LaureateBritainOutline

BenBlack

1.
IamwritingmyeventbecauseIwanttodigdeeperintothebattleofthesomme
andtheBritishside.ThebattleofthesommehasinterestedmeeversinceRichard
talkedaboutitinonawednesday.Whatinterestedmewashowmanypeopledied
insuchashorttime.Itisalsooneofthebiggestbattlesandheaviestlossesthe
BritishhadduringWorldWarI.AndIwouldliketoexploremorewhatitwaslike
forsoldiers,andwhatallhappenedduringit.
2.
GermanyhopedBritainwouldstayoutofthewaraltogether.However,the
GermansknewthatBritainhadpromisedtodefendBelgiumundertheTreatyof
Londonof1839.TheGermanswantedtheBritishgovernmenttoignoretheTreaty
ofLondonandlettheGermanarmypassthroughBelgium.TheBritish
governmentmademuchoftheirdutytoprotectBelgium.Belgium'sportswere
closetotheBritishcoastandGermancontrolofBelgiumwouldhavebeenseenas
aseriousthreattoBritain.Intheend,Britainrefusedtoignoretheeventsof4
August1914,whenGermanyattackedFrancethroughBelgium.Withinhours,
BritaindeclaredwaronGermany.TheKaisersaidhowfoolishhethoughtthe
Britishwere.HesaidthatBritainhadgonetowarforthesakeofa"scrapof
paper".Byabout1907itwasbecomingcleartoBritainthatthegreatestpotential
threattoBritainwasgoingtobeGermany.Thestrongeconomy,largepopulation
andpowerfularmedforcesofGermanyseemedtobecapableofdominating
Europe.Asaresult,BritainbegantosupportRussiaandFrance.Britainjoinedthe
TripleEntente.
Enlistingmen:PropagandapostersoftenurgedmentoenlistintheBritishArmy
byappealingtoidealsofmasculinity,heroism,pride,andloyalty.Thesewidely
circulatedpostersreliedonaviewerspositiveresponsetoimageryofhealthy,
stalwartsoldiersoremblemsoftheBritishnation.Apropagandaposterasksits
viewertoidentifywithwhatisdepicted,whichusuallyconcernspolitical,gender,
and/orsocialidentity.Aspartofmakingsuchanappeal,propagandistsoften
obscuremorerealisticaspectsofcombatorservice.


3.
TheBattleoftheSomme,alsoknownastheSommeOffensive,wasoneofthe
largestbattlesoftheFirstWorldWar.FoughtbetweenJuly1andNovember1,
1916.TheSommegrantedtheFrenchhaverelieffromthebattleofVerdun.The
germansstartedtoretreattoheadoverandfightattheSomme,andtheFrench
becauseofthiswereabletostartgainingground.AbigreasonforSommewas
keepingtheFrenchinthewarbecausetheyweretakingheavylossesatVerdun.It
wascalledthebattleoftheSommeandnotjustSommebecauseitwasfoughtby
theSommeriverinnorthernFrance.

4.
ThebattleoftheSommewasoneofthebloodiestmilitarybattlesinhistory.Onthe
firstdayalone,theBritishsufferedmorethan57,000casualties,andbytheendof
thecampaigntheAlliesandCentralPowerswouldlosemorethan1.5millionmen.
ThebattleattheSommestartedwithaweeklongartillerybombardmentofthe
Germanlines.1,738,000shellswerefiredattheGermans.Artillerydidmostofthe
killinginWW1andinthebattleoftheSomme.Germanyhadbeendugintothe
Sommesince1914andhadalotoftimetofortifytheirposition.TheBritish
plannedonsendingalotofartillerydowntotryanddestroybarbedwiresomen
couldgetthrougheasier.Barbedwirewasnotverydestroyedwithalltheshells
thatwerefired.MostofthemenHaigcommandedweregoingintobattleforthe
firsttimeandwerenotexperienced.Duringthebattletherewasanunderground
miningoperationfromthebritish.Theythoughttheycoulddigunderandtryand
blowtheGermansupfromunderandkillandgetridofbarbedwireandother
objectsthatmadeithardtoadvance.Becausetheareathattheywouldbuild
dugoutsinandtrencheswerechalkthismadeitveryeasyforthemtomineanddig
itout.Theydugunderplanningonblowingthelandupandthegermans.Itworked
usingannmal(whichisanexplosive)anditwasdetonatedbeforetheBritish
charged.

5.

TheBattleoftheSommewasanexpensivelessoninhownottomounteffective
attacks,buttheGermanarmywasalsoweakenedandinFebruaryretreatedtonew,
andshorter,defensivelines.AlsoforanumberofmonthstheFrenchhadbeen
takingseverelossesatVerduntotheeastofParis.TorelievetheFrench,the
AlliedHighCommanddecidedtoattacktheGermanstothenorthofVerdun
thereforerequiringtheGermanstomovesomeoftheirmenawayfromtheVerdun
battlefieldthusrelievingtheFrench.AbigreasonforSommewaskeepingthe
FrenchinthewarbecausetheyweretakingheavylossesatVerdun.TheFrench
CommanderinChief,Joffre,conceivedtheideaasabattleofattrition,theaim
beingtodraintheGermanforcesofreserves,althoughterritorialgainwasa
secondaryaim.Thiswasbitofawakeupcalltothebritishandafterthisbattlethey
improvedtheirwartacticsgreatly.
6.
Mypoemwillbeadualpoemofabritishsoldieratwarandhiswife.Iplanon
usinglettersanddocumentsIfindtocreativelyincorporatethatintomypoem.I
willdoeither2poemsordoajointpoemthatissplit.Iplanonfocusingthepoem
onhersideandthemoreunheardwomenvoiceduringthewarandopinionvsthe
soldier.Ialsoplanondoingthechallengeextensionbyinterviewingaveteranand
puttinghisviewonwarandhisexperiencesonwarcreativelyintomypoem.

CitedSources:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/britain_wwone/overview_britain_ww1_01.sht
ml
(A)
http://www.voxeu.org/article/walkingwoundedbritisheconomyaftermathworld
wari
(B)
https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/art1010/wwIdada/artgreatwar/a/britis
hartandliteratureduringwwi
(C)
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/greatwar/g2/backgroundcs1.htm
(D)
https://www.pbs.org/greatwar/resources/casdeath_pop.html
(E)


http://www.history.com/topics/worldwari/battleofthesomme
(E)
http://www.firstworldwar.com/battles/somme.htm
(F)
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/worldwarone/battlesofworldwarone/the
battleofthesomme/
(G)
http://spartacuseducational.com/FWWsomme.htm
(H)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NfE9k8awDpc
(I)