成人快手

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.

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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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Going over the top. video

Infantrymen recall the tense hours in the trenches prior to an attack.

 Going over the top

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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.

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Henry describes his reaction to being called up and his experiences in the trenches.

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Frank talks about fighting in the disastrous Gallipoli campaign in 1915.

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Pilots identify the different experiences of men in the air, recalling the realities of combat and the tactics used to down an enemy aircraft.

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Cecil Lewis鈥 experiences reflect how the role of aircraft changed in the course of WW1.

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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.

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Death and survival. video

The experiences of a disillusioned soldier and the widow of a soldier killed in action

Death and survival

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