Sources for historical enquiries Flashcards

All 6 cards in this deck

Give two examples of national sources for a Western Front enquiry.

Army records, national newspapers, government reports and medical articles (e.g. in The Lancet).

Give two examples of local or personal sources for a Western Front enquiry.

Personal accounts such as letters and diaries, hospital records and army statistics.

What do RAMC medical records show?

Each patient's injury and treatment, including details of surgery, and whether they recovered or died.

What are British Army war diaries, and what enquiry are they useful for?

Daily unit records kept during the war; useful, for example, for the problem of trench foot and the measures taken against it.

Give one strength of a first-hand nurse's diary as a source for the treatment of injuries.

The writer was a trained eyewitness recording events regularly, so observations about injuries should be accurate.

Give one limitation of a soldier's personal letter home as a source.

Details might be left out because of censorship or because the writer did not want to upset his family.