World War One resource pack

On 4th August 1914 the British Prime Minister declared war on Germany. At that time Britain did not have a large army so a big recruitment drive was launched. Thousands of young Scots volunteered to fight. It was common for people from the same area to join the same regiment. By the end of 1915, 2.5 million men in Britain had enlisted, 320,589 were Scottish. The Regiments which recruited in the Highlands were for the most part the Cameron Highlanders, the Seaforth Highlanders and the Lovat Scouts.

The official number of Scots killed in World War One is 75,000 but some people claim that a more accurate figure may be closer to 150,000. Almost every community in Scotland suffered huge losses and a whole generation of men was lost.

On this page you can watch videos about the impact of World War One on Highlanders, look at examples of documents, and find some related activities!

Learn with Lorna videos about World War One in the Highland Archive Service collections:

LWL 9: World War One LWL 23: Further stories from the Great War LWL 26: The life and times of Malcolm Blane LWL 73: Christina Keith: academic, author and WWI educator LWL 97: James and Eveline Barron LWL 124: War memorials - reminders in the landscape LWL 237: WWI through county clerk's papers

War Front

During World War One, it was common for soldiers to write letters and postcards home. These letters, diaries and postcards give us a unique insight into what the war was like for individual people.

Below you can see letters from Ian Forsyth and David Barrogill Keith, as well as letters about Allan Cameron. Typed copies of each can be seen by clicking the links.

Ian Forsyth owned a farm before he went to war in 1914. His letters to his wife give detailed accounts of his experiences at war.
David Barrogill Keith was born in Thurso in 1891. He was a newly qualified solicitor and a keen cartoonist in 1914 when the war started. He sent many letters and cartoons home full of detail about his extraordinary experiences!
Allan Cameron went to fight as soon as war was declared in August 1914 and was killed in September 1914. His fellow soldiers wrote to his wife and mother to inform them of his death and where he was buried. One of them even drew a diagram to show exactly which grave was his.

A thin piece of paper with a typed letter in purple ink.

Letter by Ian Forsyth, 1915. Page 1

Letter by Ian Forsyth, 1915. Page 2.

A sheet of brown notepaper with two holes punched in the top, covered in handwriting in pencil.

Letter by David Barrogill Keith, 1916

An open sketchbook. The left hand side shows humorous handwritten notes about an individual who is depicted in a colourful caricature on the right hand page under the title 'Tim of the R.A.'

Caricature and notes by David Barrogill Keith

Notes and caricature by David Barrogill Keith

A white sheet of paper with neat black ink handwriting

Letter to Allan Cameron's wife about his death and burial, 1914 Page 1

A white sheet of paper with neat black ink handwriting and a hand-drawn sketch of four graves with cross markers

Letter to Allan Cameron's wife about his death and burial, 1914 Page 2

Home Front

Life changed at home too during World War One. The government brought in new laws called the Defence of the Realm Act (DORA. This gave them lots of emergency powers to do things that might help Britain and its allies win the war. For example, they took over buildings to use them as hospitals and barracks, and took over parks and other land to grow crops. In 1916, the government declared part of the Highlands a ‘Special Military Area’ (SMA) because of its importance to the navy. This meant that any one who lived in, worked or visited this area had to have a pass to prove they were allowed to be there. Below you can see an example of a local pass and some detail about the SMA.

As many men were away fighting, or working in other important jobs during the war years, life changed for women and children who took on some of the work they had left. Some businesses even changed what they did to help the war effort. We can look at the records of businesses and schools to learn about some of these changes.

A sepia coloured photograph of a group of women, and some men, in factory clothing and hats, standing in front of a corrugated building. They each have a small triangular badge on and the two women at the front hold a sign that says 'R.S.F. 1918'

Munitions workers at Rose Street Foundry, Inverness, 1918

A handwritten paragraph from a book. The page is pale brown and the the handwriting in faded black ink

Bernisdale school log book, 1914

Portree school log book, 1914

World War One related activities

Imagine you’ve just been told that you’re going off to fight. Write a diary entry about how you might feel. Scared? Excited? Worried about the family you’re leaving behind? Think about all of the people it would affect – your friends, your family, the friends you might be about to make, the enemies you might be about to make.
Almost everyone has an ancestor who served in World War One. See if you can learn about someone in your family who lived through the war.
There was a lot of poetry written during World War One. Have a look for some online, or try and write your own poem about living through a difficult, scary and unusual time.

WW1 Resource Pack for Teachers World War One wordsearch Write a war postcard Poppy colouring Make a wartime crofter Make a wartime entertainer Make a wartime first aider