“Give me the Scotsman Every Time:” Exploring Scottish National Identity Through World War I Prisoner of War Experiences

Abstract

This research examines the Scottish experience in World War I, emphasizing the ways in which the Great War experience magnified questions of identity, including how Scottish soldiers viewed themselves and how they were viewed by others, particularly their German adversaries. Among the research questions explored are: did captured Scottish soldiers identify as primarily Scottish or British or both? Were they treated differently than their British counterparts as a result of their Scottishness? If so, how? Did the war impact feelings of either Scottish differentiation or kinship, or both, as part of their greater British identity? If so, how? This thesis further highlights the under-researched experience of Scottish prisoners of war (POWs) who were held in German prison camps and explores how their time in captivity affected questions of national identity. Ultimately, the Scottish experience in WWI was largely comparable to that of other Britons; however, patterns of Scottish POWs being singled out for humiliation, harsher treatment, and, paradoxically, curiosity and recruitment did exist and suggest a reinforcement of Scottish, rather than British, identity.