Scots on the western front

• Why did so many scots volunteer?

  • Peer pressure from others (eg white feather campaign)
  • Opportunity to earn steady money
  • Adventure
  • Nationalism
  • Propaganda
  • To escape a prison sentence
  • Pals Battalions (eg the hearts football team)
• What made life difficult in the trenches?

  • Rats
  • Wet and muddy conditions
  • Illness and wounds
  • Lack of food
  • Lack of hygiene
  • Lice
• About the battle of Loos?

  • In 1915
  • An indecisive battle (was no closer to ending the war)
  • Huge losses of troops (specifically from the cameronians and the gordon highlanders)
  • 5 scots were awarded the victoria cross
  • 20 scottish regiments / 30,000 troops fought
  • First use of poison gas
  • Most losses were Scottish men
• About the battle of Somme?

  • In 1916
  • 3 Scottish divisions involved
  • 51 Scottish infantry divisions
  • 600,000 casualties
  • Pressure was taken of verdun
  • Not much land was gained
  • German spirit was weakened
• About the battle of Arras?

  • In 1917
  • Scottish attacked in waves
  • New tactics used
  • New artillery used
  • Well planned out
  • 10 Scottish divisions
  • 1/3 of casualties were scots
• Weapons used?

  Old

  • Machine guns
  • Artillery and shells

  New

  • Gas
  • Tanks
  • Aircrafts
• Machine guns facts?

  • The use of machine guns forced the trenches
  • Britain had a Vickers machine gun that fired 600 bullets per min
  • Germans had more guns
  • British gun production increased drastically
  • They were good for defending trenches
  • Too heavy to carry into battle
  • Caused lots of deaths
  • Drew out the war
• Artillery facts?


  • Could easily destroy enemy trenches, buildings or men
  • Shrapnel easily killed / injured
  • Caused shell shock
  • Range of 30km
  • Not always accurate
  • Range was guessed at the beginning of the war
  • Difficult to move
• Poison Gas facts?

  • Could kill in hours
  • Horrible effects on victims
  • Gas could be fired in shells
  • Phosgene was the most deadly gas
  • Some gas was invisible
  • Could blow back and hurt own men
  • Fires cleared the gas
  • Gas masks prevented it
• Tanks facts?

  • Could climb slopes easily
  • Could cross large gaps
  • Protected men inside
  • Germans feared the tanks as they were new
  • Often broke down
  • Often ran out of petrol
  • Could get stuck in mud
  • Petrol fumes were bad for soldiers
• Aircraft facts?

  • The planes had open cockpits
  • Men could fire pistols or rifles from the plane
  • They flew over trenches to gather information
  • Machine guns were attached to planes
  • Could attack people on the ground
  • Could drop bombs
  • Had limited range
  • Used lots of fuel
  • Could only be used by trained pilots