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Birdcage: At the Front, a colloquial term for the enclosure, surrounded by barbed wire, where prisoners of war were herded together during action previous to being marched to camps in rear. The names was also used for any military prison or detention quarters. "The Birdcage" was the name universally given to the elaborately entrenched position, north of Salonika, constructed in 1916 to serve as a final stronghold in the expected event of an overpowering attack. It was designed for the same purpose that Wellington constructed the Lines of Torres Vedras. [1]
References / notes
- ↑ Edward Fraser and John Gibbons (1925). Soldier and Sailor Words and Phrases. Routledge, London p.23.
The above term is listed in our Compendium of the Great War.
This compendium forms the central hub of words, phrases, people, and places relative to the Great War period of 1914–1918. These also include battles, political events, ships, trench slang, British and American service terms and expressions in everyday use, nicknames, sobriquets, the titles of British and Commonwealth Regiments and their origins, and also warfare in general. These words and phrases are contemporary with the war, which is reflected in the language used, some of which may seem derogatory by today's standards. Feel free to expand upon and improve this content.