Casualties year by year

[Corporal Chris]

Does anyone have any numbers for British Army casualties for each year of the war? I am trying to establish if there is any correlation between the army as a whole and the casualties I am researching. I have tried a number of 'obvious' sources without success.

Regards,

Chris

[Ron Clifton]

There is a volume "Casualties and Medical Statistics" in the Official History of the Medical Services series.

Ron

[Guest]

Assuming this is a British unit and you are looking for British data, there are two main authorities:

1. "Statistics of the Military Effort of the British Empire During the Great War 1914-19". Available in reprint from N&M Press. Casualties is rather a broad term. It covers Battle casualties (KIA, DOW, MIA, POW, WIA) and non-battle casualties (Sick, Injured, Died of Sickness or Injury) and gives monthly breakdowns by Theatre. If differentiales between Nationalities and within the British it also differentiates between Regular Army and the TF.

2. "Official History of the War: Medical Services: Casualties and Statistics" which is more detailed in providing some meaningful analysis of the subject. Also available in reprint.

MG

[Tom Tulloch-Marshall]

have a look at

1. "Statistics of the Military Effort of the British Empire During the Great War 1914-19". Available in reprint from N&M Press.

x

[phil andrade]

About three million battle casualties in all, British Empire for all fronts, with the following approx. totals year by year :

1914 : 100,000

1915: 450,000

1916 : 700,000

1917 : 850,000

1918 : 900,000

I'm on a very rough and ready wicket here , but I reckon that will pass muster for a decent guess !

Pretty sure about France and Flanders : 100,000 1914 ; 315,000 1915 ; 650,000 1916 ; 750,000 1917 and 875,000 1918. About ninety per cent of all British and Dominion casualties were sustained on the Western Front.

Estimates vary, but you can be confident that the above is near the mark....although I feel that the 1915 figure is a tad too high .

Phil (PJA)

[Corporal Chris]

Many thanks to all of you for your responses. All most useful.

Regards,

Chris.

[The_Answer]

Casualties by year killed/died, (date most killed total, regiment / unit most killed) UK Forces.

extracted from http://www.cwgc.org/

1914 = 33,763 (1-NOV-1914 = 2,417, Royal Navy 1,445)

1915 = 125,132 (25-SEP-1915 = 9,780, Gordon Highlanders 731)

1916 = 187,697 (1-JUL-1916 = 18,432, Northumberland Fusiliers 1,645)

1917 = 225,955 (31-JUL-1917 = 6,208, The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 486 )

1918 = 223,047 (21-MAR-1918 = 8,391, Sherwood Foresters 505)

1919 = 23,447 (1-JAN-1919 = 303, Royal Naval Reserve 173)

1920 = 8,164 (24-JUL-1920 = 158, Manchester Regiment 134)

1921 = 3,514 (20-JAN-1921 = 73, Royal Navy 59)

Cheers.

[phil andrade]

Note the highest number of deaths in 1917, although 1918 had the highest number of casualties.

Deaths and casualties : we must beware of conflating the two.

More British troops were gassed in 1918 than in all the previous years put together ; likewise the loss in POWs.

Those inordinately large numbers of gassed and POW inflated the 1918 casualty total ...but 1917 was the war's most fatal year for Britain and her Empire.

Thanks, The _Answer, you live up to your name !

Phil (PJA)