Video summary
Stefan Westmann was a German conscripted in 1914, and recalls the terror and horror of being under heavy artillery fire in the trenches.
He expresses horror and regret at his own killing of a French soldier, and reflects on the inhumanity and brutality of war and how it made normal men killers.
He also remembers the kindness of the British in allowing the German to bury their dead after they had repelled a German attack.
This memory informed his decision to move to London when he needed to escape from Germany in the 1930s.
This is from the series: I Was There: The Great War Interviews.
Teacher viewing recommended prior to use in class.
Teacher Notes
Students could identify as many different features of fighting in the trenches as they can find.
The teacher could ask them to focus on the following features in particular: attitude towards the enemy; methods of attack and defence; attitudes of soldiers towards the war.
This clip will be relevant for teaching History at KS3, KS4/GCSE, in England and Wales and Northern Ireland.
Also at Third Level, Fourth Level, National 4 and National 5 in Scotland.
This topic appears in OCR, Edexcel, AQA, WJEC, CCEA GCSE and SQA.
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Charles talks about coping with looming shellshock and aspects of an officer's life.
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Katie describes what the war was like from a young woman鈥檚 perspective in Manchester.
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The different pressures which were applied to persuade young men to join up to fight.
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How men could relax and forget about life on the front line when behind the lines and get some respite from the war.
How did shell shock affect soldiers? video
Soldiers from both sides describe their experience of shell fire and the physical and psychological effects it had on them and their colleagues.
The Christmas truce, 1914. video
Henry describes his reaction to being called up and his experiences in the trenches.
The Gallipoli campaign. video
Frank talks about fighting in the disastrous Gallipoli campaign in 1915.
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Changes on the home front during WW1. video
Relatives left at home describe what it was like coping whilst the men were away at war.
Death and survival. video
The experiences of a disillusioned soldier and the widow of a soldier killed in action
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