World War One: How did 12 million letters a week reach soldiers?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-25934407 

'During World War One up to 12 million letters a week were delivered to soldiers, many on the front line. The wartime post was a remarkable operation, writes ex-postman and former Home Secretary Alan Johnson.For fighting soldiers it was essential to morale and the British Army knew that. It considered delivering letters to the front as important as delivering rations and ammunition.

Trains ran back and forth across Picardy under cover of darkness dropping some mail off along the route and unloading the rest at railheads where special REPS lorries took them to the "refilling points" for divisional supplies.
 Regimental post orderlies would sort the mail at the roadside and carts would be wheeled to the front line to deliver it to individual soldiers. The objective was to hand out letters from home with the evening meal. It's said that no matter how tired and hungry the soldiers were, they always read the letter before eating the food.'

 

Joe Glenton

http://joeglenton.com

Joe Glenton is a journalist and author with a focus on defence, security and war. He is also a British Afghanistan veteran.

Joe served in Afghanistan, Africa and the UK. He was the first British soldier to refuse to serve in Afghanistan on legal and moral grounds. Threatened with years in prison, he challenged and beat charge of desertion, which was withdrawn by the military before trial to avoid a public examination of the War on Terror.

He talks about this 'British Identity' and 'Imperial identity' and our perceptions of the army - how there are 'powerful idealogical drivers' to make people want to join, such as:
- masculinity
- ideas of heroism
- serving the country/Queen

We have a very patriotic culture which persuades people to join..

 http://socialistworker.co.uk/art/37319/First+World+War%3A+%E2%80%98I+refuse+to+murder+and+butcher+people+that+know+as+little+as+we+do+for+what+end+they+are+fighting%E2%80%99#prettyPhoto

First World War: ‘I refuse to murder and butcher people that know as little as we do for what end they are fighting’

Thousands of First World War appeals from men of military age arguing for exemption from conscription were released last week, writes Raymie Kiernan

Rehearsal Notes from today...

• Need to get at least 4 more typewriters
• More armchairs
• Sewing machine
• Hospital beds?
• Old TV

• We decided whether we need a kitty and treasurer? £20 each? To buy props we may need that we can't find/collect
• Contact Joe Glenton to see whether we can organise an interview with him or use his pre-existing interviews available on his site

• Puppet feet - need to have wood or rubber on base to stop the polystyrene noise they create and to give more weight
• Paint or cover in fabric - illusion of real shoes

Opening of production 

• Old people watching a TV documentary/News report/Interview with modern soldier 
• They wake up and what they listen to triggers memories - catalyst which sparks these stories
• Typewriters are revealed - sound effects for second story (feet marching, rain, gun fire..) 

'No Glory' and 'Stop the War'

No Glory is a campaign created in order to remember the Great War but not in the 'patriotic' traditional way.

''2014 marks the hundredth anniversary of the beginning of the First World War. Far from being a "war to end all wars" or a "victory for democracy", this was a military disaster and a human catastrophe.''

''Instead we believe it is important to remember that this was a war that was driven by big powers' competition for influence around the globe, and caused a degree of suffering all too clear in the statistical record of 16 million people dead and 20 million wounded.''

http://noglory.org/index.php/articles/119-how-to-stop-the-commemoration-of-world-war-one-becoming-a-justification-for-future-wars#.Uu-cavl_s40 

Ex-British soldier Ben Griffin on why we will not fight for Queen and country

'I am a Human Being and my allegiance is not to Queen and Country but to the whole of Humanity.

I no longer accept the lies which perpetuate war.

I no longer accept that violence can lead to Peace.

Never again will I be complicit in the killing and torture of my Brothers and Sisters.

Never again will accept the vile religion of Patriotism.

I refuse to pull on that rancid uniform.

I refuse to fight for Queen and Country.'

http://www.stopwar.org.uk/ 

''Dedicated to ending the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, bringing the troops home and forcing the British government to change its disastrous foreign policies. We have initiated many campaigns around these issues and are also committed to opposing sanctions and military attacks on Iran, supporting Palestinian rights, opposing racism and defending civil liberties.''

I successfully contacted Stop war to find out if they know of any modern day soldiers we could interview; and they do! Currently I am sending an email back to them about our project which will be forwarded to numerous soldiers and families who have been involved with the Afghanistan war. If any reply, this would be extremely useful. As at the beginning of our production, we want the old people to be sleeping/watching TV. On the TV we want a current soldier talking about issues surrounding war today or a news report which will act as a catalyst to spark off these memories and talk about their experiences. 

Truth is Stranger than Fiction

Our company name:

 'Truth is Stranger than Fiction'

http://theatredesign3.blogspot.co.uk/

Check out our group blog as I have been posting notes/photos from rehearsals on there.. 

However here are some of my sketches made from today :)

We have been collecting objects too; so far the best have been an old tape recorder, type writer and a violin from the time period of WW1!  

Experimenting with set and manipulation...

Factory imagery during WW1

http://www.nam.ac.uk/online-collection/detail.php?acc=1999-11-70-68



http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2411052/Incredible-photos-shed-light-working-life-Britains-women-First-World-War.html



http://www.senseimarketing.com/




http://www.iwmprints.org.uk/image/743560/lewis-g-p-women-munition-workers-finish-small-arms-cartridges-in-small-arms-cartridge-factory-no-3-at-woolwich-arsenal-london-during-the-first-world-war

World War One cigarette tins

From our transcription of episode 6 of 'The Last Voices of World War One' we put together from listening to the DVD, I have have tried to put together a conversation among the characters, for the script, about 'being captured'. One part, Jack mentions 'a little tin' of cigarettes.

Jack: I expected that bayonet to go straight into me, but it didn't. Strange enough when he got up to me, he stopped, and the thing he said to me was 'cigarette and kamerad(?)' I nearly dropped down in surprise. So I felt in my pocket where I kept a little tin of Readlyn made cigarettes. And he took some and put them in his pocket, and I put the tin back......and that was my birthday.....

I collected a few images of WW1 cigarette and tobacco tins and I feel we could experiment and explore using this object within the scene. Jack, whilst talking, could reach into his pocket and act out the scene using a real tin, maybe offer a cigarette to another character as well?