| |
The
British Army of 1914 was very small in comparison with the
mighty armies of continental neighbours France and Germany.
It was considered as 'contemptibly small' by Kaiser Wilhelm
II. But rapid expansion ensured that from mid-1916, it faced
the main body of the main enemy on equal or better terms, in
adition to providing winning forces in many other theatres.
By 1918, the scale, firepower and tactical sophistication were
all very much greater than in the early days. Click
here for the full facts. |
| |
| How
big was the army? Total enlistments |
| Men
from United Kingdom, in Army in August 1914: |
733,514
|
|
| plus
Recruited from England : |
4,006,158
|
|
| plus
Recruited from Scotland: |
557,618
|
|
| plus
recruited from Wales and Monmouth: |
272,924
|
|
| plus
Recruited from Ireland: |
134,202
|
|
| Total
size of contingents sent to serve overseas: |
| From
Canada: |
418,035
|
of
total 628,964 in arms
|
| From
Australian and Tasmania: |
330,000
|
of
total 416,809 in arms
|
| From
New Zealand: |
100,471
|
of
total 220,099 in arms
|
| From
South Africa: |
74,196
|
of
total 136,070 in arms
|
| From
Newfoundland: |
10,610
|
of
total 11,922 in arms
|
| From
West Indies: |
16,000
|
This
total to end of 1917
|
| From
other Dominions: |
31,000
|
|
| Total
British Army servicemen available for deployment: |
7,165,280
|
|
| From
the Indian Army and other 'coloured troops': |
1,524,187
|
|
| Total
force available for deployment: |
8,689,467
|
|
|
| |
| Where
did these men serve? |
| Theatre
of war: |
Peak
strength (i.e. maximum at any one time)
|
Total
employed (i.e. saw service in this theatre at some
point)
|
| The Western
Front: |
2,046,901
|
5,399,563
|
| Mesopotamia: |
447,531
|
889,702
|
| Egypt
and Palestine: |
432,857
|
1,192,511
|
| Salonika: |
285,021
|
404,207
|
| Italy: |
132,667
|
145,764
|
| Gallipoli: |
127,737
|
468,987
|
| Other
theatres : |
293,095
|
475,210
|
|
| |
| How
many soldiers were killed? |
According
to figures produced in the 1920's by the Central Statistical
Office, total British Army casualties were as follows:
| Total
killed in action, plus died of wounds, disease or
injury, plus missing presumed dead: |
956,703
|
Royal
Navy and RFC/RAF casualties were 39,527 |
| Of
which, from the British Isles were: |
704,803
|
|
| And
from Canada, Australia, India and other places: |
251,900
|
|
| Total
British Army deaths on the Western Front: |
564,715
|
Of
which, 32, 098 died of disease or injury |
| Total
British Army deaths on the Gallipoli Front: |
26,213
|
|
| Total
British Army deaths on the other Fronts: |
365,375
|
|
|
| |
| How
many soldiers were wounded? |
According
to figures produced in the 1920's in the Official History
of the Medical Services, total British Army wounded were
as follows:
| Total
British Army wounded in action, plus other casualties
(e.g. accidental): If a man was wounded twice he
appears here twice: |
2,272,998
|
Royal
Navy and RFC/RAF casualties were 16,862 |
| Proportion
returned to duty: |
64%
|
|
| Proportion
returned to duty but only for lines of communication,
garrison or sedentery work: |
18%
|
|
| Proportion
discharged as invalids: |
8%
|
i.e.
approximately 182,000 |
| Proportion
died of wounds received: |
7%
|
|
|
| |
| How
many soldiers were sick? |
The
number of men evacuated to England from the Western Front,
who were suffering from an illness:
| Year |
Officers
|
Other
ranks
|
| 1914 |
892
|
25,013
|
| 1915 |
5,558
|
121,006
|
| 1916 |
12,818
|
219,539
|
| 1917 |
15,311
|
321,628
|
| 1918 |
15,311 |
265,735
|
The
proportion of men suffering from illnesses was very much
higher in Palestine, Mesopotamia, Gallipoli and East
Africa.
|
| |
| Tonnages
and trains: Monthly issues
of foodstuffs and basic supplies on the Western Front |
| |
Size
of forces on Western Front |
Monthly
issues in lbs (Pounds weight) or
Gallons |
| |
Men |
Horses |
Meat |
Bread |
Forage |
Petrol
(Galls) |
| 1914,
August |
120,000 |
53,000 |
3,600,000 |
4,500,000 |
5,900,000 |
842,000 |
| 1918,
November |
3,000,000 |
500,000 |
67,500,000 |
90,000,000 |
32,250,000 |
13,000,000 |
|
See also: First and Lasts of the war
|
