Shropshire in the First World War
Civil Life v Army Life
The 'Hanwood Boys', as they have become affectionately known, are a group of young men, many of them former scouts, from the village of Hanwood in Shropshire, England, who bravely fought for their country during the period of World War I. And whilst cataloguing a collection of wartime letters as part of my work experience at Shropshire Archives, I came across a fascinating document written by one of them, entitled: 'Civil Life v Army Life'. It is of particular interest because, as a piece of social history, it not only provides us with an insight into the differences between civilian and army life at that time, but from the viewpoint of a soldier who actually experienced them.
Hanwood Rectory
Hanwood Church in the early 20th century
In this undated 7-page document, handwritten on lined paper with no addressee, except for it being found amongst a collection of letters sent to the Reverend James Charles Martin Chitty of Hanwood Rectory during World War I, Bombardier Thomas F Chard 2531 3/1st of the Cheshire Brigade Royal Field Artillery, simply signing off as TFC as he does in his letters, expresses amongst other views, that, 'In the army we must first lose our individuality, and we are very fortunate if we find it again.'
In relation to what conditions were like for a soldier during World War I, Bombardier Chard writes: 'My first night in Camp was one of horror. The language was new and strange. It was one stream of filth.' This is suggestive of a need for tolerance on the part of the soldier, as men from different backgrounds, dialects and social classes are put together with the common aim of fighting for their country. Bombardier Chard further elaborates on the kinds of men he is forced to mix with when he later writes:
In the Army you have to associate with the "boys" in your sub or your company, and often there are some rotters among them - men who in Civil Life you would pass by on the other side and yet be blameless. In my hut there are two of the filthiest fellows it has ever been my misfortune to meet. Nightly I witness their horrible words and yet they are my Companions. I eat with them, I sleep near them - I was going to say with them. I am as yet spared that. And so Civil Life scores again here - in that you can choose your own companions - and a man is known by the company he keeps - in Civil Life - in the Army it doesn't count.
This situation of men being forced to share accommodation with other men, who are strangers to them, is indicative of choice and identity having been taken away from the soldier.
And in terms of army discipline, Bombardier Chard remarks:
It was not long before I realised that I had lost the protection of Civil Law. Military Law loomed up before me as a monster seeking whom he may devour. I vaguely remember hearing such phrases as this - "Shall suffer death or such less punishment as is this act mentioned."
This comparison would suggest that strict army discipline was in place for the most minor of misdemeanours, and something that left the soldier with nobody to complain to but the army itself, leaving little option open to them but to conform.
Then, Bombardier Chard talks about the position of women within army life. He remarks with a hint of homesickness:
In Army Life I have greatly missed the refining influence of woman. Of course you will say that War is men's work. Quite so. It is. But our women suffer equally with their men. The presence of a woman in Camp is taken by some soldiers to bear indication of a certain profession. Where woman is the subject of conversation among the soldiers their expressions leave no doubt as to the value which they place upon her - that of brute blasts. Our finer feelings are first shocked and then blunted, and it needs much care lest the cleaner soldier should be dragged into the mire of filth. This leads me to the observation that Army Life tends to destroy the finer emotions of life.
In the above, Bombardier Chard is not only expressing a concern for the way in which women were objectified during army life, but over how easy it was for fellow man to be drawn into such disrespectfulness.
And for his conclusion, Bombardier Chard summarises his differences between Civil Life and Army Life as follows:
The discipline of Civil Life is based on self-respect; in Army Life, on punishment - swift and sure.
In the Army we must first lose our individuality, and we are very fortunate if we find it again.
In Civil Life you get a week-end every week - and a late pass every night.
In Civil Life you get what you earn.
In Army Life you get what they give you.
One finds true religions in the Army Ceremony is stripped of its wrappings and a man finds the true relationship with his maker.
Another and of course lesser point is this - A man becomes more domesticated in the Army than in Civil Life.
What is the conclusion of the whole matter?
The answer lies in Tommy's own song "When I get my civvy clothes on no more soldiering for me."
The document reference within this article is catalogued at Shropshire Archives in Shrewsbury, England under Ref. No. 9155/1/38, should you wish to view it in its entirety. It represents a collection of thoughts that can only really have been constructed from personal experience. And with national service ending in 1963, many of us can only but imagine how hard the adjustment must have been from Civil Life to Army Life and back again, for those fortunate enough to make it home.
Philip David Jones working at Shropshire Archives
Philip David Jones
English Undergraduate Student, UCS
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