By the end of 1914 more than one million men had voluntarily signed up for the war, which they were told would be over by Christmas. In fact, the war raged for four years. This chapter addresses a more sombre and personal aspect of World War One: the soldiers’ experience.

This lesson contains:

• A closer look at the soldiers’ experience in two contrasting scenarios: volunteering to fight with friends at the start of the war and then in the trenches after months of war.
• The key reasons why men both volunteered to fight in World War One as well as why they continued to fight when faced with the realities of trench warfare.
• An introduction to studying World War One history through the perspective of the everyday soldiers’ experience.