Affentitten Posted November 8, 2009 Share Posted November 8, 2009 I have to do a presentation at my daughter's Cubs unit this week on WW1 and Remembrance day. I need to get a bit interactive because the attention span of the 8-10 year olds is limited. One thing I thought of doing was demonstrating how much gear a WW1 soldier had to carry. I don't have the equipment, but I could read the list and simulate it with a backpack full of water bottles and a lump of heavy timber for the rifle. Anyway, can someone help me with a list of what a WW1 Commonwealth infantryman would have been issued with and what it would have roughly weighed? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonS Posted November 8, 2009 Share Posted November 8, 2009 1/2 to 2/3rds of their body weight. It's unrealistic to give Cubs an adult load, but if you scale it, and make them carry it for more than 30 seconds, they may get a better idea. BTW ... daughters Cubs? Scouting is still segregated here till Venturers. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Affentitten Posted November 8, 2009 Author Share Posted November 8, 2009 But you live in NZ: last bastion of chauvinism! The Scout movement here is co-ed throughout. Girl Guides still exists as a female only institution, but it's dwindling in membership. My daughter's Cub pack would be about 33% female. I guess that if you wanted to fight the court case, you could join Guides as a boy. But I doubt many 10 year old males would be willing to act as the legal guinea pig. Good idea re the weight. If I stick them with about 15 kilos in a pack and make them run round the hall for a minute that will be fun. Shame I can't make them do it in knee deep mud. For the craft section they are making a periscope. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Affentitten Posted November 8, 2009 Author Share Posted November 8, 2009 Ha ha. Just tested it out on the daughter with about 13 kilos in the pack, which would still only be <50% of her body weight. Haven't added the 2x4 'rifle' yet. Went through the whole comedy routine. "Can you grab that pack and bring it over here, please?" "No, pick it up. PICK IT UP." etc etc 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Emrys Posted November 8, 2009 Share Posted November 8, 2009 To simulate fighting while wearing gas masks, you could have them perform the exercise you describe with a plastic bag over their heads, not closed at the bottom of course. Kind of upsets the parents if their daughters are collapsing all over the halls. Michael 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sergei Posted November 8, 2009 Share Posted November 8, 2009 Then have them crawl under barbed wire while throwing Chinese crackers at them... oh yes, I can see this simulation the perfect way to lose custody of your children! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Affentitten Posted November 8, 2009 Author Share Posted November 8, 2009 Well it could be worse. I could have the whole thing directed by a 17 year old boy from the private school up the road. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Emrys Posted November 8, 2009 Share Posted November 8, 2009 Well it could be worse. I could have the whole thing directed by a 17 year old boy from the private school up the road. Couldn't be much worse than Haig or Ludendorf, could he? Michael 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sergei Posted November 8, 2009 Share Posted November 8, 2009 Are there any good cliffs nearby? You could make them climb it up while carrying their packs. Then go up and throw rocks at them to simulate grenades. Voila, Gallipoli simulated. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Affentitten Posted November 8, 2009 Author Share Posted November 8, 2009 Actually what I am going to do is kill them. Not literally of course. But I'm going to divide them up into groups representing the 1914 volunteers. A few will be fine and come home. Others will be lying on the floor dead, others sitting down wounded. Some blind, some mad etc. Maybe 1 of them out of the group will get a medal. I think that will be more effective with young kids than just sprouting figures that are too big for them to comprehend. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
costard Posted November 8, 2009 Share Posted November 8, 2009 Sounds great Aff, but we're not going to get volunteers for the armed forces out of any group you educate - are you sure this is the way to go? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Emrys Posted November 8, 2009 Share Posted November 8, 2009 Better offer them enlistment bonuses of ice cream cones. Michael 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stalins Organ Posted November 8, 2009 Share Posted November 8, 2009 BTW ... daughters Cubs? Scouting is still segregated here till Venturers. they haven't been segregated for a long time - get into the 21st centrury Jon...or even into the 1990's! lol From wiki: In 1976, the first females became members of the Venturer section, on a trial basis. Because of the great success, in 1979, females were formally admitted and the Venturer section became co-ed. In 1987, girls were formally admitted into the Scout section. This was followed by girls being admitted into the Kea and Cub sections in 1989. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonS Posted November 8, 2009 Share Posted November 8, 2009 Meh. My daughter just joined Pippins which is (at least in practice) girls only. I didn't give it much more thought than that. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonS Posted November 8, 2009 Share Posted November 8, 2009 Actually what I am going to do is kill them. Not literally of course. But I'm going to divide them up into groups representing the 1914 volunteers. A few will be fine and come home. Others will be lying on the floor dead, others sitting down wounded. Some blind, some mad etc. Maybe 1 of them out of the group will get a medal. I think that will be more effective with young kids than just sprouting figures that are too big for them to comprehend. Great pedagogy 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Affentitten Posted November 8, 2009 Author Share Posted November 8, 2009 What's Pippins, Precious? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stalins Organ Posted November 8, 2009 Share Posted November 8, 2009 Tiny little kiddies 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonS Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 pre-Brownies. 5-6yrs old. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sergei Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 Uruk-hai would be a better fitting name for that age group. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonS Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 Huh ... funny you should mention them. I was just perusing this 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Affentitten Posted November 9, 2009 Author Share Posted November 9, 2009 pre-Brownies. 5-6yrs old. Oh OK, we call them Gumnuts (or Gumnut Guides, technically). Pippins is a much cuter name. Like little apples. That age group for pre-Cubs is called Joeys here. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Kettler Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 Affentitten, Here's the basic list of gear, and from Osprey 16, THE BRITISH TOMMY, the fully loaded number is 70 lbs., including weapon, uniform and kit. BEF http://www.great-war-assoc.org/bef_regs.htm ANZAC http://www.great-war-assoc.org/aif_regs.htm Vid of reenacted trench warfare (NOT kitted for going over the top) http://www.kenttv.com/1306 The Somme (THE going over the top experience) BBC doc http://www.1914-1918.net/1976somme_mckern.html Keegan's THE FACE OF BATTLE has a Somme chapter which looks at it from the perspective of a typical Tommy's experience. If you can find the doc Digging Up the Trenches, that'll be a big help, too. Regards, John Kettler 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tero Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 You could also have them stand in a line and then pick them off at random to simulate battle casualties. EDIT: Pick them off from behind by toutching them in the shoulder using your hand/stick. NOT from in front of them using your gun. Eventhough that could also be demonstrated with a toy gun. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Kettler Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 Tero, Reminds me of the WW I simulation in SPI's Patrol game. The object of the game was to get the troops across the board, in the face of randomly applied MG, rifle and artillery firepower. Call the task daunting! Regards, John Kettler 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Affentitten Posted November 9, 2009 Author Share Posted November 9, 2009 Well I have also demonstrated to my daughter to one of the creative punishments we used to get in the school cadets. Arms out straight in front of you, palms down. Lee Enfield laying across the back of your hands. See you in 15 minutes. If I see your arms drop, you stupid boy, you'll be scrubbing the floor of the Q Store with a toothbrush! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.