I've just been reading History of the New Zealand Engineers 1914-1919. On page 71 the topic of sandbags is discussed. This is what I have learnt...
During World War 1, soldiers were issued with sandbags. They were used for many things. We mostly associate them with being filled with diggings and hurled up onto the sides of the trenches to provide extra protection for soldiers, but sandbags were part of every soldier's kit. They were used as blankets, mattresses and carry bags. If a soldier advanced and had to hunker down, the sandbags came out, filled, and quickly employed as an extra barrier of protection, a personal parapet.
It's hard to imagine the humble sandbag as being on the list of most important items in a survival kit.
The stories on this blog are a memorial to my fifteen courageous great uncles who bravely served with New Zealand's forces during The Great War, 1914-1918. Lest we forget.
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