Syllabus

• Week 1

  Mobilisation and recruitment

  • Introduction

    Welcome to the course. To begin, course leader Mario Draper provides a brief introduction, then we'll start to explore the relationship between Britain and the colonies & dominions.

  • The South African War & military reform, 1902-1914

    Here we examine the lead up to the Great War, looking at the reforms made in the British Army following the Boer War, and the Imperial Army Project. We'll also consider the specific case of Britain’s largest colony – India.

  • The call to arms

    In this activity we'll consider the recruitment and mobilisation of Imperial and Dominion forces, and introduce the concept of "martial races".

  • Raising labour for the Western Front

    Here we examine the contribution made by labour contingents (in particular, Chinese and South African labourers) on the Western Front, considering the differences in experiences of Imperial labourers compared to fighting troops.

  • The manpower challenge

    In this activity we'll look at the challenge of raising manpower for the Western Front, and how and why this challenge was met either by volunteersim or conscription.

  • Summary

    We round off our first week with a brief summary of the topics we've covered and a chance to reflect.

• Week 2

  Imperial forces in action

  • Introduction

    Mario Draper starts our second week with a brief overview of the topics we'll cover.

  • Indians and South Africans

    Here we consider the contribution of Indians, particularly at Neuve Chapelle, and South Africans, at Delville Wood.

  • Canadians and Newfoundlanders

    Here we consider the contributions of Canadians, particularly at Vimy Ridge, and Newfoundlanders at Beaumont-Hamel.

  • Australians and New Zealanders

    Here we consider the contributions of Australians and New Zealanders on the Western Front.

  • Summary

    To round off our second week, we'll engage with academic texts relating to Colonial and Dominion Forces on the Western Front, before Mario Draper provides a brief summary of what we've covered this week.

• Week 3

  Image and reputation

  • Introduction

    Mario Draper starts our third week with a brief overview of the topics we'll cover.

  • Shock troops

    In this activity we'll look at the ways in which Imperial troops were used, including how they were invovled in new approaches to warfare and the specialist roles they took on.

  • Discipline and morale

    here we'll consider issues related to discipline, including court martials and use of the death penalty, and morale, including the importance of sports and other social activities.

  • Summary

    To round off our third week, Mario Draper provides a brief overview of the topics we've covered.

• Week 4

  Memory and commemoration

  • Introduction

    Mario Draper introduces our fourth and final week with a brief overview of the topics we'll cover. In this activity we also consider the work of the Imperial War Graves Commission.

  • Permanent memorials

    Here we look in detail at a number of memorials and cemeteries, including the Menin Gate in Ypres and sites related to particular Imperial contributors.

  • Pilgrimage and legacy

    In this activity we consider the legacy of the Great War, thinking about the idea of 'pilgrims' and 'tourists', visiting one of the most recently built war cemeteries, and investigating the idea of the 'unknown soldier'.

  • Conclusions

    We conclude our fourth week - and our course overall - with a brief look back at all the topics we've covered.

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