep 23, 2014

I've been looking for some resources that will give me a good, day by day account of how soldiers were trained in the WWI era. Each army was different, so I'll just say the British army. I'm looking for details. Where recruits were sent, camp routine, when they'd go from exercise to rifle training and bayonet practice, etc.

Anyone know of a good book or two on this subject?

Trebor1415 · Sep 24, 2014

Go down about two posts below yours to "History of Army boot camp" where someone asks essentially the same question.

I posted a ton of links to WWI training there, most of them related to the British army.

waylander · Sep 24, 2014

Robert Graves 'Goodbye to All That'

blacbird · Sep 24, 2014

The answer to your question may depend greatly on when during the WWI period the soldiers were being trained. At the outset of the conflict there were still major British military commanders who believed the way to fight a war was with officers on horseback wielding sabres, commanding foot-soldiers with similar weapons. A General Haig, I believe, who commanded British troops in France, famously disapproved of rifles. Barbara Tuchman's wonderful history The Guns of August discusses this medieval moron and his "achievements".

Somewhere along the way, German machine-guns and troops trapped in Belgian trenches altered that view. Then there came the issue of poison gas.

Mesuspects those things affected troop training in a significant way.

caw

Basic Training in WWI

Taylor Harbin

Power to the pen!

Trebor1415

practical experience, FTW

waylander

Who's going for a beer?

blacbird