World War 1 Overview
Welcome to the WW1 overview page. This page gives you an insight into how terrible and gruesome WW1 was. It shows how much the Germans lost during the First World War and shows where their aggression stems from in the lead up to WW2.
The following slides briefly explain the buildup to WW1.
The above slide shows the losses of each war per day. As you can see the number of losses during WW1 per day greatly out numbered any other wars. It is easy to see from this chart why WW1 was named the 'Great War'.
The above chart shows the allied forces in green, while the enemy is in yellow.
Activity 1
Play the 'Youtube clip below and listen to the word sof the song. 'And the band played Waltzin' Matilda' was written by Eric Bogle in 1971. The song was then covered by the Pogues.The song describes war as futile and gruesome. It portrays imagery of devastation at Gallipoli. The song is written from the memory of an old man as a young boy being enlisted into the Australian army.
LYRICS OF THE SONG - AND THE BAND PLAYED WALTZING MATILDA
When I was a young man I carried my pack
And I lived the free life of a rover From the Murrays green basin to the dusty outback I waltzed my Matilda all over Then in nineteen fifteen my country said Son It's time to stop rambling 'cause there's work to be done So they gave me a tin hat and they gave me a gun And they sent me away to the war And the band played Waltzing Matilda As we sailed away from the quay And amidst all the tears and the shouts and the cheers We sailed off to Gallipoli How well I remember that terrible day How the blood stained the sand and the water And how in that hell that they called Suvla Bay We were butchered like lambs at the slaughter Johnny Turk he was ready, he primed himself well He chased us with bullets, he rained us with shells And in five minutes flat he'd blown us all to hell Nearly blew us right back to Australia But the band played Waltzing Matilda As we stopped to bury our slain We buried ours and the Turks buried theirs Then we started all over again Now those that were living, did their best to survive In a mad world of blood, death and fire And for seven long weeks I kept myself alive But around me the corpses piled higher Then a big Turkish shell knocked me arse over tit And when I awoke in my hospital bed And saw what it had done, I wished I was dead Never knew there were worse things than dying |
For no more I'll go waltzing Matilda
All around the green bush far and near For to hump tent and pegs, a man needs two legs No more waltzing Matilda for me So they collected the cripples, the wounded, the maimed And they shipped us back home to Australia The legless, the armless, the blind, the insane Those proud wounded heroes of Suvla And as our ship pulled into Circular Quay I looked at the place where my legs used to be And thank Christ there was nobody waiting for me To grieve and to mourn and to pity And the band played Waltzing Matilda As they carried us down the gangway But nobody cheered, they just stood and stared Then turned all their faces away And now every April I sit on my porch And I watch the parade pass before me I see my old comrades, how proudly they march Reliving old dreams of past glory I see the old men all twisted and torn The forgotten heroes from a forgotten war And the young people ask, "What are they marching for?" And I ask myself the same question And the band plays Waltzing Matilda And the old men answer to the call But year after year their numbers get fewer Some day no one will march there at all Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda Who'll come a waltzing Matilda with me And their ghosts may be heard as you pass the Billabong Who'll come-a-waltzing Matilda with me? |
Task
Have a think about the song lyrics. What does the song say about war? Is there anything in the song that stands out for you? Think about the following versus or discuss them as a group. What do you think the author of the song means and what do you think he thought about war?
1 - “seven weary weeks," he kept himself alive as "around me the corpses piled higher“
2 - "that terrible day" ... "in the hell that they called Suvla Bay we were butchered like lambs at the slaughter"
3 - "they blew us right back to Australia“
4 - "never knew there were worse things than dyin' “
These are only some of the many versus that you can choose from. Think about some of the other ones that stand out for you
1 - “seven weary weeks," he kept himself alive as "around me the corpses piled higher“
2 - "that terrible day" ... "in the hell that they called Suvla Bay we were butchered like lambs at the slaughter"
3 - "they blew us right back to Australia“
4 - "never knew there were worse things than dyin' “
These are only some of the many versus that you can choose from. Think about some of the other ones that stand out for you
Activity 2
Look at the following photos. What do these photos say about war? Do the men in the photos look happy? How do you feel about the horrible nature of some of these photos. Would you of liked to have been in the army, fighting in WW1 at this time? How would of you handled the situation?
Activity 3
Video - Blackadder goes forth - Final Scene
What the final scene of the series "Blackadder goes forth'. This series which was a comedy suddenly changes to a more serious episode when they finally go over the top. This film depicts what it much of been like when it was time to leave the trench and make a move. What do you think it would of been like to be Blackadder and his men at this time? What word would best describe their feelings? What do you think happened to them after the camera stopped shooting? Talk with your pairs or classmates and discuss this scene.
Great War DVD Teacher Activity.
'The Great War' Dvd is a fantastic resource to be used in the classroom when studying either the First World War or the origins of the Second World War. I have attached a photo of what the DVD looks like. To purchase the DVD look at any DVD sales website or a local book store. There are many questions that could accompany the DVD, I have added some of my own below for your use if need be.
Focus Questions
ESSAY STYLE QUESTIONS
1. From the DVD why do you think that it is so important for us as New Zealander’s to remember World War One?
2. What are/were some of the major causes and effects on New Zealand due to the First World War?
3. Why was the First World War so significant to us as New Zealander’s?
ALTERNATIVE USE
As well as the focus questions this DVD can also be used as an imagery tool. Certain sections of the video are shown and the students are to decipher:
1. What the person in that particular clip must of been feeling.
2. Why that particular image was used?
3. What did the sound tell you about the image?
1. From the DVD why do you think that it is so important for us as New Zealander’s to remember World War One?
2. What are/were some of the major causes and effects on New Zealand due to the First World War?
3. Why was the First World War so significant to us as New Zealander’s?
ALTERNATIVE USE
As well as the focus questions this DVD can also be used as an imagery tool. Certain sections of the video are shown and the students are to decipher:
1. What the person in that particular clip must of been feeling.
2. Why that particular image was used?
3. What did the sound tell you about the image?