Voices from the BBC Archive

First World War: 1918

A unique collection of historic recordings in which the last brutal encounters of the war and the mixed emotions of the armistice are remembered by troops from both sides

A unique collection of historic recordings in which the last brutal encounters of the war and the mixed emotions of the armistice are remembered by troops from both sides. 
 
By the end of March 1918, Germany’s Spring Offensive had thrown British forces back over the old Somme battlefields. But this last push failed and with the stalemate of trench warfare broken, the Allies swept from near-defeat to victory. However, their joy was tempered by sorrow. Too many would not come home. For the Germans, the mood was despairing as their ‘endless columns rolled eastward’, the November fog and rain adding to their melancholy. 
 
Memorable reminiscences include an evocative portrait of the poet Wilfred Owen by his brother Harold, American troops on their initiation into the horrors of battle and reflections on the controversial Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig by his contemporaries. 
 
The war ended on 11 November 1918, but the Treaty of Versailles was not signed until 28 June 1919. By then, the German fleet had decided its own fate in one final act of defiance witnessed by a group of school children on an outing in Scapa Flow.

First World War: 1917

From the Russian Revolution to America’s declaration of war and the lasting horror of Passchendaele, this unique collection of historic recordings contains the voices of those who were there.

From the Russian Revolution to America’s declaration of war and the lasting horror of Passchendaele, this unique collection of historic recordings contains the voices of those who were there. 
 
Among the memorable voices in this compilation are Commander William Ibbett, who experienced the aftermath of the Bolshevik revolution at close quarters, Sir Edward Spears on the mutiny in the French Army and Royal Flying Corps pilots &shy; whose life expectancy could be a low as a single day. 
 
1917 was a year of decisive events. Germany raised the stakes at sea, America eventually declared war; the Nivelle offensive almost destroyed the French army; and, following two revolutions in February and October, Russian forces collapsed. For the Allies, despite their successes at Messines and Cambrai, the year was overshadowed by the losses at Passchendaele. Survivors recall their despair as men and horses drowned in mud: ‘a viscous, tenacious mud which smelt of death’. 
 
In the Middle East, British fortunes changed with the capture of Aqaba and Jerusalem. General Allenby, Commander of the Palestine Campaign, recalls the vital, if unorthodox, feats of one officer in particular: Colonel TE Lawrence. 
 
By December, troops on the Western Front were digging in for yet another winter. Victory now depended on the arrival of the Americans. Duration: 2 hours approx.

Sarah Kilgarriff

Jonathan Keeble

A unique collection of authentic eyewitness accounts chronicling the events of the First World War from Sarajevo to the Armistice 
 
In this selection of historic recordings from the BBC Archives, British, French and American servicemen recall their harrowing experiences of the conflict. German officers also tell their stories, their misery palpable in defeat. Inevitably the horrors of the Western Front dominate and the battles of the Somme and Passchendaele evoke bitter memories. But the war was fought on many fronts - on land, at sea and in the air - its scope illustrated with reminiscences of Russia, Gallipoli, Mesopotamia, Palestine, the Austro/Italian line, the Battle of Jutland and the Royal Flying Corps’ ‘bloody’ April of 1917. 
 
Also included among the many memorable voices are participants from both sides of the Easter Rising, conscientious objectors defending their beliefs and women contemplating their lasting grief. With diplomats, politicians and poets offering a range of differing opinions, the honesty and intimacy of these recollections brings the period vividly to life. 
 
This exclusive compilation concludes with a post-script on 1919 and the Treaty of Versailles, followed by a sequence of First World War poems read by Stephen Moore, Tim Pigott-Smith, Juliet Stevenson and Samuel West..

Sarah Kilgarriff

Books by Sarah Kilgarriff

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