Footsteps of the fallen

Farming the front

September 10, 2023 Matt Dixon Season 6 Episode 6
Footsteps of the fallen
Farming the front
Show Notes

During the course of the Great War, the problem of feeding the vast numbers of men and animals in the military was a constant source of concern for Army command.  The Army contained many men whose background was in agriculture and the decision was made to turn 45000 acres of fertile French land into a central farm to supply food to the front.  Run by the Army Agricultural Companies, the cultivation of land was a remarkable and very successful endeavor.

We hear about the dangers of using tractors on former battlefields, an innovative approach to dealing with the vast quantities of food waste from the Etaples basecamp, and hear about the great Goat Riot of Rouen in 1917.

Footsteps will be back on the 1st of October. 

Support the podcast:
https://www.patreon.com/footstepsofthefallen
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/footstepsblog