BBC Radio Podcasts from Voices of the First World War

Voices of the First World War

25/12/2018

Archive interviews with those who experienced the First World War.

11 o'clock

The closing moments of the war, recalled by those who were there

Mutiny in the High Seas Fleet

The final meeting of the German and Allied fleets in November 1918

Open Country

Those who were there recall the rapid Allied advances of autumn 1918

Amiens

The Battle of Amiens from the point of view of those who helped to win it

Torpedo

Brian de Courcy-Ireland recalls a torpedo strike and its aftermath

Enter America

Recollections of the arrival of large numbers of US troops in France in 1918.

Spanish Flu

Recollections of the devastating impact of the flu pandemic that hit in 1918.

Morale and Manpower

Dan Snow looks at the fading morale of the British and Germans in the spring of 1918.

The Last of the Great Aces

Airmen recall the Red Baron, Manfred von Richtofen, being shot down in April 1918.

Operation Michael

Those who were there recall their experiences of the German Spring Offensive of 1918.

The Christmas Truce

An omnibus edition of five episodes spanning the course of the war from 1914 to 1917.

Out of It

William Towers, seriously injured at Passchendaele, describes his remarkable journey home.

The Battle of Cambrai

The beginning of the Battle of Cambrai from the point of view of members of the Tank Corps

Passchendaele: John Palmer

Dan Snow presents the story of WWI through the voices of those who were there.

Towards Passchendaele

Dan Snow maps the slow progress of the British towards Passchendaele in the autumn of 1917

Third Ypres - Conditions

Veterans of the darkest days of the war recall the horror of the Third Battle of Ypres.

Omnibus 1917

Dan Snow presents the story of WWI through the voices of those who were there.

Etaples Mutiny

Dan Snow hears conflicting accounts of the Etaples mutiny.

Rank

Soldiers and officers speak about the issue of rank and class in the British Army of 1917.

From Beneath: Mines at Messines

Survivors of the war describe exploding huge mines at the Messines Ridge.

French Mutinies

Dan Snow presents the story of WWI through the voices of those who were there.

In the Air: Bloody April

Officers of the Royal Flying Corps recall the war in the air during April 1917.

Omnibus 1916 Series 2

Omnibus edition of five programmes drawing on interviews with those who survived WWI.

After Kut

British prisoners of war recall their treatment after the end of the siege of Kut-Al-Amara

At Rest

Soldiers describe what they got up to when they were out of the front line.

Tanks

Soldiers describe seeing tanks for the very first time on the battlefield at Flers in 1916

Cowardice

The impact of a soldier's execution for cowardice in 1916 on his family.

Sheffield and the Somme

Dan Snow looks at the impact of the Battle of the Somme on the Sheffield pals battalion.

The Somme: Over the Top

The first catastrophic ten minutes of the Battle of the Somme, described by survivors.

The Somme: From Sunrise to Zero Hour

Those who fought at the Battle of the Somme recall the build-up to the battle.

Conscientious Objectors

Those who refused to join the army when their call-up papers arrived tell their story.

Jutland

Dramatic accounts of the Battle of Jutland from the sailors who survived it.

Verdun

Dan Snow brings together the sound archive collections of the Imperial War Museums and BBC

Kut: Sand, Mud, Mirage

WWI veterans describe siege conditions, starvation and surrender in Kut-Al-Amara.

Salonika

Dan Snow hears vivid accounts from those who fought in Salonika from 1915 onwards.

Battle of Loos

First-hand accounts of the disastrous Battle of Loos from the BBC and IWM sound archives.

U-Boats

Dan Snow hears the recollections of those who served on and were victims of German U-Boats

Home

The recollections of soldiers who returned home for a brief period of leave in 1915.

Gallipoli - Conditions and Evacuation

Soldiers vividly recall the terrible conditions they had to endure in Gallipoli in 1915.

Gallipoli - Landings

Dan Snow, based in Gallipoli, hears the recollections of those who landed there in 1915.

Reinforcements

The experiences of two raw recruits at the Second Battle of Ypres.

Gas

Soldiers' experiences of the first German attacks using gas at the 2nd Battle of Ypres.

Neuve Chapelle

Veterans recall their experiences of the Battle of Neuve Chapelle in 1915.

Omnibus 2

Dan Snow presents the story of World War I through the voices of those who were there.

Omnibus 1

Dan Snow presents the story of World War I through the voices of those who were there.

The Christmas Truce

The extraordinary events of Christmas 1914, when troops briefly called a ceasefire.

Prisoners of War

Dan Snow hears soldiers' recollections of becoming prisoners of war in 1914.

The Trenches 1914

The experiences of soldiers in the trenches during the first few months of the war.

Ypres

Recollections of the First Battle of Ypres in 1914 from those who fought it.

Morale

Dan Snow looks at the morale of men serving in the First World War in 1914.

By Night

Soldiers' experiences at night on the battlefields of the First World War.

At Sea

The stories of those who witnessed the battles of the British and German Navies in 1914.

Outnumbered and Outgunned

Dan Snow tells the story of the Great Retreat through the recollections of those there.

Battle and Retreat

Recollections from those who experienced the Battle of Mons.

First Impressions

The war gets underway. Speakers recollect the day war broke out and the journey to France.