47 - Oh What a lovely War
Oh! What a lovely podcast
What happens when three historians watch a key play about the First World War? This month we took a field trip to see at the Leeds Playhouse. As a result we discuss the nature of the performance, the changing image of Douglas Haig, and wonder whether audiences were supposed to sing along. ReferencesAlan Clark, The Donkeys (1961) John McCrae, In Flanders Field (1915) William Phillpot, Bloody Victory: The Sacrifice on the Somme and the Making of the Twentieth Century (2010) Dan Todman, The Great War in Myth and Memory (2005) Oh! What a lovely war (Original London Cast) (1983)
info_outline
46 - Egyptian Encounters
Oh! What a lovely podcast
What opportunities did the First World War provide for cultural tourism? This month Angus, Jessica and Chris speak to Allison Bennett, winner of the 2023 Gail Braybon Award for her work on war-time cross-cultural sexual encounters during the First World War. Along the way we discuss #MeToo, and the post-war legacies of these encounters for families, and the popularity of the Pyramids and camels as a tourist attractions. References:GallipoliPeter Stanley, Bad CharactersAlexia Moncrieff, Expertise, Authority and ControlAlan Beyerchen and Emre Spencer (eds.), Expeditionary Forces in the First...
info_outline
45 - War Hospital
Oh! What a lovely podcast
What happens when you turn a First World War medical process into a computer game? This month Angus, Jessica, and Chris take control of wartime medicine in the game . Along the way we discuss the importance of evacuation, difficult ethical decisions, and why Chris' conscience is completely clear. If you listen to this episode and share it on social media you can also win a free copy of the game! References: (2024) An Unequal Burden, Jessica Meyer (2019) Regeneration, Pat Barker (1991)
info_outline
44 - The Grizzled
Oh! What a lovely podcast
What happens when you turn the French experience of the war into a cooperative game? This month Jessica, Angus, and Chris played a cooperative game focused on guiding a group of French soldiers through the war. Along the way they discuss the morale boosting merits of different drinks, the difference between physical and mental traumas, and whether they are now obliged to design their own British version. References: Meyer, Jessica, Kempshall, Chris, Pöhlmann, Markus: Life and Death of Soldiers , in: 1914-1918-online. International Encyclopedia of the First World War Kempshall,...
info_outline
43 - Women at War
Oh! What a lovely podcast
What happens when you set a telenovela in First World War France? This month Chris, Angus and Jessica review the Netflix limited series Les Combattantes (Women at War). Along the way, we discuss untranslatable words, the relationship between war atrocities and propaganda, recreational drug use, and the excellent communication links of a small-town convent. References: Women at war, (2022)The Bonfire of Destiny, (2019)RH Mottram, The Spanish Farm, (1924)John Horne and Alan Kramer, German Atrocities, 1914: A history of denial (2001) Lukasz Kamienski, Shooting Up:...
info_outline
42 - They Shall Not Grow Old
Oh! What a lovely podcast
What should we take from a First World War documentary? Following our adventure to Canada for the International Society for First World War Studies conference, we welcome Prof Robert Burgoyne to discuss his keynote paper on the Peter Jackson film They Shall Not Grow Old (2018). Along the way, we explore the ways in which war films can quote from each other, differences in structure to the film 1917, and the importance of audience expectations when creating a historical piece. ReferencesRobert Burgoyne, The New American War Film (2023) Santanu Das, ‘Colors of...
info_outline
41 - The Great War and the Origins of Modern Horror
Oh! What a lovely podcast
How did the First World War inspire the horror genre? This month we welcome W. Scott Poole (Charleston) to discuss his 2018 book Wasteland: The Great War and the Origins of Modern Horror. Along the way we discuss the American experience of war, the importance of J'Accuse, and the political affiliations of 20th century zombies.
info_outline
40 - The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles
Oh! What a lovely podcast
What happens when you send Indiana Jones into the First World War? In this episode, we are joined by Thomas Riddle. Thomas runs the website (which aims to provide teachers with resources to integrate everyone’s favourite archaeologist into the classroom) to discuss the 1990s TV series ‘The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles’. Along the way we discuss the show as an educational tool, the many historical figures that appear in the series, and the importance of learning foreign languages! References:The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles (1992-1996) Samuel Hynes, The Soldiers' Tale: Bearing...
info_outline
39 - Benediction
Oh! What a lovely podcast
How do you create a biopic of one of the most famous First World War poets? This month we're joined by Dr Jane Potter (Oxford Brookes) to discuss the 2021 film Benediction about the life of Siegfried Sassoon. Along the way we explore the long shadow of Regeneration, soldiers in drag, and the brilliance of Edith Sitwell. We also get very excited by a surprise cameo from the star of a previous episode! References: Alice Winn, In Memoriam (2023) Benediction’ is a shattering biopic of the English war poet Siegfried Sassoon, Benediction review – Terence...
info_outline
38 - In Memoriam
Oh! What a lovely podcast
What do you get when you cross Journey's End with Brideshead Revisited? This month Angus, Chris and Jessica review Alice Winn's best-selling new novel, In Memoriam. The book follows Henry Gaunt and Sidney Ellwood from public school and through the war. Half-German, Gaunt's mother asks him to enlist in the British army to protect the family from anti-German attacks. He signs up immediately, relieved to escape his overwhelming feelings. But Ellwood and their classmates soon follow him into the horrors of trenches. Though Ellwood and Gaunt find fleeting moments of solace in one...
info_outlineHow is the First World War represented in British comics?
In 1979 the Battle launched a new strip, Charley's War. The story followed boy soldier Charley Bourne, who fought his way through the Battle of the Somme in 1916 and ended up in Russia in 1919. Written by Pat Mills, it was inspired by the film Oh! What a lovely war.
The aim of the strip was not to glorify the conflict but to encourage the reader to re-evaluate their preconceptions of the First World War. At the time of publication, what made this unusual was it went against the standard preconceived historical storylines in other comic strips, which worked to normalise war and elevate the central character to the status of a hero.
Angus enthusiastically read them at the time, Chris and Jessica are much more recent consumers of Charley's War.
References:
'Pat Mills on Charley’s War’, IWM Comics and Conflicts Conference (2011)
Fussell, Paul, The Great War and Modern Memory (Oxford: Oxford University Press 1975)
Hynes, Samuel, The Soldier's Tale: Bearing Witness to a Modern War (Allen Lane 1997)
Jachimiak, Peter Hughes. "'Woolly Bears and Toffee Apples': History, Memory, and Masculinity in Charley's War", The Lion and the unicorn, 31.2 (2007), 162-175
MacCallum-Stewart, Esther, 'The First World War and British Comics' University of Sussex Journal of Contemporary History. 6 (2003) 1-18
Mills, Pat, and Joe Colquhoun, Charley's War (London: Titan Books, 2004)
Williams, Rachel Marie-Crane, 'Image, Text, and Story: Comics and Graphic Novels in the Classroom’, Art Education, 61.6 (2008), 13-19
Wurtz, James F., 'Representing the Great War: Violence, Memory, and Comic Form’, Pacific Coast Philology, 44.2 (2009), 205-215