Wipers Times

[Catherine]

Hello,

Does anybody know whether it is possible to find any original copies of the Wipers Times?

Thanks,

Catherine

[Max Poilu]

The last ones I saw were In "Turner Donovans" catalogue (probably the best Great War book dealer) a couple of years ago, they had a collection of around 5 or 6 - memory is fading but I think they were around £60 each. I also remember the moment the catalogue landed on my doorstep I called and they were already all sold.

The book of the Wipers Times is easy to find and usually around £15.

[MartinWills]

As well as the recent reprint (now out of print, I believe) which was produced in HB and SB there were some reprints just after the war (earlier ones did not include the full run, those a couple of years later did).

I would guess that the IWM have originals that you could consult but the reprints are as good as you might wish for unless you have a particular reason for wanting an original - and they are neither cheap nor easy to find.

One of the Cambridge Colleges holds a fine collection of Trench Magazines which have been made available on microfilm.

Good Luck.

[Stuart Brown]

I appreciate that you are looking for originals but one current source of facsimiles is here

[Catherine]

Thanks for your help everyone.

I did try the IWM a while ago actually and they gave me a book of facsimiles - I'm not sure whether they have originals but I took it from this that they probably wouldn't want me browsing through them even if they did!

I'm just curious to see some originals, and I'd like to buy one if possible, but it does sound as though my impression that they are very hard to come by has been confirmed.

Giles, I couldn't find the Turner Donovans catalogue when I searched the web. Do you know if they have a website?

Thanks,

Catherine

[Gary Samson]

Hi Catherine,

You'll find them here:

Turner Donovan Military Books

Gary

[Catherine]

Thank you!

[Cliff. Hobson]

Question : Was the Wipers Times an official publication, if not who started it off? I should have noted this when I looked at copy in the local library a long time ago, now not available.

[Stuart Brown]

Question : Was the Wipers Times an official publication, if not who started it off? I should have noted this when I looked at copy in the local library a long time ago, now not available.

Cliff,

There is a three page preface to my book (1918) regarding how it happened. This is the first page (OCR copy )so ignore any errors - it should give an idea:-

HOW IT HAPPENED

The publisher-chap has told me that I must sit down and write a preface giving the history of our paper. It's rather a rotten way of spending part of leave ; however, here goes.

Our paper was started as the result of the discovery of an old printing­house just off the Square at Wipers. Some printing-house and some square! There were parts of the building remaining, the rest was on top of the press. The type was all over the country-side ; in fact the most perfect picture of the effects of Kultur as interpreted by 5.9's ever seen.

One of our sergeants, by nature an optimist and in a previous existence a printer, said he could make the press print if he had a brace of light-duty men to help him. He got them, and was as good as his word as, within three or four days, he brought me a specimen of his handiwork.

Paper was there, ink in plenty, everything in fact except " copy." As none of us were writing men, we just wrote down any old thing that came into our heads. Little incidents of daily life in the Salient were turned into adverts. or small paragraphs.

To get an idea of the birth of the paper one has to try to visualize Wipers in those early days of i9i6. We lived in rat-infested, water-logged cellars by day and at Hooge by night. As an existence it had little to recommend it. The editorial den was in a casemate under the old ramparts built by Vaubin -heaven alone knows when! Though why the dear old bird built a wall fifty feet thick to keep out grape-shot-or whatever the Hun of the day threw around-is hard to say. However, God rest his soul! He gave us the only 'moments of security we had for three long months, and often we drank to his shadow.

Our casemate will always be vividly remembered by those who knew it. We had a piano-loot from a neighbouring cellar where it had been -propping up the remnants of a house-a gramophone, a printino--press and a lot of subalterns. Can anyone wonder that we are but shadows of our former

[Stuart Brown]

Page 2

THE WIPERS TIMES

selves ? When Fritz's love-tokens arrived with greater frequency and

precision than we altogether relished we would turn our whole outfit on

together. The effect of 11 Pantomime Hits " on the piano, " Dance with Me "

on the gramophone, a number of subalterns, and 5.9 and 4'2'S on the roof, has to be heard to be realized.

At dusk, donning boots, gum, thigh, we would set off to Hooge to work till dawn in feet of liquid mud composed of-various things better left unsaid­trying to make a little cover for the lads who were holding on to the remnants of Belgium in the teeth of every disadvantage, discomfort and peril.

Yet always at the most inconvenient moment came a persistent demand from an ink-covered sergeant, " Copy wanted, sir! "

Numbers i and 2 Of " The Wipers Times " will always be our own particular pets because of the circumstances under which they were done. They were produced on the original press up by the Cloth Hall, in the days when the air was generally full of shells. One page only could be done at a time, and we had no " y " s and " e " s to spare when one page was in the ic chaser." So that when the page was put up in our casemate the ser eant and his "devils" would go to the door and look at the atmosphere. If all was moderately quiet then they would make a dash for the " works " and stay till Fritz got too near to be pleasant. Also these were days of wild alarms and excursions, and often one had to stop writing an article in order to stand to."

So Number i of "The Wipers Times" was at last produced, and ioo copies printed and issued among our immediate circle. Had we only known then what was going to happen we'd have printed 300. (1 was offered £io for a copy of Number i about a month ago ; but none forthcoming.) Numbers 2, 3 and 4 were produced in Wipers, and of these 200 were printed as demands for them were fired at us from all sides.

It will be noted that Numbers 2, 3 and 4 Of " The Wipers Times" had "dud" prices. The reason for this is that after the issue of Number i the barrage became so intense that we were forced to save our paper by elevating the alleged price. Several of the more ardent spirits took these prices seriously and weighed in with the necessary. After putting up the alleged price to 200 francs, in despair we reduced the price to 50 centimes, and gave up the endeavour to cope with the demand.

All the numbers were printed in the district of the name they bear, and

[Stuart Brown]

and finally........

HOW IT HAPPENED

last five are called the B. E. F. Times " for reasons not unconnected with the the censor.

Have you ever sat in a trench in the middle of a battle and corrected proofs? Try it. That is what happened on the Somme, and " The Somme Times" was the result. The paper has never yet been printed out of the front area, and once our works were within 700 yards of the front line and above ground.

After Number 2 Was published, the Hun " found " our works with a 5'9. This was the most fortunate thing that could have happened, as we were put on to a lovely little hand-jigger and a lot more type up near Hell-fire Corner. We salved the lot, or at least the sergeant and his " devils " did, and we have the outfit still. At present it is marooned in the care of an amiable town major at a dorp not far behind the line. There it must stay until we can commandeer a tank as a travelling printing works, as the red-hats are most unsympathetic at present, and awfully keen on fighting.

Whether we shall have a chance to print again before the fast approach­ing finale is on the knees of the gods. Anyway, in response to the demands of the " B. E. F." herewith all issues in book form, faithful facsimiles of the originals reproduced by photography, vide the publisher-chap's assurance. Remember that the hilarity was more often hysterical than natural, and that these are our first efforts at journalism, so your criticisms may be kind.

The Editor asks those who have so kindly helped him with "copy" to accept his grateful acknowledgment, especially Mr. Gilbert Frankau.

THE EDITOR.

[Cliff. Hobson]

Stuart,

Many thanks, what a marvellous story, one can only admire what these men did under the circumstances, I shall have to get the book.

Regards Cliff.