Profile

 

Name: Robert Jones
Home Town: Toronto, Ontario
Date of Birth: April 14th, 1885
Family: Father- Steve Jones, Mother- Katherine Jones, Big Sister-Jennifer Jones, Little Brother- Tom Jones
Relationship Status: Engaged to Susan Mitchell
Education: Graduate of University of Toronto
Job before War: Teacher
Position at War: Officer Jones
Nick Names: Bert
Hobbies: Fishing, reading, teaching
Motto: For my country and family
Life Goal: To go back to his home and to become the best professor of the town and to marry his fiancé

Favourite Quote:  “Fight till the last gasp.” William Shakespeare

Robert carries Susan's picture:

Fill in the Blank:

1. One thing I like about being a soldier is __meeting new friends__
2. One thing I hate about being a soldier is __leaving my family and love, Susan______
2. I miss _Susan_ the most
3.First food I will eat after the war is __Mom's signature pumpkin cheese pie__
4.First thing I will do after the war ___Marry Susan____
5.One thing I am most scared of right now _not being able to go back to Susan__




Citation
"The Soldier's Room For the First World War." World War One Museum. N.p., n.d.
     Web. 7 Dec. 2010. <https://sites.google.com/a/adamscott.ca/
     world-war-i-museum-feb-2010/the-soldier-s-room>. Picture of a Canadian
     Soldier in World War One

Woman Posing In A Sailor Suit Holding A Pair Of Binoculars, C 1880-1899.. Photograph. Encyclopædia Britannica Image Quest. Web. 7 Dec 2010.

Battle of Ypres

April 23, 1915
Dear Diary,

I was fighting at the second battle of Ypres in Belgium, and I had the most life-threatening experience in the past two days, but I am proud of myself, and other Canadian soldiers. We held on to the line and we saved the Battle of Ypres!

 Yesterday, on April 22nd at the battle of Gravenstafel, those sly Germans tried poisoning all of us! They released 5700 cylinders of chlorine gas where the French soldiers received the wost of the gas and it left a hole in the lines over four miles wide. I was horrified. Over 6000 french men died within the first few minutes. This was an extremely effective technique for those evil Germans to use.

I had to fill in the gap. The Canadian soldiers were required to fill this gap, and we did. We decided to use a surprise attack without any backup. How brave are we! And I only used my rifle! The Germans were caught by surprise! Today, we saved the Battle of Ypres! This is the first major action we, Canadians saw, and we were very successful compared to the French.

There was one embarrassing and dirty action I had to take. But it was my only way to survive. In order to survive through the German’s gas attack, I had to urinate on my shirt and cover my face. Yuk! But better than dying from burning lungs after inhaling chlorine gas I guess.

Another painting Josh did. He painted the Second Battle of Ypres.

Soldiers wearing masks

Citation:


The Charge Of The 4th Canadian Battalion At Ypres, From 'The Year 1915: A Record Of Notable Achievements And Events', 1915. Fine Art. Encyclopædia Britannica Image Quest. Web. 7 Dec 2010


British Soldiers Wearing Gas Masks, 1917.. Photograph. Encyclopædia Britannica Image Quest. Web. 8 Dec 2010.Link:
 http://web.ebscohost.com/src/detail?hid=11&sid=0b61db3b-3bf4-4534-a00d-f131586f5138%40sessionmgr10&vid=5&bdata=JnNpdGU9c3JjLWxpdmU%3d#AN0039041071-3

See A. Farrar-Hockley, Death of an Army (1967); E. N. Gladden, Ypres, 1917 (1967).

 

Medical Treatment

May 17, 1917
Dear Susan,

My love, I cannot believe I am writing you this letter in a field hospital. Yes I am in a hospital, but please do not worry my dear. I was shot by a German, but luckily he missed and shot my shoulder. Do not worry, it is only a small wound, and the doctor says it will heal pretty fast. I am doing just fine. I am lying in this hospital, well not even a hospital. It is just a big tent filled with hundreds of wounded soldiers. There are so many men suffering from diseases like Trench Fever and poison gas. I was planning on getting my Trench feet seen by the doctors, but Trench foot is not considered a problem since every man here has it. Lice is another problem, but it is also nothing compared to other more serious illnesses. If you see me right now, you may not want to marry me. Lice are all over my body, and my feet are rotten. The thing that hurts me more than my wound does is the crying, and screaming of these young men. Every hour, hundreds of men are dying here. I really can’t stand the odor: the odor of blood and rotting bodies. There are not enough doctors to take care of the injured soldiers, but there are quite a number of nurses. The nurses remind me of you, but thankfully you are not of them. I see that the nurses are suffering from their disastrous job and the horrible work condition. They need to take care of thousands of men who are suffering from contagious diseases. Susan, I miss you so much. I feel like I have spent few hundred years at this war. Time flies when I am with you, but it stops when I’m not with you. I m so scared of dying, not being able to see your beautiful smile again.

Do not worry my love, I will go back safe. I will fight for my country and for you.

Yours truly,

Robert

Injured Soldiers

A photograph of a man suffering from trench foot

Citation

Wounded Soldier. Photographer. Encyclopædia Britannica Image Quest. Web. 8 Dec 2010.

"Trench foot." Encyclopedia of the First World War. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Dec. 2010.
     <http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/FWWfoot.htm>. Picture of Trench
     Foot

"Medical Aspects of Gas Warfare." WWI The Medical Front. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Nov.
     2010. <http://www.vlib.us/medical/gaswar/gas.htm>.

