The First World War was a war unlike any other. Suddenly, millions of men from all walks of life and social standing were thrown together to live, fight and die in a habitat so new and so novel that it is no wonder that it gave light to a whole new lexicon of terms and language.
The creativity of the language used by the average Tommy in the trenches was often a source of high amusement or deep frustration, depending on your position and point of view. What cannot be denied is that an entire language was born in those trenches and many of those words and phrases are still used today. Here, in no particular order, are a few of my favourites...
The Bags
"The Bags" was a phrase commonly used to describe the parapet, which were often reinforced with layers of sandbags (pieces of sacking about 20inches long filled with earth that were laid on top of each other in a similar fashion to bricks). Going over the bags meant going out into No Man's Land - either on a raid or patrol, or as part of a larger offensive.
Gorgeous Wrecks
The First World War equivalent of 'Dad's Army' was the Volunteer Training Corps - comprising of men who were deemed either too old or unfit for regular service. VTC members undertook a wide range of tasks at home including; guarding vulnerable points, munitions handling, digging anti-invasion defence lines, assisting with harvesting, fire fighting and transporting wounded soldiers.
The men wore a distinctive armband emblazoned with the letters GR (Georgius Rex) which gave rise to a number of less than kind nicknames - including "Gorgeous Wrecks"!
Burberry
Yes, we are talking about that Burberry. The British fashion brand that has recently become synonymous with 'Chav culture' was also popular among the officer class during the First World War - especially their Trench Warm coat - a long coat made from waterproof material. A trench-coat if you will.
Windy
The First World War was not a period of time where being open and honest about your feelings was looked upon favourably. It was very much a time of the indomitable stiff upper lip. As a result, anyone and everyone did what they could to avoid words such as 'frightened' or 'scared'. As a result, euphemisms were rife and one of the most common terms was to be 'windy' or have 'the wind up'.
A Blighty Wound
Every soldier in the trenches dreamt of going home for some well earned rest, but leave was a luxury that stopped by only very rarely. It was no surprise then that most men hoped for a 'Blighty Wound' - a wound serious enough to be sent home on a hospital ship for further treatment in Britain, but not bad enough to be life threatening.
Shell Shock
Neurasthenia was a term that was used to describe nervous impairment or anxiety brought on by battle. It had been in use since the mid-nineteeth century, but by 1915 this had given way to the term 'shell shock'. It was a phrase that would become synonymous with the war.
Ace
Taken from playing cards where the four aces are generally perceived to be the best cards in the pack it was the French who first used the term for those pilots who shot down at least 5 enemy aircraft. It was quickly adopted by the Royal Flying Corps and other airforces.
I hope you liked these snippets of front line language - I have used the fabulous Trench Talk by Peter Doyle and Julian Walker as inspiration for this post. If you want to learn more about the language of the First World War, I can highly recommend it - you can find it on Amazon right here.
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