 |
King's Own Royal Regiment Museum Lancaster |
|
|
HOME Museum & Collections Sales Donations Events Contact Us REGIMENTAL HISTORY 17th Century 18th Century 19th Century 20th Century First World War Second World War Actions & Movements Battle Honours FAMILY HISTORY Resources Further Reading PHOTO GALLERY ENQUIRIES FURTHER READING LINKS 
© Images are copyright, Trustees of the King's Own Royal Regiment Museum. |
141 Days: The Battle of the Somme Hanging on the Old Barbed Wire Entanglements of barbed wire were erected in front of the trenches by
both sides. Men were frequently caught in these at night, and during
day-time attacks, when they became easy targets for machine guns. The
dead bodies could not fall to the ground, but hung sagging in limp and
often grotesque attitudes among the wilderness of wire. It became a
common, euphemism for death, to say that a man was “hanging on the old
barbed wire.” This was an ironic reply often given by survivors at
roll-call after an attack, when the name of a man who had been killed
was called.
Supported by the Sir John Fisher Foundation and the Army Museums Ogilby Trust © Images are copyright, Trustees of the King's Own Royal Regiment Museum. Only a proportion of our collections are on display at anyone time. Certain items are on loan for display in other institutions. An appointment is required to consult any of our collections which are held in store. |
