Today's Itinerary and Activities
We began our day south of Arras in the Somme battlefields. In the morning we examined the hard road to July 1916 and the infamous Battle of the Somme at the Newfoundland Memorial Park at Beaumont-Hamel. The focus here was on the experience of the Newfoundland Regiment in July 1916. After lunch we explored the Canadian Corps experience at nearby Courcelette-Regina Trench in the autumn of 1916. At the end of the day we followed the Canadian Corps to its winter 1916-1917 sector north of Arras facing Vimy Ridge. Our two seminar questions for today are:
We considered the debate over causes of the war, the opening of hostilities in 1914, and the origins of trench warfare. In the evening we considered a third seminar question: How are the causes of the Great War and Canada’s entry into it relevant to students in 2016?
- How much “military history” of the Great War should we teach in relation to social, cultural, political, economic and geographic dimensions of the 1914-18 generation?
- What are the intentions behind the Great War monuments and memorials you have seen so far?
We considered the debate over causes of the war, the opening of hostilities in 1914, and the origins of trench warfare. In the evening we considered a third seminar question: How are the causes of the Great War and Canada’s entry into it relevant to students in 2016?
"Do you know of a place where you live where you could stand and see four or five villages?"At our first stand, near Albert on the Somme, we can see the Beaumont Hamel memorial in the distance. We learn about the early days of the war, and why the front is here in 1916. The French army are here first in 1914 defending their industrial regions. Albert is the main railway junction to Arras, Amiens, and Peronne, and the major highway is here. If the Germans army keeps heading west past this region they get to the sea - France cannot let this happen because this will allow Germany control of their coal, which makes up half of their industrial capacity. 12 French Cavalry Division stops the German 26 Bavarian division here in September of 1914 - this is why the front line in 1916 is here. The French dug the trenches at this time, which started out neck deep as shell scrapes in October of 1914. This area remained relatively static until July 1916.
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Pedagogical pauseThe vans serve as an excellent way to engage in small group debriefs and discussion while we are traveling from site to site on the tour. Today, one of our teachers shared the MAIN acronym shared as a way to help students remember the causes of the First World War:
Militarism Alliances Imperialism Nationalism The following questions arose in our discussion of this approach: Does this hold up? Does it apply more to one country over others? Should we teach in generalities? We discussed why the assassination of Franz Ferdinand matters, whether this is a starting point or a catalyst. As one of our participants noted: "One guy gets shot and the whole world goes to war? That doesn't make any sense." Teaching war across the curriculumThe geography connection in considering the events of the fall of 1914 is inextricable from the history. The French and German concerns regarding access to transportation routes, the significance of major industrial areas, the location of agricultural regions in order to feed soldiers, where to build trenches so they don't flood, all of these are considerations central to why the events of war occurred where they did.
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Purposeful designAsk your students: why is the Beaumont Hamel memorial designed the way it is? Why a caribou? Why is it facing in that direction? Why is that specific rock used? What story or message does memorial convey?
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Exploring the experience at Beaumont Hamel
Why did this happen? The story often told is one of catastrophe, and understandably so, as this is the single worst day of losses in British military history. The narrative of Allied commanders, sending colonials to be slaughtered, is one of incompetence, particularly general Haig. The most significant question of the contemporary study of the experience at Beaumont Hamel is:
Are we trying to win the war?
In February of 1916, a massive offensive is launched at Verdun, revealing a new treat to Paris and bringing French soldiers from all over the Western front to shake the French political and social will and end the war. Existing evidence suggests that these were the German intentions. The evidence also suggests that it is known that war cannot be won in 1916, so military strategy focuses on attrition of enemy forces.
British plans are to attack on the Somme at some point in the fall, when British Commonwealth forces are almost fully mobilized and new , and to coincide with an Italian and Russian attack. But will that be too late? By July 1, British forces the could be spared had insufficient training and artillery power, but the fear is that if they are not sent to meet the German force, France may fall based on the threat to Verdun.
When do you go? How big is the risk? War diaries and logs of general Haig's staff indicate there is debate.
When the French general asks for the help, Haig's diary indicates that he does not feel ready, but cannot make the choice not to support France. Within the first week of the Somme offensive, the German offensive at Verdun stops. So what did they buy with their lives? Time for France. On an operational level, the Somme offensive can be considered a success.
Teaching deeply personal histories
The tension between history and memory is strong when we teach these events through which different groups of people have narrated themselves. The Newfoundland perspective is the one that we are most familiar with, a story of great loss and sacrifice, of heroes and villains. Do we romanticize these stories, because we are uncomfortable with the jobs soldiers do?
Our job at educators is to complicate the ways in which people narrative themselves. To get at some of the complexity of the experience at Beaumont Hamel, understanding the difficult situation and the degree of debate in Haig's camp is necessary. It is also important to understand in what sense this experience tells the story of a world war - Britain's losses on the Somme were also significant, and there are several British towns whose experiences are similar to Newfoundland's. It is also important to consider that Newfoundland's story in WW1 is not a single story of disaster and loss. Explore with your students:
What other actions did the Newfoundland Regiment serve in?
Our job at educators is to complicate the ways in which people narrative themselves. To get at some of the complexity of the experience at Beaumont Hamel, understanding the difficult situation and the degree of debate in Haig's camp is necessary. It is also important to understand in what sense this experience tells the story of a world war - Britain's losses on the Somme were also significant, and there are several British towns whose experiences are similar to Newfoundland's. It is also important to consider that Newfoundland's story in WW1 is not a single story of disaster and loss. Explore with your students:
What other actions did the Newfoundland Regiment serve in?
Photo Gallery
Classroom questions
How do different countries remember?
Why put a memorial somewhere? What is the significance of the ground where memorials are built?
How does the story change when new sources become available?
Why put a memorial somewhere? What is the significance of the ground where memorials are built?
How does the story change when new sources become available?