Se tenir en rangs sur le pont pour affronter la mort? Héroïsme militaire et récits de naufrages de navires britanniques dans la presse durant la Première Guerre mondiale

Abstract

This article examines the military imaginary conveyed by accounts of British shipwrecks during the First World War through one main source: the press. We will focus more specifically on cases involving troop transport ships and hospital ships, their specificity being that sailors are in the minority on board. Why do these accounts focus on the motif of a military parade on the deck of a sinking ship? To answer this question, we suggest that these accounts echo an earlier shipwreck, that of the Birkenhead in 1852, which shaped the notion of heroism during such maritime catastrophes. These accounts were intended to reassure readers of the national and local press about the value of British troops while encouraging them to accept the sacrifices of everyday life in wartime.