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Attrition

War turned ordinary people into killers, sometimes provoking feelings of excitement, at other times shame. However, soldiers weren’t always called to kill the enemy as firing parties were needed to execute men form their own side. The strains of war drove some soldiers to either desert their post or to inflict a wound on themselves; both of which were offences which could result in death by firing squad.

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8 minutes

More clips from I Was There: The Great War Interviews - Learning Zone