Programme 1

Synopsis and Commentary

This programme focuses on the experiences of soldiers and a female nurse from the beginning of the war until the summer of 1916, just before the Battle of the Somme.

The format of the programme is simple. It includes a limited amount of moving footage, and many photographs from the collections of the Imperial War Museum. These powerful images throw into stark relief the recollections and experiences recounted in the letters. The sections outlined below are not explicit in the programme, but they may help you to divide the programme into manageable units.

Joining up
00.00–03.40
This section might be familiar to students of the Great War. We see the euphoria and enthusiasm of the summer of 1914. The letters reflect this enthusiasm and the glowing pride felt by all the soldiers. This part of the programme sets up the contrast with later experiences. Students should be made aware of the role played by women in the war, as demonstrated by the volunteer nurse. There are also some subtle foretastes of less happy experiences, for example in the nervousness of the recruit firing his first shots and the letter from the soldier unable to say all his goodbyes in person.

Travelling to war
03.40–04.30
Doubts are sown with the meeting of the outgoing troop transports and the returning hospital ships. However, the lads receive an enthusiastic send-off and an enthusiastic reception in France.

Arriving in France
04.30–08.18
The soldiers get down to really serious training, and can hear the ever-present gunfire. The training camps are described, with some important details pointed out. Students should study the pictures carefully, to appreciate that the British forces were the Empire forces: a multinational army including large contingents of African and Indian soldiers. The spirit of the British soldiers seems to have been unquenchable. Many letters from officers in the Great War commented upon the fact that German forces were generally better trained and equipped, but that the spirit of the British forces was utterly indomitable.

In the trenches
08.18–11.20
A number of illuminating points emerge from the letters. We see the dead horses, showing the shattering impact of war on animals as well as humans, and reminding us that horses were still the main means of transport in and around the front line. The censor is mentioned frequently. There is an element of naïveté and wonderment evident in the letters at this stage.

Keeping busy
11.20–13.50
The hard realities of life in the trenches begin to set in – boredom, laced with danger. There is comradeship, but also the ever-present threat of death and the very unpopular sentry duty. The snow might have been a welcome diversion for a time, but it must have been cold.

Christmas in the trenches
13.50–15.07
The insights and experiences recounted in the letters throw a fresh light on the famous Christmas truce.

Horrors of war
15.07–17.03
We see the horrific experience of trench warfare from the viewpoint of the ordinary soldier, the horrified officer and the appalled nurse. Nevertheless, we see little or no evidence of a turning of opinion against the war. The spirit of the trenches seems to be one of dogged determination to see out an appalling task, rather than a desire to capitulate or even negotiate.

Into battle
17.03–end
The soldiers prepare to do battle at the Somme. They are certainly frightened, but cynicism or disillusionment is conspicuously absent. The programme closes with a moving extract which sets the scene for the following programme.