John Crawford - Experience of a Lifetime

DAVID LITTLEWOOD

Experience

1. Noun [mass noun]: practical contact with and observation of facts or events; The knowledge or skill acquired by such means over a period of time; An event or occurrence which leaves an impression on someone
2. Verb: encounter or undergo (an event or occurrence); Feel (an emotion)

T he First World War is often depicted as a fundamentally negative historical event. Petty squabbles between emperors and lites are said to have pushed nave young men into a nightmare environment of mud, blood and callous indifference that killed millions and left those who survived scarred and embittered.

This interpretation of the conflict came to prominence between the 1960s and the 1980s. It rested on the ubiquity of the anti-war poets in school curricula, on the release of literary-based studies by Paul Fussell, Eric Leed, Roland Stromberg and Modris Eksteins, and on the success of the Blackadder Goes Forth BBC television series.

This appraisal wields so much influence because it contains an element of truth. The Somme, Verdun, Passchendaele, Gallipoli and many other engagements all resulted in dreadful losses of life. According to the most reliable estimates, fully nine million military personnel died during the conflict. Many of the survivors had braved artillery and machine-gun fire, in addition to enduring deplorable living conditions. Some suffered lasting physical or mental damage, which then hindered their return to civilian life.

Yet this popular understanding of the First World War suffers from four major problems. First, it discusses the conflict by reference to subsequent events and present-day concerns, particularly the Second World War and the geopolitical situation in the Middle East, rather than from the perspective of those who were alive at the time. Secondly, it centres on the development of over-arching theories the lost generation, the birth of the modern and the end of innocence while omitting contradictory occurrences and neglecting specific details.

Analysing the First World War via the medium of experiences allows these difficulties to be overcome. On the one hand, a focus on specific episodes militates against present-centredness by requiring an extensive use of primary sources. If letters, diaries, memoirs, official documents and interviews cannot entirely bridge the gap between the historian and the past, they do offer the best way to narrow it. Accessing and reproducing the words of contemporaries facilitates a much deeper understanding of how they perceived events and why they reacted to them in a particular fashion.

Prioritising experiences also takes into account that everybody who participated in the First World War did so as an individual. Men and women were drawn into the conflict for a wide range of reasons and from all manner of backgrounds and occupations. Exploring particular eventualities helps to recognise the impact of these variables, and means that disparities are treated with the same degree of importance as similarities.

Experiences also provide a more nuanced understanding of what being involved in the war entailed. Although hardship and death were all too common, they took place alongside more positive occurrences. For example, the movement of multinational armies across countries and continents gave vast numbers of people the chance to see new parts of the world and led to an unprecedented mixing of cultures. For some this merely reinforced or generated prejudices, but in others it inspired a sense of wonder and respect. The conflict also produced countless interactions between people within the armed forces, within other war-related organisations and within local communities. If the consequences could be unfortunate or even provocative, there was also a simultaneous formation of bonds, friendships and relationships that would never have happened otherwise.

Another attraction of experiences is that they foreground agency. Rather than being overwhelmed and alienated by the wars realities, many individuals were able to develop effective coping strategies.

A final consideration is that a persons experiences shed light on how they acquired new knowledge and skills. The common emphasis on military blunders and stubbornness tends to obscure the great doctrinal strides that were made across four years of war. Whereas the armies of 1914 relied on lan and mass frontal assaults, those of 1918 employed intricate combined-arms operations supported by scientifically directed firepower.

The myriad benefits of experience as a research category are showcased across the following chapters. They comprise 16 of the papers delivered at The Experience of a Lifetime: People, Personalities and Leaders in the First World War conference, which was held at Massey Universitys Wellington campus from 22 to 24 August 2014. This event drew together academics, public historians, archivists and interested members of the public from New Zealand, Australia, France, the United States and the United Kingdom. A diverse programme of talks was formally opened in the Great Hall of the Old Museum Building, and was interspersed with panel discussions and audio-visual presentations. The conference formed part of the Centenary History of New Zealand in the First World War Programme, and was generously facilitated by its sponsors: the New Zealand Defence Force, the Ministry for Culture and Heritage, and Massey University.

This volume covers a large number of First World War experiences. It is divided into five overall themes: high command experiences, soldiers experiences, imperial experiences, experiences in the air and at sea, and experiences behind the front line. Although New Zealanders predominate, there is a wide-ranging examination of the various campaigns they fought in, and substantial sections that deal with individuals from other belligerents. Ultimately, the editors make no claims for this being a definitive account of the conflict, but rather one that is influenced by, and that seeks to influence, an ongoing process of reassessment. For if the First World War was a fundamentally nuanced, multi-faceted and open-ended event, then its historiography should also demonstrate those characteristics.