The First World War was a conflict that caused human loss so great that the monicker 'The War to End All Wars' was used to describe it in the 1920s.
Perhaps more wishful thinking than accurate assessment, the error in judgement that made people think that no 'civilized' nation would risk war again came about thanks to the millions of deaths that had occurred over such a short period of time.
In an effort to teach students at Gordon F. Kells high school about the grim nature of conflict during the First World War, GFK history teacher Tyler Fehrenbach held an innovative and action-packed activity to help his students better understand the conditions under which the soldiers of the First World War fought.
Designing a battlefield complete with 'barbed-wire' (made of string threaded between posts) and trenches (constructed of over-turned tables,) the creative teacher divided his class into two parts, and let them have a day of war, with water balloons being the ammunition of choice.
"The two sides are going to see how the assault concepts developed in light of trench warfare," Fehrenbach said. "The difference between the 'over-the-top' method used early in the war, and the use of the 'rolling barrage' in the latter half of the conflict."
In one day alone, the Battle of the Somme River left more than 57,000 casualties, just for the British and colonial forces, of whom more than 19,000 were killed or died of their wounds.
The Newfoundland Regiment (remember that this was a time when Newfoundland was an independent colony, not a part of the Canadian confederation) saw the deaths of more than 500 out of the 801 men who made up the regiment.
Only 68 men out of the 801 ended the day unscathed.
"The major cause of death in the war was to shellfire," Fehrenbach told his students. "The use of artillery guns caused a lot of damage and death, as well as some pretty serious mental problems in the form of 'shell shock.'"
Lining one group of students up in the trenches, and the other group across the field opposite, on the far side of the barbed-wire, Fehrenbach instructed the students on how the battle would take place.
"The 'attacking' force will have a chance to throw some water balloons until I have blown the whistle," Fehrenbach announced. "Until the whistle is blown, the people behind the tables have to stay behind the tables. Once they hear the whistle, they can stand up and defend their trenches."
"The attackers have to stay at the start line until they hear the whistle," Fehrenbach continued. "When they do, they are to move forward and cross the wire, and make your way to the trench."
With all the students in place, the water balloons began to fly from the attacking side. Crouching behind the tables, the 'defenders' stayed essentially dry during the bombardment, awaiting the whistle to return the fusillade.
Once the whistle blew, the defenders stood as one group and began pelting the attacking side as they tried to navigate through the barbed-wire. Many became hung up on the wire, trying to make their way past the tangle of string, only to be hit repeatedly by accurately thrown water balloons.
Once the attacking side was thoroughly drenched, the whistle was again blown, calling an end to the engagement.
"So you can see by what happened, once the 'bombardment' was done, and the attackers went over-the-top, the defenders had the opportunity to get up and be ready before the attackers were even passed the barbed-wire," Fehrenbach said. "This type of attack was a common feature of the earliest parts of trench warfare, and was one of the things that led to such high casualties."
In preparation for the second part of the battle, the two sides switched, and three members from the Carlyle RCMP Detachment, Cpl. Kelly Guider, Cst. Greg La Rose and Cst. Steve Wilkinson joined the attacking side.
"Okay, the officers are going to be acting as the artillery guns this time," Fehrenbach explained. "They are going to be lobbing balloons throughout the attack."
As the defenders hunkered down behind their tables, Fehrenbach instructed the attackers about how they were going to work their action.
"You attackers are going to be going forward as you pelt the trenches," Fehrenbach said. "We won't have the artillery stop firing until you are at the trench line."
This enactment of the 'rolling-barrage,' where artillery fire was laid onto the defending positions until the attackers were right on top of the trenches was one of the main keys to the Canadian success at Vimy Ridge.
Sure enough, the defenders, unaware of how close the attackers were, stood up when the barrage of water balloons stopped to find balloon-bearing attackers less than a foot away.
The defenders were thoroughly drubbed with balloons before the whistle sounded again, ending the skirmishes for the day.
"The tactics of the First World War changed dramatically as the years progressed, as the different armies looked for ways to break the trenchlines," Fehrenbach told the students after they had come together for the lesson. "No two battles were ever fought exactly the same, because the tactics had to evolve to meet the demands of the new types of warfare."
"The rolling barrage proved to be a really effective way of breaking the trenches," Fehrenbach said. "It took a lot of coordination between the infantry and the guns, because the soldiers were advancing just behind the wall of explosions from the big guns."
"There were a lot of friendly fire casualties when timings got mixed up," Fehrenbach said. "But even with that, the losses were a lot fewer, and the battles were more successful, then they had been previously."
For Cst. Greg La Rose, the experience on the field was a learning one for him as well.
"I thought it was very educational," La Rose said. "You can see how come so many people died before the tactics developed."
"All-in-all it was a great experience, and a really creative way to show the students a bit of history," La Rose joked. "I wish they had done things like that when I was in school, I would've paid more attention!"
Fehrenbach had taken part in a history experience designed for teachers in Europe over the summer.
Escorted by leading Canadian military history academics, Fehrenbach toured the fields and beaches where the Canadians fought in World War I and II.
The idea for the water balloon demonstration was sparked by a similar exercise a teacher from Ontario had told him about where the students had used snowballs.
"It just seemed like a great way to show the students the realities of warfare in a fun and engaging way," Fehrenbach said. "I think they really enjoyed it, and will walk away with a better understanding of the problems of trench warfare then if I had just lectured about it from a book."
