“An officer should never speak ironically or sarcastically to an enlisted man, since the latter does not have a fair chance to answer back. The use of profanity and epithets comes under the same headings. The best argument for a man keeping his temper is that nobody else wants it; and when he voluntary throws… Read More
Research Paper Title Hearing loss in the trenches – a hidden morbidity of World War I. Background One hundred years ago, millions of British and Allied troops were fighting in the trenches of the Great War. With a tenth of soldiers losing their lives, hearing loss seemed a low priority; however, vast numbers of troops… Read More
Asbestos, a furry silicate mineral was woven into textiles and incorporated into building materials so that they would not burn. It found its way into cement, pipes, tiles and shingles. During World War One, Kaiser Wilhelm, the German monarch, sheltered in a portable asbestos hut. During World War Two, the United States armed forces used… Read More
“The inhabitants of Berlin, Ontario, whose heritage is largely German, decided during the first world war to call the town Kitchener, after Lord Kitchener, the British field-marshal and secretary of war whose face appeared on recruiting posters.” Reference The Economist. (2019) Welcome to Toxic Town. The Economist. 14 December 2019, pp.29.
“In return for their privileges, what did officers actually do? The simple answer, at least for regimental officers, is that they gave leadership, took responsibility, and set an example, if necessary, by dying. … Implicit was the assumption that the officer would be the first to die in battle. Officers were the first out of… Read More
“In the British Army, there are no good battalions and no bad battalions, no good regiments and no bad regiments. There are only good and bad officers.” Field Marshall Sir William Slim (1891 to 1970) echoing Napoleon. William Slim, 1st Viscount Slim of Yarralumla and Bishopston, was a British Field Marshal and Chief of the… Read More
“October 21st [1914] More bayonet instruction this afternoon. Our chaps are beginning to hold their weapons as if they meant business. Wetted my stripe today at dinner in the tent with drinks all around, and took the opportunity to intimate that I was to be addressed as “Corporal” in the future, and not by my… Read More
Boot Camp & Military Fitness Institute 