Sunday 11 November 2018

Relative death rates of Empire countries in WWI

I just switched on TV to see a  memorial service from Glasgow cathedral. The commentator said 135000 Scottish soldiers had been killed in WWI  I guess the population of Scotland was around 4 million in 1914 so the death rate was 3% of the total population. The ANZAC death rate was even higher. The NI rate was roughly the same as Scotland's

I would be grateful if Major Harrogate could supply the comparative figures for English regiments by region if possible.

2 comments:

Niall Warry said...

For what purpose Private Edmond?

However what I have just looked up is this:-

Of the 6 million mobilized in the UK 700,000 died or 11.5%. In your beloved Scotland from 558,000 mobilzed 147,000 died or 26.4%

Also here are 10 myths about WW1 bebunked including that the toffs, you so ridicule, came off lightly.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-25776836

Get over it Private Edmonds your bitterness is caustic.

Major(R'td) Niall Warry TD (not Major Harrogate as you like to call me)

L fairfax said...

A fascinating link.
This bit
"Some 12% of the British army's ordinary soldiers were killed during the war, compared with 17% of its officers. Eton alone lost more than 1,000 former pupils - 20% of those who served."
I went to a comprehensive not Eton but I think that is quite surprising.
I guess it was quite a bit of luck the percentages that were killed. There were some villages which had no deaths

See here
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-41103779
"Arkholme is on the list thanks to the 59 villagers out of 320 inhabitants it sent to war, who all survived." Really lucky