Highlights of the 'I Was There!' series

6 September 2026

Since 2023, The Western Front Association has been creating videos on a regular basis which 'voice' the words of participants in the Great War, as originally published in a series of magazines from nearly 90 years ago.

The original magazines were planned to be in forty parts, but somewhere along the way, the publishers extended this to over 50 issues, which came out weekly. These magazines give 377 personal reminiscences from soldiers, politicians and civilians of their participation in the Great War. These 377 accounts are split into some 58 'Chapters' which we have been reproducing as 'playlists' on our YouTube channel.

Currently, we have advanced to Episode 132 (which brings Chapter 19 to a close). We will soon be publishing reminiscences from Chapter 20 (which are accounts from what the publishers called 'The Middle Phase' of the Battle of the Somme).

To mark the end of Chapter 19, we thought it worthwhile to pick out some highlights from those accounts we have so far published.

1914

The very first account we published was the account entitled 'Asquith Speaks the Words of Fate', by Countess Margot Asquith. This was read by our volunteer Mary Grunwell.

The reminiscences of Mons and the retreat take up what may seem to be a disproportionate amount of the next few issues of the original magazine, with virtually all of episodes numbered 9 to 36 being devoted to this period of the war. One example from this selection is 'The Immortal Story of 'L' Battery, an Epic of the Retreat, by Gunner Darbyshire, 1 Sept 1914' which has so far amassed nearly 63,000 views on YouTube. This was read by Ray Strearn.

Episode 41 was one of the accounts of the First Battle of Ypres. This particular piece was read by Phil Langridge and is entitled 'Lightning Glimpses in the Breaking Storm' - an account originally written by Capt C A L Brownlow, DSO. This episode has also done very well, with well over 10,000 views on YouTube.

The Unseen Killers at Le Cateau, by Pte R G Hill has amassed over 55,000 views on YouTube

1915

The fighting in Gallipoli was featured in three separate chapters in the original magazine, and has a total of 19 individual episodes. One example of the Gallipoli accounts is 'Mountains of Dead in Valleys of Myrtle'. This account, by the Hon Aubrey Herbert, was read by our volunteer Robin Goldsmith.

Dauntless in the Face of Death - landing on Gallipoli, by Major A H Mure shares his account from his spectator's view of the immortal landing of the troops from the old collier, the River Clyde, at 'V' Beach. He was observing the landings from the deck of a transport close in to the shore. In this he pays tribute to the almost incredible heroism of the troops who wrote this most glorious page of our military history.

Episode 91 was an account by the well-known Robert Graves and details his participation in the Battle of Loos. 'An Author Lives Great Tragedy - a Ghastly Memory of Loos' was read by Gareth Williams.

1916

Chapter 18 is a series of accounts dedicated to the naval Battle of Jutland. One of these episodes is numbered 120 and is entitled 'A Survivor's Story of the Queen Mary Horror'. This was a reminiscence by Lt-Cdr J H Lloyd-Owen. It has also done well with over 10,000 views on YouTube. It was read by Dr Jonathan Hicks.

Not all accounts are from the British perspective. In this episode we hear from Commander Paschen who was aboard the Lützow, Admiral von Hipper's flagship, when she was sent to the bottom.

The 1916 Battle of the Somme takes up a vast number of the accounts in the magazine, with a number of well known figures contributing to the original publication. We have accounts by Edmund Blunden, Lord Beaverbrook and Geoffrey Malins. The events of 1 July 1916 feature prominently in these accounts. The episode 'I Saw Thiepval Masked with a Wall of Corpses' by Brig-Gen Frank Crozier being one such example.

Here Corporal Alleway relates how a little group of five men of the Northamptonshire Regt. found themselves in danger of falling into a trap, from which they only escaped by cool daring and wonderfully accurate shooting.

Find the videos on the WFA website

It is also easy to locate particular 'themes' from these I Was There! episodes on the WFA's website. We have a special area dedicated to these videos which enable the accounts to be filtered. Simply go to the 'I Was There!' area to find this content and use the drop down menu to locate subject areas.