Video summary
British women recall their fears whilst their loved ones were at the front, struggling with money and watching the casualty lists.
They recall the disconnectedness of the men coming home, and their inability to talk about the reality of the war.
An Austrian soldier recalls the impossibility of explaining his experiences to his parents, and his desire to return to the front.
The soldiers’ joy of returning home on leave was mixed with the difficulty in talking about their experiences at the Front.
This is from the series: I Was There: The Great War Interviews.
Teacher Notes
Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4:
This is used to introduce the impact of war on the 鶹Լ Front, and students identify the main changes war brought to the lives of people left at home.
This clip will be relevant for teaching History at KS3, KS4/GCSE, in England and Wales and Northern Ireland.
Also at Third Level, Fourth Level, National 4 and National 5 in Scotland.
This topic appears in OCR, Edexcel, AQA, WJEC, CCEA GCSE and SQA.
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The experiences of a disillusioned soldier and the widow of a soldier killed in action
Fighting in the trenches. video
Stefan Westmann presents two contrasting experiences of the war.
Going over the top. video
Infantrymen recall the tense hours in the trenches prior to an attack.
Horace Leslie Birks interview. video
Tank commander Horace Birks describes the impact of the supposed miracle machines.
John Willis Palmer interview. video
John found it difficult to cope with the violence and apparent pointlessness of the war.
Attrition. video
The strains of war drove soldiers to desert their post or inflict a wound on themselves.
Life as a munitionette. video
Mabel was one of many women who put their lives at risk working in munitions factories.
Life as an officer during WW1. video
Charles talks about coping with looming shellshock and aspects of an officer's life.
One woman's loss. video
Katie describes what the war was like from a young woman’s perspective in Manchester.
Recruiting soldiers in WW1. video
The different pressures which were applied to persuade young men to join up to fight.
Respite. video
How men could relax and forget about life on the front line when behind the lines and get some respite from the war.
How did shell shock affect soldiers? video
Soldiers from both sides describe their experience of shell fire and the physical and psychological effects it had on them and their colleagues.
The Christmas truce, 1914. video
Henry describes his reaction to being called up and his experiences in the trenches.
The Gallipoli campaign. video
Frank talks about fighting in the disastrous Gallipoli campaign in 1915.
War in the air. video
Pilots identify the different experiences of men in the air, recalling the realities of combat and the tactics used to down an enemy aircraft.
Being a pilot in WW1. video
Cecil Lewis’ experiences reflect how the role of aircraft changed in the course of WW1.
