Tommies: The British Army in the Trenches (Casemate Short Histor

Name: Tommies: The British Army in the Trenches (Casemate Short Histor
Brand: Casemate Publishers

Casemate Publishers

British soldiers have been known as Tommies for centuries, but the nickname is particularly associated with the British infantryman in the trenches of World War I. In August 1914, a small professional force of British soldiers crossed the Channel to aid the French and Belgians as the German army advanced.\n\nAs it became apparent that the war would not, in fact, be over by Christmas, a vast drive for volunteer soldiers began. As enthusiasm for enlistment tailed off, eventually conscription was introduced in order to replenish the forces weakened by years of bloodshed.\n\nBy 1918 the British Army was transformed, fielding 5.5 million men on the Western Front alone.\n\nThese Tommies fought an entirely new type of war, living in vast trench systems, threatened by death from the air and gas attack as well as by bullet, bomb, or bayonet. This introduction explores the experience of Tommies on the Western Front, explaining how their war evolved and changed from the mobile battles of August.