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Military History Trivia Quiz

A short quiz dealing mainly with the minutia of soldiering in the trenches.

A multiple-choice quiz by Groundskeeper-Willy. Estimated time: 6 mins.

Author
Groundskeeper-Willy

Time
6 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
40,995

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Difficult

Avg Score
4 / 10

Plays
3173

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. English lower rank soldiers were nick-named: Hint

Tommies

Johnnies

Bobbies

Charlies

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Question 2 of 10

2. British soldiers in the trenches seemed to only get this flavour of jam? Hint

Strawberry and grape

Fig

Grapefruit

Plum and apple

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Question 3 of 10

3. Only one allied nation's forces went through the Great War without the threat of the death penalty for military offenses. Which country was this? Hint

Scotland

United States

Australia

New Zealand

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Question 4 of 10

4. An SMLE was ...? Hint

A disease contracted in the trenches

A rifle

An artillery piece

Sudanese troops of cavalry

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Question 5 of 10

5. Belgian soldiers wore the French 'Adrian' style steel helmet with a badge of what on the front? Hint

Fleur-de-lys

Crown

Lion's head

Grenade

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Question 6 of 10

6. A 'Pozzy Wallah' was a soldier who.....? Hint

Loved eating jam

Was a crack shot

Would not leave his dug-out

Was an officer's batman

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Question 7 of 10

7. The American Expeditionary Force suffered this many fatal casualties in World War I. Hint

25, 225

42,379

55, 443

50, 554

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Question 8 of 10

8. If you were a member of the Hood Battalion you would have been in the ....? Hint

New Zealand Army

Tank Corp

Royal Naval Division

US Marine Corps

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Question 9 of 10

9. The nickname for French soldiers was 'Poilu' which basically means what? Hint

The 'Lads'

Dirty feet

Garlic eaters

The 'Hairy ones'

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Question 10 of 10

10. The wooden platforms laid down over muddy ground by British troops were called?

Answer: (Two Words)

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. English lower rank soldiers were nick-named:

Answer: Tommies

A pre-war 'example' enlistment form was filled out in the name 'Thomas Atkins'. So that became the English enlisted man's nick- name. It was shortened to 'Tommy' used even by 'Jerry' the enemy.

2. British soldiers in the trenches seemed to only get this flavour of jam?

Answer: Plum and apple

There was even a song sung about it: 'Plum and Apple, apple and plum, plum and apple , there's always some, The officers get strawberry jam but we get.......' ad infinitum.

3. Only one allied nation's forces went through the Great War without the threat of the death penalty for military offenses. Which country was this?

Answer: Australia

The reason the Australian Government withheld permission for its troops to suffer capital punishment for desertion etc. was because the Australian Imperial Force was composed entirely of volunteers.

4. An SMLE was ...?

Answer: A rifle

Variants of the Short Magazine Lee Enfield remained the standard British infantry rifle up until the Korean War.

5. Belgian soldiers wore the French 'Adrian' style steel helmet with a badge of what on the front?

Answer: Lion's head

The Lion of Belgium was and still is the emblem found on the National Coat of Arms.

6. A 'Pozzy Wallah' was a soldier who.....?

Answer: Loved eating jam

Pozzy was soldier's slang for jam. The British Army's long association with India is evident in the use of the Hindi word 'wallah', meaning a person employed in certain capacity or connected with a certain thing .

7. The American Expeditionary Force suffered this many fatal casualties in World War I.

Answer: 50, 554

Overall the 'doughboys' had more than 264,000 casualties.

8. If you were a member of the Hood Battalion you would have been in the ....?

Answer: Royal Naval Division

The Royal Naval Division was awarded six Victoria Crosses in WW1 and were also permitted to grow beards while their Army compatriots were not.

9. The nickname for French soldiers was 'Poilu' which basically means what?

Answer: The 'Hairy ones'

During World War I, France lost more soldiers than did The United States and the British Empire combined.

10. The wooden platforms laid down over muddy ground by British troops were called?

Answer: Duck Boards

A lot of soldiers' 'rest' time was spent carrying these and other heavy, cumbersome objects up to the front line.

Source: Author Groundskeeper-Willy

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