The Worcestershire Soldier Exhibition - The Worcestershire Regiment in World War 1

The Worcestershire Soldier - The Worcestershire Regiment in World War 1

Archaeology Service

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The Worcestershire Regiment in World War 1 - Recruiting Poster from 1915

Service Areas

France and Flanders
Gallipoli
Mesopotamia
The Balkans
Italy

The Worcestershire Regiment in World War 1 - A conscript with his family, just before leaving for France

Overview - Trench Life - Battalion Service - Service Areas

	France and Flanders - Most Battalions spent at least a little time on the Western Front. This was a war of mud and trenches, and futile yet bloody battles. From 1915-early 1918 there was a total stalemate, with massive battles gaining little ground but costing huge numbers of dead and wounded.
The Worcestershire Regiment was present in nearly every major battle, and countless smaller ones, and often took a prominent role.

Gallipoli - British and Imperial troops landed in Gallipoli, in the straights between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean, in April 1915, and stayed until the winter. Their attack was supposed to knock Turkey, Germany's ally, out of the war. However, bad planning and poor generalship led to a complete disaster.
The landings never achieved more than a tiny foot hold, and everything (including food and water) was in constant short supply. Troops lived in sweltering and diseased trenches, with constant attacks and counter-attacks which achieved nothing at great cost. Go to top of page

'The long road to Baghdad', by 'Snaffles' - Click on image for a bigger picture

Mesopitamia - now Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Iraq. The troops here fought the Turks across vast stretches of desert. Marching and fighting in the heat and dust, it was an exhausting war, but largely a successful one. Despite set backs at Kut in 1916, the British Army forced the Turks right back through Arabia, taking Baghdad in 1917. Their actions secured the Red Sea and Britain's supply lines to India, Australia and New Zealand, who all supplied men, food and arms.

The Balkans - The Regiment also sent men to fight in Macedonia in the Balkans. Here they helped the Serbs to fight the Austrians. They fought mainly in the cold and inhospitable mountains, but played a major part in aiding one of Britain's smallest allies.

	Italy - In Italy the Regiment again fought against the Austrians. This time they were helping the Italians, and again the war was mainly fought high up in the mountains.