BBC "I was there: the Great War interviews"

[MartH]

Apart from the men themselves what amazes me is the skill of the interviewer to get them to talk so eloquently and not interrupt.

[Anneca]

I was so angry at 9.00pm with BBC2 NI tonight. The wine was poured, I was sitting comfortably, poised and waiting to see the programme but they were showing rugby, b****y rugby!! As if this wasn't bad enough, at 9.05 when the match was over they did a post mortem on it. At 9.10 I was at the stage of being livid and by 9.15 there was no apology at all for the Rugby going over time and they even had the cheek to advertise programmes for the week to come. Eventually at 9.16pm the programme began. I was also recording it to make sure I wouldn't miss it but was afraid it would be cut off before the end having started late. However, the excellence of the programme outweighed the anger I had felt with the BBC and thought it was one of the best, if not the best shown to date. Congratulations to all concerned who brought those people and their memories very much to life. An amazing programme!

Anne

[Fattyowls]

I cannot believe that there will be anything more powerful broadcast about the Great War, ever.

Pete.

[18th Battalion]

Apart from the men themselves what amazes me is the skill of the interviewer to get them to talk so eloquently and not interrupt.

The programme producer Detlef Siebert and Julia Cave (I think) who did the interviews in 1963 where on the BBC breakfast show this morning, she described some of the interviews and they showed some behind the camera stills, she remembers one man who chased her around the table with an imaginary bayonet recounting his experiences.

Edmund Blunden responded to be interviewed, but after the initial talk with the interviewer, they realised he wouldn't be able to go through with it, the memories were presumably too painful.

I've yet to watch the programme myself, but I recorded it.

[ianw]

A truly great programme. But needed to be longer - perhaps in 2 sections of 1 hour.

I suspect that Chris Baker will have turned up some fascinating stuff that was not used. Percy Morter's Thiepval inscription would have graced the show and might have usefully replaced one of the generic Western Front camera shots. Mrs Morter's quiet dignity was magnificent. The fascinating detail of the father of the SAD soldier joining up to avenge his son was rather glossed over and demanded use of the pause button.

But on the principal of "leaving them wanting more" , we shouldn't carp.

PS - what a tragedy that Blunden couldn't manage to cope with the interview.

[stripeyman]

Yes it was very good. I liked the subtle colourising of the wartime photos. If I must criticise, I would have liked to know where these chaps were when they has their experience.

[David Ridgus]

Well done all concerned. You could feel their pain. Excellent.

I never knew there was a Russian/Austrian Easter truce, or that you could refuse to take part in a firing squad?

Mike

They were the two new facts for me too Mike.

Just watched this and then the 'Hidden Histories' I taped from last night back to back. Wonderful viewing . So many highlights almost invidious to pick one out but I loved the way fifty years on Charles Carrington was still incredulous that men could summon the nerve to repeat attacks that had failed in the recent past. We often hear how, a hundred years on, we can't understand how they endured but here's evidence that people at the time could barely understand it either.

Great to hear too that the iPlayer full interviews are there in perpetuity and not just for the standard one week.

David

[DavidMillichope]

Brilliant treatment.

[keithmroberts]

And if anyone missed it, its on I-Player.

I had suggested watching to a much older friend in poor health living 250 miles away who has no PC, or recorder so it was watch it, or miss. She phoned me a few minutes after the programme to thank me, having spent the afternoon in bed to make sure that she could be up to watch the programme at a time when she would normally have been in bed. She is not a lady with any specific interest in military history, but she was moved beyond belief.

Keith

[stuartd]

Would anyone have a dvd copy of this amazing programme for future use in the classroom? It'll be gone from iplayer all too soon.

[IanA]

If I must criticise, I would have liked to know where these chaps were when they has their experience.

If you were moved by Henry Williamson's description of the end of the war - no more Very lights (the lilies of the dead) no more howitzer flashes along the horizon - I can tell you where he was.

In camp at Felixstowe.

[shaner13]

Best programme I've seen on the subject,can't they release the whole 50 odd hours on to DVD?

[caulkheader]

My only niggle [criticism would be too harsh] was the 'create a dramatic atmosphere' use of the 'coming up next' slogans between interviews.

But echoing other comments, it was the first time in a long time that I have sat, literally sat, and watched a whole hour of tv and been doing nothing else, [reading/surfing etc] at the same time.