Weapons

April 30th,1915

Dear Diary,

When I enlisted they issued me a Ross Rifle. It is simple and accurate, but I find it so frustrating!  Once the rifle gets heated after shooting a little, it jams! How can a soldier fight with a jammed gun? I heard a rumor about some business deal,  in which Sir Sam Hughes received money and allowed this company make these useless rifles. Why are the armament makers willing to ask men who are already sacrificing their lives to accept these faulty weapons?  How can someone try to make money through war. These thousands of innocent young Canadian men are dying. Because of these immoral people, my friends and I are at extreme risk! While shooting a German running at me with his bayonet, my rifle jammed! Thank God, there was a dead British soldier’s Lee-Enfield, in the mud! It saved my life! Those British rifles are so much better! They do not jam, but maintain their accuracy, although I sometimes think the Ross is more precise. Finally , they trained me to use the famous Maxim machine gun! This gun shoots  over 500 rounds per minute. It was truly amazing as hundreds of men fell in its death path. Unfortunately, we were not the only ones with these fantastic weapons. Those cunning Germans used chlorine gas on us at Ypres. They are  truly evil. I saw thousands of French men dying of burning lungs. The only way to survive through the gas attack was to cover my face with  a urine-covered rag. The face of war has changed. This was is not a war of men, but a war of weapons. These weapons are monsters that don't die. These never-before-seen weapons of mass destruction have changed the face of war.

Photograph of Maxim Machine Gun

Picture of the famous Maxim Mashine Gun

Lee-Enfield 303 Rifle

Citation

Scott, Adam. "The Soldier's Room for the First World War." World War I Museum 
     Feb 2010. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2010. <http://sites.google.com/a/
     adamscott.ca/world-war-i-museum-feb-2010/the-soldier-s-room>.

"The Ross Rifle Scandal." Canadian History. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2010.
     http://www.canadahistory.ca/vimy/Background/weapons/rossrifle.htm.

Lee Enfield 303 Rifle, C 1917.. Photograph. Encyclopædia Britannica Image Quest. Web. 8 Dec 2010. style:

"Maxim machine gun." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online School Edition.
Encyclopædia Britannica, 2010. Web. 7  Dec.  2010.
<http://school.eb.com/eb/article-9051542>.

"Guns." Trenches on the web. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Dec. 2010. <Wounded Soldier.
     Photographer. Encyclopædia Britannica Image Quest. Web. 8 Dec 2010.>.
     Picture of Maxim

Trench Warfare

April 17, 1915

Dear Diary,

I had absolutely no idea it was going to be this bad. How bad you say? This is “hell”. We were fighting against the Germans lines at Ypres.

The death toll was unbelievable. The sergeant shouted at me on the first day, “Over the top”. That means I would have to climb out of the trench and run across “No Man’s Land”. In our case, this was about 200 yards of distance between out trench and the German trench. When I did, the machine guns opened up and the sound of howitzers exploded in my ears. I walked behind a rolling barrage and made it to the German trenches, but it took so long I had to turn back because it was getting dark.

I cannot express how lonely I am here. But I am glad that I signed up for service with my best friend Josh. Josh, who used to be a famous artist in our town, did a small painting of a trench. He gave it to me for my birthday that no one else knew about here…This painting reflects the trench warfare very well. The trenches of Ypres, where I am currently fighting in, are very similar to the trench in this painting.

I am so scared of waking up tomorrow in this muddy trench, and repeating the same disastrous fight again. At the same time, I am scared of not being able to wake up. My feet are infected; they are numb and red, typical trench feet. I miss my darling, Susan who used to massage my feet when I was tired. I really miss her.

Caption

Lieutenant Campbell and Private Vincent, Canadians, at 'Stony Mountain', May 1915 - By Frank Dadd - English Artist - Private Collection - WAR & MILITARY SCENES: 20TH CENTURY - 1915 - lithograph

"Ypres." Trenches on the Web. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Dec. 2010.
     <http://www.worldwar1.com/foto/fww2352.jpg>. Soldiers in trenches in
     Ypres

Links

www.worldwar1.com/reflib.htm

Women's Role

May 5th, 1917

Dear Jennifer,

Jennifer, I miss you so much! I heard about the Wartime Election Act! I believe they granted the federal vote to the mothers, wives, and sisters of those participating in the Armed forces. You always wished to vote, and now you can! Surprisingly there are so many women working hard for our country. The world is changing; the war is changing our society. This is good news to the ladies like you Jen, who are independent and strong. I notice that the role of women in society is getting bigger and bigger. There are many women who work in banks, police forces, and in medicine. You will be surprised to hear this! There are so many women here, in a war! They nurse and build aircrafts, how awesome! I think of you when I see the women eagerly helping in the war effort. I am also aware of women taking paid or voluntary employment since there are not enough male workers. I am truly amazed at women’s ability. Jen, I never actually agreed with you when you talked about the equality between men and women, but after seeing how useful women are, I have changed my mind completely. I hear women are getting almost two thirds the pay of men! Soon women will get the same pay as men's! I am sincerely happy for you. You will be able to do so much more than our mother did.

Thanks for taking care of the family.

Love,

Your brother, Robert

Woman in arms industry World War

Nurses

Citation:

Woman In Arms Industry World War 1. Photograph. Encyclopædia Britannica Image Quest. Web. 8 Dec 2010.

A Times Picture Of Registration For War Work In World War I. Student Nurses From The Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Hospital Registeri Ng As Part Of The 1919 Class At The Women's Labour Exchange. Photograph. Encyclopædia Britannica Image Quest. Web. 8 Dec 2010.

"The Women of World War I." War and Gender. N.p., Sept. 2001. Web. 20 Nov. 2010.
     http://www.warandgender.com/wgwomwwi.htm.