End of a family...

[Chris Boonzaier]

What terrible fates!

Missing for over a year before the body is found, and buried alive.

[Ulsterman]

sad-

buried alive?

[Chris Boonzaier]

sad-

buried alive?

It was quite more common than we think. Was reading an account where a man was buried, then dug out 3 times in a day.

All you needed was the entrance of a bunker to collapse, or a shell to collapse the side of a trench wall.

I think I have 2-3 death cards to men buried alive.

I assume a portion of the men "missing" were probably buried alive by shell fire.

best

Chris

[Ulsterman]

ah! verschuetten means "enclosed" or "trapped"?

I don't have my Dueden nearby.

[Chris Boonzaier]

enough to have a wall of a trench collapse on your upper body.

A terrible way to go...

[Thomas Symmonds]

Hello All -

I have this letter which pretty much says it all ...

and page 2 ...

[Thomas Symmonds]

...

Regards

Thomas

[joe campbell]

what a harrowing letter to write...

about an even more harrowing set of circumstances...

RIP.

joe

[Chris Liontas]

After reading more and more personal accounts of WWI, I cannot believe what these men endured in regards to heavy, sustained, high caliber shell fire. I am surprised so many men lived through such torment, both physically and with their sanity intact.

Thanks for posting these guys! It really does make what we collect "real" doesnt it?

[Chris Boonzaier]

After reading more and more personal accounts of WWI, I cannot believe what these men endured in regards to heavy, sustained, high caliber shell fire. I am surprised so many men lived through such torment, both physically and with their sanity intact.

Thanks for posting these guys! It really does make what we collect "real" doesnt it?

Actually, i was reading an interesting thing a few weeks ago. The theory that todays soldiers will be suffereing more psychological damage than the older generation.

The reason given was that modern soldiers have such improved helmets and body armourr that they are more difficult to wound.

The older generation would suffer a wound then either die, or be evacuated... todays soldier has a good chance that his body armour will stop it.

So, if a greanade goes off, the ww2 soldier would have got a slight concussion and splinter wound and leave the line. Nowdays he may just get a slight concussion... and stay in the line....

The modern helmets and bodyarmour may mean that he can withstand more explosions (and the resulting brain Trauma) than his grandfather.... ergo the higher portion of modern day vets with brain trauma and problems than there was after WW1 or 2... where men going through the same amount of explosions may have been dead... or evacuated loooong ago...