Four years of fighting meant that the men who returned were never the same again
You're listening to Imperial War Museum's First World War Galleries podcasts presented by James Taylor, Head of the First World War Galleries team.
James Taylor: “On the 11th of November 1918, Germany signed an Armistice which brought an end to the fighting on the Western Front. The armies of Germany and its allies had been beaten in battle, but the cost had been enormous. Worldwide, approximately 16,000,000 soldiers and civilians had lost their lives. From Britain, 750,000 soldiers lay dead. From the other countries of the Empire, 250,000. For the one in six British families who had suffered a direct bereavement, the pain would never leave them.
Louise MacFarlane: “One of the enduring legacies that we still experience to this day is the sense of loss.”
James Taylor: “Louise MacFarlane is a member of the First World War Galleries team.”
Louise MacFarlane: “One of the most affecting items that we hold is a series of letters between Private William Martin and his fiancée Emily Chitticks. On display we have William's final letter, which was written on the 24th of March 1917. He was killed three days later when he was shot by a sniper. Unaware of his death, Emily wrote a letter to him the following day and we have this letter on display also. Interestingly, the letter is written in red ink giving I think some indication as to this, like panic that she was feeling in having not heard from William for a number of days. In fact, she writes in her letter, “My dearest Will, I feel I must write you again, dear, although there is not much news to tell you. I wonder how you're getting on. I shall be so relieved to get a letter from you. I can't help feeling a bit anxious, dear.” Emily died in 1974, having never married, and I think it's impossible not to be touched by the fact that this death had clearly affected the rest of her life.”
James Taylor: “Most British soldiers, 88% of them in fact, survived the war and returned to their families. But over the course of four years of fighting, there were many who had suffered life-changing wounds.”
Louise MacFarlane: “For instance, what was it like for the 41,000 who lost a limb as a result of the First World War, or what was it like for the 60,000 who suffered head or eye injuries? Another of our very affecting artefacts that we have on display is a range of facial prosthetics. They would have been undoubtedly relatively uncomfortable. They were generally made from metal, and normally they were affixed using a pair of spectacles. So, using these spectacle rims you could attach them to your ears. In the fitting artists such as Francis Dermot Wood would sit the wearer down, fit the mask to his face, and then make sure that the colour of the prosthetic would match the wearer's skin. We don't know who wore this particular example, but it does have S.T Roberts painted on the back with a number as well, and it's those small little things, I think that reminds us that actually this is a real thing that was worn by an individual.”
James Taylor: “It has taken over 4 years to create the new First World War Galleries at IWW London. Those galleries contain 1300 objects and over 60 audio visuals and interactives. Display techniques have, of course, changed since the Imperial War Museum first opened in 1920, yet the new galleries remain true to the mission of the men and women who founded it to make sure that we never forget what it is like to live in a world torn apart by conflict.
All of us at IWM feel it is a great privilege as well as a great responsibility to give voice to the millions who fought and lived through the First World War.”
Louise MacFarlane: “One of the founders, Sir Alfred Mond, said that the purpose of the museum should be not to be a monument of military glory, but rather a record of toil and sacrifice, both military and civilian. And I think that's still completely rings true for those who still work at the museum. One of the photographs we have on display features an early member of the museum staff and he's holding a number of framed photographs to the camera. To his right are three boxes brimming full of more photographs, letters and mementos of men and women, both on the home and fighting fronts who have been involved in the war. In the background, it looks like it's some sort of storage area. There's fragile, stamped on boxes at the back. For me, I get a picture of the museum beginning its life, and one that I now found myself being part of.”
The first World War Galleries at IWM London are open now. Find out more at www.iwm.org.uk/WW1.
Britain and its Empire were triumphant, but much changed by four years of war. The Great War gave rise to new ambitions, rivalries and tensions. Old empires had fallen, new nations had been born. For the first time in Britain, a national museum was dedicated to a specific conflict and set out to record the contribution of all sections of society to the outcome.