T

[Chris_Baker]

Three points of which viewers will probably be unaware:

Julia Cave carried out all of the filmed interviews, one per hour, eight hours per day, over a two week period. Most of the participants were invited to stay the night before filming, at an hotel in Ealing. She met them for dinner and got to know them that way. Quite a punishing schedule for her. I saw from their correspondence that virtually every participant was very complimentary about her. What a great job she did. She is a very good-looking lady even now and in the 1960s must have been quite something: perhaps that played a part in creating an atmosphere where the old soldiers would relax and open up.

Production of the programme required some extraordinary work, particularly by producer Detlef Siebert. The original interviews had been taken on 16mm film: I understand that was the only technology that had a decent length of film so that more than a few minutes could be filmed without a break. Even so, each full interview was over several reels. Parts were then cut for transfer to 35mm for the TV series. The interview sound tape was on a different technology. Detlef had to marry up sound and vision, from all these various reels and without a full set of written transcripts being available. Out of that had to emerge a programme and for the 16mm/35mm films to be digitally remastered and so on. Quite a feat of creativity as well as detective work and patience.

The notes and correspondence relating to their interviews is held in two places: the Imperial War Museum and the BBC Written Material Archive. Part of my job was to delve into this material to confirm the name, regiment or affiliation of each individual so that this information could be accurately presented. In some cases it also gave a basis for validating the statements made by reference to other material. It was not always terribly easy. Some of the names are unusual and led to straightforward confirmation (like Clifford Craske and Sebastian Lang) but others less so and took quite some digging. Inevitably there were quite a few that were researched that did not make it into the final programme.

I think the BBC team did a tremendous job and has produced something of lasting value and certainly of great watchability. Yes, there could have been more context and in some cases explanation of who the person was (but not easy given that there was to be no commentary); and yes, these memories were 50 years old and inevitably subject to changes of viewpoint and attitude over the years. But for a one hour programme with the material to hand I am not sure it could have been much better.

I understand that a DVD version is to be produced.

[keithmroberts]

Chris

Can you confirm that the Joseph Murray was the Gallipoli 1915 man? I'm sure that must be the case, but would just like to be sure.

Thanks for the post above - what a task, and we have two splendid outcomes, this programme, and the longer interviews on BBC Collections.

Keith

[David_Blanchard]

I think the narrative of the attack at Loos by Edward Glendinning of the Sherwood Foresters, provides much scope for use in the classroom.

I used it a lesson on Friday as an introduction to a piece of work on land warfare for GCSE controlled assessment.

[Chris_Baker]

Yes, that was the Joe Murray of Gallipoli fame.

[ianw]

But for a one hour programme with the material to hand I am not sure it could have been much better.

Thanks for the detail, Chris. I would agree with your comment above.

We owe a great debt of gratitude to Julia Cave. She must have been physically and mentally exhausted at the end of it all.

The technical treatment of the recorded material was indeed brilliant. One would hope that all this material is now made easily available to the nation in perpetuity.

[John_Hartley]

As Ian's comment yesterday, I found Katie Morter's interview very moving. Perhaps it was because she was from my part of the world and I know the places in Manchester that she spoke of.

She'd married Percy in 1913 at St Cross Church in Clayton (to the east of the city centre). The census describes him as "skilful labourer" in wire works. Can't see any record of the registration of the birth of the child she mentioned she was carrying. He was killed in action on 7/7/16, serving with the Loyals.

[Old Tom]

May I step slightly out of line. While the programme was a fine snap shot of the war in the trenches which I watched with great interest as I recall doing when the complete programme was broadcast back in the 60's, I felt that the high tech refurbishment of the recordings somehow detracted from their impact. It is probably not fair to criticise the lack of chronological order but, I believe, the programme would have been enhanced if dates and possibly locations had been given as sub titles.

Old Tom

[shaner13]

Chris,do you have any further info with regards to the possible DVD/DVDS?

Really would be fantastic to see and hear more of these historically important interviews.

Shane

[Chris_Baker]

Some of the full interviews (13 of them, I think) are on BBC iPlayer.

I have no details of DVD but will ask.

[keithmroberts]

Long ago I'm sure I of an occasion when the BBC through whatever channel provided a school/college with a DVD of a programme for teaching use, in response to a direct request, even though it was not released commercially. That was of course with the usual caveat about copying etc.,

Keith

[shaner13]

Thanks Chris

BBC iPlayer it is then,and the perfect excuse not to mow the lawns this afternoon!!

Shane

[ianw]

One hopes that Charles Fox survived the war after joining up in memory of his SAD son.

I wonder if the programme's research confirmed whether he was told the true fate of his son by the letter sent by a comrade or by the subsequent official confirmation of the death?