How Far Do the Sources Suggest That the British Army Leaders Were Not Concerned with the Welfare of Soldiers in the British Army?

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How far do the sources suggest that the British army leaders were not concerned with the welfare of soldiers in the British army? Although it does not directly state that the British army leaders were not concerned with soldiers welfare, you can infer from the sources that they mainly agree with the statement. Source 1 by William Russell was written on the 25th November 1854, the same day The Times began their campaign to report the truth on the Crimea instead of glossing over the gore and death; therefore this report could be more reliable as the purpose is to expose the lack of concern on welfare or exaggerated to deliberately expose individuals. Nevertheless, it states that the soldiers were not given the necessary provisions to deal with the harsh winter nor were they given time off after long hours. This shows a lack of care or consideration from the leaders for their troops as they are willing to allow their soldiers out in these conditions whilst knowing how bad they were. In contrast to source 1’s report on the conditions of the trenches source 2 is a private letter written in reply to Queen Victoria. Lord Raglan was a commander in chief of the British army, as a high ranking officer he needs to be seen as involved and accountable for the actions of others. Whereas in this letter he appears to be highlighting the lack of concern for the troops by staff but also stating he has no power in changing this. He recognises their efforts but speaks of their duties rather than praise or reward. Just the fact that the Queen is enquiring into the welfare of soldiers suggests there is cause for concern. Whilst source 1 and 2 speak of conditions and the tiring duties of the troops source 3 written by Lieutenant Colonel Anthony Sterling years after the end of the war describes the inefficiency due to lack of organisation from the British government. Sterling

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