Citizen Soldiers The Liverpool Territorials in the First World War [Hardcover]

A compelling assessment of the experience of the British soldier in the First World War.Citizen Soldiers uses letters and official sources to investigate the experience of the British soldier in the First World War. By using a local case study the book re-examines historical themes previously studied at a national level and casts new light on the soldier's relationship with home, his attitudes towards war, command and discipline within the army and the importance of local identity to military morale. It will appeal to military historians and their students as well as the general reader interested in soldiers' lives in the First World War.Citizen Soldiers uses letters and official sources to investigate the experience of the British soldier in the First World War. By using a local case study the book re-examines historical themes previously studied at a national level and casts new light on the soldier's relationship with home, his attitudes towards war, command and discipline within the army and the importance of local identity to military morale. It will appeal to military historians and their students as well as the general reader interested in soldiers' lives in the First World War.The popular image of the British soldier in the First World War is of a passive victim, caught up in events beyond his control, and isolated from civilian society. This book offers a different vision of the soldier's experience of war. Using letters and official sources relating to Liverpool units, Helen McCartney shows how ordinary men were able to retain their civilian outlook and use it to influence their experience in the trenches. These citizen soldiers came to rely on local, civilian loyalties and strong links with home to bolster their morale and challenge those in command.1. Introduction; 2. Pre-war Liverpool and the Territorial Force; Part I. Territorial Characteristics and the Morale of the Soldier: 3. 'Cuff and Collar Battalions:' social change and its impact on the unit; 4.lCI