Casualty rates

[MParnham]

I remember (many years ago!) reading a table containing the casualty rates (as a percentage of those who served) for the various ranks engaged in the Great War. The table ran from privates through to senior officers. Does anyone know of such a set of figures?

Thanks

Martin

[Guest Simon Bull]

I am also interested in the answer to this, so I am just posting in the thread to "bounce" it to the top!

[MParnham]

The only fact I remember is that at the top of the list were Second Lieutenents with what struck me at the time as an appallingly high percentage loss.

Martin

[PhilB]

I too would like to see those figures. Assuming that it is true that 2/Lts had the highest % casualty rates, I wonder if that makes good military sense. I can`t see that it does - unless you`re selecting men as 2/Lts whom you consider to be expendable? Phiul B

[truthergw]

I too would like to see those figures. Assuming that it is true that 2/Lts had the highest % casualty rates, I wonder if that makes good military sense. I can`t see that it does - unless you`re selecting men as 2/Lts whom you consider to be expendable? Phiul B

Subalterns were typically the ex public school boys commanding companys or platoons. These were the guys with the whistles, often first up the ladder. They led from the front on the ground. A part of the war of which I know next to nothing is the air war but I suspect that a lot of pilots would be 2nd Lieutenants at the start of their career when they would be most vulnerable.