The first source that is being analysed is a cigarette case which was gifted to Corporal Charles McIntosh by members of Ranfurly Castle Golf Club in 1915. Macintosh had lost his sight in this year whilst he was a member of the fifth battalion. The case features an inscription with raised letters in order for the Corporal to be able to make out what it says. He received this case along with one hundred pounds for his bravery at Gallipoli.
Van Der Dennen argues that there a number of traits, dispositions, and characteristics that have been singled out over the centuries as contributing to the psychology of the soldier including fear, honour, discipline and leisure . Leisure and the idea of normality were important factors in keeping the soldiers motivated during WW1. Many soldiers at that time enjoyed drinking alcohol and smoking and arguably the thought of being home and enjoying these activities as normal contributed to them performing their best when fighting on the war front. Cigarettes and tobacco were an important and significant part of army life during the First World War and this was shown when the British trade journal “Tobacco” claimed, “It might almost be said that a man in the firing line first thinks of his cartridges and the very next thing he seems to worry about is ammunition for his pipe. The pipe itself is only less precious than the rifle.” This shows that smoking was a very important aspect of the war for soldiers allowing them to be motivated and that it was the second most important thing to them – first being their guns.
As touched on above, there were many factors which helped to encourage soldiers to want to participate in the war. Friendship, loyalty and community were important factors as if many men from a tight knit community or men from the same family or friend group it would motivate men within these groups to be involved with the war also . This resulted in a strong sense of group identity, as people related to those who they were close to. This was especially true among small groups. As well as this, training, discipline and leadership also motivated soldiers as the threat and thought of being punished for not following the rules helped to keep them in line. Traditions and values also played an important part here and the belief that most soldiers within armies shared the same ideas and were all involved in the war for similar reasons . The military leaders knew many of the challenges that the soldiers faced in regard to keeping up their morale and knew that there were severe discomforts caused by trench life. Reacting to this, leaders and organisers put in their best efforts by trying to provide various home comforts. This allowed them to have things such as food, alcohol and cigarettes. These were all a necessity in upkeeping the soldier’s morale as with these comforts, they felt that they were living as normal a life as they could despite poor conditions and an extremely laborious job.
The smooth running of the British Naval blockade had a great effect on the tobacco industry. Due to its success, tobacco remained able to be shipped to and from the UK and therefore the soldiers could receive tobacco and cigarettes in their ration packages. German soldiers suffered from this blockade however, as Germany and Austria-Hungary’s food supplies were hit by the Allied naval blockade and they therefore could not be sent tobacco as it was not being shipped to their country . Despite huge efforts from citizens of Germany and Austria-Hungary to keep their soldiers fed, starvation eventually played a key role in the collapse of the German army in 1918 .This shows that German soldiers could not enjoy the same home comforts as British soldiers which may have led to a poorer performance in the war on the German front.
The museum in which this cigarette case is displayed is located on Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow. Despite being located on one of the busiest and most well-known streets in Glasgow, many people are not aware that the museum exists. The museum is free to go into and benefits from having three different floors full of artefacts. There are two rooms dedicated to both of the World Wars, however the information provided about the items on display is limited. There are toilets inside the museum although there is no wheelchair access or anywhere to buy a refreshment. The museum would benefit from some better signposting so that people can visit and appreciate it and some revamping in regard to their lack of facilities.