Question Type 1

Source Evaluation

The source

• Remember the key points

• Every source given will be useful to an extent

• Partially useful

• Very useful

• What does it lack detail in?

• Is it Biased?

The Source

• John A. Kerr

• Scotland and the impact of the Great War 1914-1928

• P119

Source A is from a letter written by Private Douglas Hepburn of the London Scottish to his parents in October 1915

Source A

My dear mum and dad,

We have been in the trenches for ten days and had a very rough time of it coming out with only 160 men left in our battalion. The Germans at the point where we attacked were ready and too strong for us. As we rushed up to the edge the machine gun was turned on us and we suffered high causalities. In the morning we cam back and the sight of the field was rotten. It was a typical battlefield – see all the dead bodies lying about in different positions, all our own men of course, especially in front of the German’s barbed wire. To see thousands of our troops, stretching right across the plain to the horizon, and stretcher-bearers going here and there, doing their work and the wounded crying for the bearers. It was a sight that could not easily be forgotten on that grey, misty and damp morning.

Question

• How useful is Source A as evidence of Scottish soldiers on the Western Front?

» 5 Marks

• What do we need to explore?– Origin– Purpose– Content– Recalled & relevant knowledge– Limitations– Conclusion

Source A is from a letter written by Private Douglas Hepburn of the London Scottish to his parents in October 1915

Source A

My dear mum and dad,

We have been in the trenches for ten days and had a very rough time of it coming out with only 160 men left in our battalion. The Germans at the point where we attacked were ready and too strong for us. As we rushed up to the edge the machine gun was turned on us and we suffered high causalities. In the morning we cam back and the sight of the field was rotten. It was a typical battlefield – see all the dead bodies lying about in different positions, all our own men of course, especially in front of the German’s barbed wire. To see thousands of our troops, stretching right across the plain to the horizon, and stretcher-bearers going here and there, doing their work and the wounded crying for the bearers. It was a sight that could not easily be forgotten on that grey, misty and damp morning.

Introduction & Origin

• The source is partly useful as evidence of the experience of Scottish Soldiers on the Western Front however the source does have limitations.

• The source is a letter from the front line from a soldier serving during October 1915. The source is a primary source as Private Douglas Hepburn of the London Scottish Regiment is an eyewitness who experienced the horrors and difficulties of the Western Front.

Purpose

• Why is this useful and why was it produced?

• The purpose of the source is to let his parents know what is happening in the front line and his experiences of the western front.

Source A is from a letter written by Private Douglas Hepburn of the London Scottish to his parents in October 1915

Source A

My dear mum and dad,

We have been in the trenches for ten days and had a very rough time of it coming out with only 160 men left in our battalion. The Germans at the point where we attacked were ready and too strong for us. As we rushed up to the edge the machine gun was turned on us and we suffered high causalities. In the morning we cam back and the sight of the field was rotten. It was a typical battlefield – see all the dead bodies lying about in different positions, all our own men of course, especially in front of the German’s barbed wire. To see thousands of our troops, stretching right across the plain to the horizon, and stretcher-bearers going here and there, doing their work and the wounded crying for the bearers. It was a sight that could not easily be forgotten on that grey, misty and damp morning.

Content

• The details described in source are useful as evidence. The source comments that after ten days in the front lines by saying “coming out with only 160 men in our battalion”. The average battalion had 800 men therefore this evidence shows that this individual battalion had suffered heavily during the battle.

Source A is from a letter written by Private Douglas Hepburn of the London Scottish to his parents in October 1915

Source A

My dear mum and dad,

We have been in the trenches for ten days and had a very rough time of it coming out with only 160 men left in our battalion. The Germans at the point where we attacked were ready and too strong for us. As we rushed up to the edge the machine gun was turned on us and we suffered high causalities. In the morning we cam back and the sight of the field was rotten. It was a typical battlefield – see all the dead bodies lying about in different positions, all our own men of course, especially in front of the German’s barbed wire. To see thousands of our troops, stretching right across the plain to the horizon, and stretcher-bearers going here and there, doing their work and the wounded crying for the bearers. It was a sight that could not easily be forgotten on that grey, misty and damp morning.

Private Hepburn explains in detail the reasons why casualties had been so high by identifying the machine gun as key to the failed attack. “As we rushed up to the edge the machine gun was turned on us and we suffered high causalities”. Private Hepburn clearly describes how difficult attacking German trenches were by mentioning such factors as barbed wire and the awesome power of the machine gun in deflecting enemy attacks.

Source A is from a letter written by Private Douglas Hepburn of the London Scottish to his parents in October 1915

Source A

My dear mum and dad,

We have been in the trenches for ten days and had a very rough time of it coming out with only 160 men left in our battalion. The Germans at the point where we attacked were ready and too strong for us. As we rushed up to the edge the machine gun was turned on us and we suffered high causalities. In the morning we cam back and the sight of the field was rotten. It was a typical battlefield – see all the dead bodies lying about in different positions, all our own men of course, especially in front of the German’s barbed wire. To see thousands of our troops, stretching right across the plain to the horizon, and stretcher-bearers going here and there, doing their work and the wounded crying for the bearers. It was a sight that could not easily be forgotten on that grey, misty and damp morning.

• Private Hepburn also comments on the emotional toll of trench warfare on the soldiers. Hepburn mentions to his parents about the aftermath of the battle and explains that seeing his fallen comrades lying on the battlefield and hearing his fellow soldiers and friends “wounded crying for the bearers” would be a “sight that could not be easily forgotten”. This is very important evidence regarding Scottish soldiers experiences of the Western Front as many men came back with not only physical scars but also mental scars of the horrors of the Western Front with many struggling to deal with the deaths of family and friends especially those who joined the Pals brigades who saw many friends and family die beside them.

Recalled Knowledge

• Plenty of things that you could add into this answer– Food – Fears– Daily routine and boredom– Lice– Rats– Disease

• The source is useful however it does have limitations. The source fails to mention anything about the problems of disease in the trenches. Many soldiers suffered from diseases such as Trench foot and Trench Fever as a result of living in the trenches. Private Hepburn also fails to mention that it was Artillery barrages that killed vast numbers of soldiers during WW1 and this had a huge toll on the soldiers during their stays at the front line. In some soldiers this caused ‘Shell Shock’ as the fear took over and caused severe mental strain and paralysed their ability to fight.

Conclusion

• Overall the source is quite useful as evidence of Scottish Soldiers experiences of the Western Front but it is only one persons account of the war therefore more letters would be needed to build up a wider view of the experiences of Scottish Soldiers.