A Museum Exhibit

Usually the National World War I Museum in Kansas City, MO has a big marquee exhibit about every eight months or so, but people have a tendency to overlook some of the smaller exhibits upstairs, in this case in one of the two buildings next to the Liberty Memorial itself. I am actually late to see their new BIG Exhibit, “Bespoke Bodies“, but I figured I’d talk about “Entertaining the Troops” before it leaves. I know that these exhibits usually stay for a while, so I don’t believe there is an impending threat of this leaving any time soon.

National WWI Museum – Kansas City, Missouri

Keeping soldiers entertained is a logistical element just as important as any food shipment or weapons re-supply. If troops are somewhat happy and as content as they can be, especially in the case of WWI when men were crawling through the muck and dying in levels rarely seen up to that point, they are less likely to do things like cause trouble, desert, or worse. “Entertaining the Troops” is an interesting look at what these guys did to break down the boredom and survive such a stressful time in their lives – whether it be games, biking, or even fight clubs, it’s all talked about here.

Background:

According to the museum’s website announcing the exhibit:

“As near as anyone can figure, this saying came out of the endless trench warfare of World War I, for good reason. But what to do about the boredom? And how to distract from the moments of terror? Soldiers of all nations and militaries turned to a wide variety of entertainment: from sports, gambling and card games, to music, food and drink, to organized performances and dances. Entertaining the Troops gives a peek into the life of a WWI soldier beyond the battlefield, whether they were waiting for the enemies’ next move or partying in Paris.“

Conclusion:

Overall, “Entertaining the Troops” is a quick little peek at an often overlooked aspect of warfare, and a welcome piece of history you don’t get to see much of in museums like this. Usually, stuff like this might be one small placard in the back of a museum, so to have a full-on display with a wealth of diverse information was cool. This exhibit is free with a paid admission and depending on how fast one reads, can be enjoyed in around thirty minutes or so. While this is by no means the best thing this museum has had to offer, I enjoyed it a lot and recommend anyone wanting to spend their day at the National World War I Museum to not forget this section. Pretty soon, I will try to go back to the museum and see “Bespoke Bodies” and a new downstairs gallery I have yet to see, stay tuned for that if you like this series at all.

See More:

• National WWI Museum
• War remains
• Snapshots
• Black Citizenship
• Empires at war
• Captured

For more content like this, check out my History Tour page HERE