The Battle of the Somme "I Was There !" Latest episode 'I Filmed the Somme Advance' by Lt G H Malins

2 May 2026

As the long-term project to 'voice' the stories of men who contributed to 'I Was There!' continues, we are now working on those who took part in the Battle of the Somme. These videos can be found here on the WFA's website.

The most recent video is narrated by WFA volunteer John Winskill; in this we hear the words of Geoffrey Malins who famously filmed the Battle of the Somme using the very basic technology of the day.

I Filmed the Somme Advance

Using original footage shot by Malins, we can understand the man behind the camera and his impressions of the opening day of the Battle of the Somme

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The videos are also grouped (following the format in the original magazine) into 'Chapters' (on YouTube these are 'playlists') and can be seen on the WFA's YouTube channel. These playlists are 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
Prelude to the Somme, March - June, 1916 Chapter/Playlist 17
The Battle of Jutland, 31 May 1916 Chapter/Playlist 18
The Somme: First Phase, July-August 1916 Chapter/Playlist 19