The British Army of 1914 was very small in comparison with the mighty armies of continental neighbours France and Germany. It was considered as ‘contemptibly small’ by Kaiser Wilhelm II. By 1918, the scale, firepower and tactical sophistication of the army were all very much greater than in the early days. The statistics of it all would fill a very large book: here are a few key facts. The text and figures are from contemporary sources.
How big was the British Army of 1914-1918? 8.7 million men served at some time
| Men from United Kingdom in army in August 1914: |
733,514
|
|
| plus recruited from England : |
4,006,158
|
|
| plus recruited from Scotland: |
557,618
|
|
| plus recruited from Wales and Monmouth: |
272,924
|
|
| plus recruited from Ireland: |
134,202
|
|
| plus Empire contingents sent to serve overseas: | ||
| From Canada: |
418,035
|
of total 628,964 in arms
|
| From Australian and Tasmania: |
330,000
|
of total 416,809 in arms
|
| From New Zealand: |
100,471
|
of total 220,099 in arms
|
| From South Africa: |
74,196
|
of total 136,070 in arms
|
| From Newfoundland: |
10,610
|
of total 11,922 in arms
|
| From West Indies: |
16,000
|
This total to end of 1917
|
| From other Dominions: |
31,000
|
|
| Total British Army servicemen available for deployment: |
7,165,280
|
|
| From the Indian Army and other ‘coloured troops’: |
1,524,187
|
|
| Total force available for deployment: |
8,689,467
|
|
Where did these men serve? 5.4 million men served in France and Flanders (the Western Front)
| Theatre of war: |
Peak strength (i.e. maximum at any one time)
|
Total employed (i.e. saw service
in this theatre at some point) |
|
France and Flanders:
|
2,046,901
|
5,399,563
|
|
Mesopotamia:
|
447,531
|
889,702
|
|
Egypt and Palestine:
|
432,857
|
1,192,511
|
|
Salonika:
|
285,021
|
404,207
|
|
Italy:
|
132,667
|
145,764
|
|
Gallipoli:
|
127,737
|
468,987
|
|
Other theatres:
|
293,095
|
475,210
|
How many soldiers of the British Army died in the Great War?
According to figures produced in the 1920’s by the Central Statistical Office, total British Army casualties were as follows:
| Total killed in action, plus died of wounds, disease or injury, plus missing presumed dead: |
956,703
|
of which Royal Navy and RFC/RAF casualties were 39,527
|
| of which, from the British Isles were: |
704,803
|
|
| and from Canada, Australia, India and other places: |
251,900
|
|
| Total British Army deaths in France and Flanders: |
564,715
|
of which 32,098 died of disease or injury
|
| Total British Army deaths on the Gallipoli front: |
26,213
|
|
| Total British Army deaths on all other fronts: |
365,375
|
How many soldiers of the British Army do not have a known grave?
In March 2009, the totals from the Commonwelath War Graves Commission for the First World War are a s follows. These figures include all three services:
Buried in named graves : 587989
No known graves, but listed on a memorial to the missing : 526816, of which
– buried but not identifiable by name : 187861
– therefore not buried at all : 338955
The last figure includes those lost at sea.
So it is fair to say that about half are buried as known soldiers, with the rest either buried but unidentifiable or lost.
How many soldiers of the British Army were wounded in the Great War?
The enormous firepower of the armies of 1914-1918 guaranteed a high proportion of wounded to men in action. According to figures produced in the 1920’s in the Official History of the Medical Services, total British Army wounded were as follows:
| Total British Army wounded in action, plus other casualties (e.g. accidental): if a man was wounded twice he appears here twice: |
2,272,998
|
Royal Navy and RFC/RAF casualties were 16,862
|
| Proportion returned to duty: |
64%
|
|
| Proportion returned to duty but only for lines of communication, garrison or sedentery work: |
18%
|
|
| Proportion discharged as invalids: |
8%
|
i.e. approximately 182,000
|
| Proportion died of wounds received: |
7%
|
How many soldiers of the British Army were sick in the Great War?
In every previous war, deaths and casualties to sickness far outstripped those from military action. By 1914 and beyond, medical advances and an increasingly well-organised medical chain of evacuation made sure this was not the case. The number of men evacuated to England from France and Flanders, who were suffering from an illness:
| Year |
Officers
|
Other ranks
|
|
1914
|
892
|
25,013
|
|
1915
|
5,558
|
121,006
|
|
1916
|
12,818
|
219,539
|
|
1917
|
15,311
|
321,628
|
|
1918
|
15,311 |
265,735
|
The proportion of men suffering from illnesses was very much higher in Palestine, Mesopotamia, Gallipoli and East Africa.