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Voices of the First World War

Dan Snow brings together the sound archive collections of the Imperial War Museums and the BBC to tell the story of World War I through the voices of those who were.

Radio 4,56 episodes

Episodes

ListGrid

First Impressions
The war gets underway. Speakers recollect the day war broke out and the journey to France.
26 Sep 2014,15 mins
Battle and Retreat
Recollections from those who experienced the Battle of Mons.
15 Dec 2014,15 mins
Outnumbered and Outgunned
Dan Snow tells the story of the Great Retreat through the recollections of those there.
29 Oct 2014,15 mins
At Sea
The stories of those who witnessed the battles of the British and German Navies in 1914.
30 Oct 2014,15 mins
By Night
Soldiers' experiences at night on the battlefields of the First World War.
31 Oct 2014,15 mins
Morale
Dan Snow looks at the morale of men serving in the First World War in 1914.
03 Nov 2014,15 mins
Ypres
Recollections of the First Battle of Ypres in 1914 from those who fought it.
04 Nov 2014,15 mins
The Trenches 1914
The experiences of soldiers in the trenches during the first few months of the war.
05 Nov 2014,15 mins
Prisoners of War
Dan Snow hears soldiers' recollections of becoming prisoners of war in 1914.
06 Nov 2014,15 mins
The Christmas Truce
The extraordinary events of Christmas 1914, when troops briefly called a ceasefire.
25 Dec 2014,30 mins
Omnibus 1
Dan Snow presents the story of World War I through the voices of those who were there.
08 May 2015,57 mins
Omnibus 2
Dan Snow presents the story of World War I through the voices of those who were there.
15 May 2015,57 mins
Gas
Soldiers' experiences of the first German attacks using gas at the 2nd Battle of Ypres.
23 Jun 2015,15 mins
Reinforcements
The experiences of two raw recruits at the Second Battle of Ypres.
24 Jun 2015,15 mins
Gallipoli - Landings
Dan Snow, based in Gallipoli, hears the recollections of those who landed there in 1915.
25 Jun 2015,15 mins
Gallipoli - Conditions and Evacuation
Soldiers vividly recall the terrible conditions they had to endure in Gallipoli in 1915.
26 Jun 2015,15 mins
Home
The recollections of soldiers who returned home for a brief period of leave in 1915.
02 Nov 2015,15 mins
U-Boats
Dan Snow hears the recollections of those who served on and were victims of German U-Boats
03 Nov 2015,15 mins
Battle of Loos
First-hand accounts of the disastrous Battle of Loos from the BBC and IWM sound archives.
04 Nov 2015,15 mins
Salonika
Dan Snow hears vivid accounts from those who fought in Salonika from 1915 onwards.
05 Nov 2015,15 mins
Kut: Sand, Mud, Mirage
WWI veterans describe siege conditions, starvation and surrender in Kut-Al-Amara.
06 Nov 2015,15 mins
Omnibus 1915 Part Two
Omnibus edition of the series covering the events of 1915, with Dan Snow.
06 Nov 2015,57 mins
Verdun
Dan Snow brings together the sound archive collections of the Imperial War Museums and BBC
27 Jun 2016,15 mins
Jutland
Dramatic accounts of the Battle of Jutland from the sailors who survived it.
28 Jun 2016,15 mins
Conscientious Objectors
Those who refused to join the army when their call-up papers arrived tell their story.
29 Jun 2016,15 mins
The Somme: From Sunrise to Zero Hour
Those who fought at the Battle of the Somme recall the build-up to the battle.
30 Jun 2016,15 mins
The Somme: Over the Top
The first catastrophic ten minutes of the Battle of the Somme, described by survivors.
01 Jul 2016,15 mins
Sheffield and the Somme
Dan Snow looks at the impact of the Battle of the Somme on the Sheffield pals battalion.
14 Nov 2016,15 mins
Cowardice
The impact of a soldier's execution for cowardice in 1916 on his family.
15 Nov 2016,15 mins
Tanks
Soldiers describe seeing tanks for the very first time on the battlefield at Flers in 1916
16 Nov 2016,15 mins