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1916-17 British Infantry Marching #1
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1916-17 British Infantry Standing On Watch
The First World War of 1914 -1918 ended the Edwardian Era of optimism and laid the groundwork for the balance of the twentieth century. Although civilization had experienced worldwide conflicts in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, massive industrialization and new technologies created unprecedented casualties and destruction beyond expectation. Several new additions have been added to the ever growing selection of figures and accessories representing the“War to End All Wars.”
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1916-17 British Infantry Walking with Rations
The British Army sent to mainland Europe in 1914 was referred to as the British Expeditionary Force or BEF.
The BEF was made up of 6 divisions of British regular army and reserves. By the end of 1914 the old regular British Army had suffered massive casualties.
Recruitment of replacements, creation of new division and the expansion of the Territorial Force rebuilt the army on the Western Front with over 5,399,563 men serving in Europe. The maximum strength being 2,046,904 men at any one time.
The casualty rate was often 10% or more on in the trenches. Poor sanitary conditions in addition to disease contributed to this. Poor conditions and the stress of combat broke many men.
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