THE GREAT WAR

Evening Star, Issue 17312, 27 March 1920, Page 8

THE GREAT WAR

"WHAT 1918 COST BRITAIN IN SACRIFICE. SOME IMPRESSIVE FIGURES. _ Official figures «re now given to the publto m order that they may gauge tie greatness ot the effort* and sacrifices made by the British Army in Franoe in the year which brought final victory to the Allies. Between August 4, 1914, and November 11, ISIB, more than 6,000,000 men passed through the ranks of the British Army. This contribution places Britain in the second place among the Allies in respeot to the contingents contributed for military service. Pride of place goes to France, while the third largest contribution was made by the United States of America, who sent Olose on 2j000,000 of her sons to fight in this theatre. STRENGTH OF THE BRITISH ARMY. The table below shows the strength of- t&g British Army .in France under three headfc Column A gives the ration strength of th© Army—that is, the -total number of men (excluding- colored labor end prisoners of war) who were being fed from Army stocks in France. This figure includes thousands of men whose duty was not to fight, but to supply, equip, and in other ways assist tha fighting man. Column B. which gives the combatant strength, includes all fighting troops—viz., cavalry, machine gunners, pioneers, garrison and cyclist battalions—together with the troops in divisional or baso depots—i.e., all troops -whose functions' are, in the first pla.se. fighting. Column C gives the rine strength—that is, the officers and men of the infantry battalions alone. A B C Bation Combatant Rifle „ , , Strength. Strength. Strength. March 11,1918 1,828,098- 1,293,000 616.000 April 1 ... 1,667.701 1,131,124 528,617 September 23 1,752,829 1,200.181 493 306 r*<n-eraber 11 1,731,578 1,15*;790 461,748 The following are the comparable figures for the United States, also drawn up from official sources: AMERICAN TROOPS IN FRANCE. ABC Ration Combatant Rifle Strength. Strength. Strength. March 11 ... 245.000 125,000 April 1 ... 319,000 214,000 51 000 September 25 1,641,000 1,195,000 341.000 November 11 1,924,000 1,160,000 322,000 PRISONERS AND G-UNS. The captures of prisoners and guns in Prance during the victorious offensive against the German army between July 18 and November 11 were as follow: Prisoners. Guns. British armies 200,000 2,540 French armies 135,720 1,880 American armies 43,300 1.421 Belgian armies 14J500 '474 BRITISH TROOPS IN ITALY. In addition to all this, it must ba remembered that there were 80,000 British combatant troops in Italy, who co-operated.most effectively in the final defeat of the Austrian army at Yiltorio-Veneto, capturing 30.000 prisoners, and that in the Eastern theatres of war—Palestine and Mesopotamia—where about 400,000 British trcops ou an average throughout 1918 were fighting, the complete defeat and destruction >of the Turkish army was effected by the British alone, and a total of 85,000 prisoners taken. BRITISH TROOPS IN- THE WAR. The following figures show the total number of troops from Britain and her Dominions employed in the Great War:— British Isles „. ... 5,704,416 Canada 640.886 Australia 416,809 New Zealand 220,099 - South Africa .:. 136,070 India 1,401,350 Other colonies* 134,837 Total _ ... 8,854,467 * Includes colored trcops recruited froms South Africa, West Indies, etc. TOTAL BRITISH CASUALTIES. The total casualties contracted in the was were;— Approx. Approx. » killed, died missing of wounds, and Wounded, died, prisoners. British Isles ... 662,083 140,312* 1,644,786 Canada 56,119 306* 149,733 Australia 58,460 164* 152,100 New Zealand ... 16,132 5* 40,749 South Africa ... 6,928 33* 11,444 India 47,746 871* 65,126 Other coloniest... 3i649 368* 3,504 851,117 142,057 2,067,442 * Prisoners repatriated not shown. Men now known to be killed shown under heading of "killed." T Includes colored troops from South Africa, etc., but excludes 44.i;62 African native followers—i.e., died and killed, 42,318; wounded, 1,322; missing, 62. The death* were due mainly to epidemics.