Latest 'I Was There!' episodes available
As the WFA's 'I Was There!' project progresses through the 1915 accounts, we have a few more episodes to share which involve the often neglected aspects of the Great War: the war in Africa and the Mesopotamia campaign.
Episodes 104 and 105 detail aspects of the war in Africa with accounts from Lt-Col H F Trew and Lt-Col Deneys Reitz.
The Mesopotamian campaign (which we will come back to in future episodes) was described by Edgar Stern-Rubarth (Ep. 102); Conrad Cato (Ep. 103) and Major F. Yeats-Brown, D.F.C (Ep. 106)
Below is Yeats-Brown's account in which he "describes how in November 1915 he became a prisoner of the Turks when the aeroplane in which he was travelling crashed in the enemy lines. Few more thrilling captures in the field have ever been recounted."
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The videos are being grouped (following the format in the original magazine) into 'Chapters' (on YouTube these are 'playlists') and can be seen here:
- The War Clouds Break: July 29 - Aug 9 1914 Chapter/Playlist 1
- Mons: The Going Up to Battle: August 9 - August 23, 1914 Chapter/Playlist 2
- Mons: The Fighting Retreat: August 24 - September 6, 1914 Chapter/Playlist 3
- The Marne and the Aisne: September 5 - September 22, 1914 Chapter/Playlist 4
- The Antwerp Adventure: September 25 - October 13, 1914 Chapter/Playlist 5
- The First Battle of Ypres: October 14 - November 11, 1914 Chapter/Playlist 6
- Last Days of the Year: November - December 1914 Chapter/Playlist 7
- Winter and Neuve Chapelle: January 1 - March 13 1915 Chapter/Playlist 8
- Gallipoli: Bombardment and Landings: March 17 - April 27 1915 Chapter/Playlist 9
- Ypres: The Second Battle: April 22 - May 7, 1915 Chapter/Playlist 10
- Gallipoli: Summer Interlude: May - July, 1915 Chapter/Playlist 11
- The Western Front: Summer 1915 May 9 - August 13, 1915 Chapter/Playlist 12
- Home Front, First Bombs on England: May 31 - October 12, 1915 Chapter/Playlist 13
- Loos: Ill-starred offensive: September 25 - October 19, 1915 Chapter/Playlist 14
- Gallipoli: The Last Days: August 6, 1915 - January 1916 Chapter/Playlist 15
- 'Sideshows' of 1915: April - May 1915 Chapter/Playlist 16
Searchable Magazine Archive
I Was There! magazine was originally published in 51 weekly issues between 1938 and 1939. The Western Front Association has undertaken a long-term project to digitize and narrate these historical accounts. The digital scans are available to members as PDF files in the Searchable Magazine Archive.
Not a member? Join us and get access to a wealth of digitised resources.
