Video summary
David Olusoga explores the diary of Belgian priest, Father Achiel Van Walleghem, which reveals the diversity of soldiers on the Western Front.
The diary reveals impressions and clues about the lives of soldiers from India and China and this new personal, everyday perspective provides a contrast to official records.
This clip is from the series The World's War.
Teacher Notes
This film could be used to kick-start an analysis of the relative utility of official government records versus personal evidence.
Students could continue by comparing and contrasting examples of both, ideally on the same aspect of the war.
These films are suitable for teaching History at GCSE in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and at National 5 in Scotland.
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