Exercise II: True or False?

Gary Sheffield (2002) subtitles his book ‘Myths and Realities’ and Todman uses ‘Myth and Memory’ implying that many of the stories surrounding the war are just untrue or mythological. For reasons noted above he argues that successive generations have cemented these so that they are now viewed as historical fact, whereas the truth about the war, and especially what people thought about it at the time, is very different.

Below are a series of statements about the War. You are asked to indicate whether you think these are true of false. Moreover, when considering your answer it might be interesting to reply based on your knowledge of what most people today ‘think’ is the correct answer.

1. Britain lost more men, proportionately, than any other nation.
2. Most men were in the front-line trenches for the majority of their active service.
3. Field Marshal Earl Haig’s state funeral was probably attended by more people than Princess Diana’s.
4. Gas was the major killer on the Western Front
5. British Generals were kept safely away from the battlefields