Video summary
Newsreel and commentary examine the role of the quartermaster in keeping British troops supplied and equipped during World War One.
Tommies on the Western Front carried 30 kilos of kit.
A dramatic monologue introduces Captain William Stacey, a quartermaster on the Western Front.
He shows us around his stores and explains the importance of some key items of a soldier’s kit, such as boots, socks, blankets and gas masks.
This clip is from the series WW1 A to Z.
Teacher Notes
British soldiers on the Western Front were expected to carry 30 kilos of equipment.
Pupils could convert this amount from kilos into the imperial units of pounds and ounces.
The children could make up packs with a mass of 30 kilos. Is it easy to lift this pack? To carry it? To run with it?
Challenge pupils to list all the items they think a British Tommy would need to carry into battle.
Pupils could check their ideas with books and websites to confirm if their list matches the standard issue made to British troops in World War One.
This short film is suitable for teaching history at Key Stage 2 / Second Level or above.
P is for Post Office. video
Photographs, newsreel and dramatic monologue show how the Post Office carried messages and parcels from home to British Tommies in the trenches.
R is for Remembrance. video
Schoolchildren describe the national act of remembrance that takes place on 11th November each year.
S is for Shrapnel. video
Newsreel and dramatic monologue describe the effects of shrapnel in WW1, and the role of woman doctors in treating its effects.
