The Wipers Times: The Complete Series of the Famous Wartime Trench Newspaper (History) - Softcover

A fascinating reproduction of the trench newspaper that provided a satirical and subversive look at the First World War. In February 1916, Captain F. J. Roberts of the 12th Battalion, Sherwood Foresters produced the first edition of the trench newspaper The Wipers Times. Often produced in hazardous conditions, at one point only 700 yards from the front line, it acted as the voice of the average British soldier, relaying his experiences, grief and anger during the entire conflict. At times irreverent, at times hysterical, its humour and satire provide an excellent insight into life in the trenches. Taking its name from the army slang for Ypres, where it was first produced, The Wipers Times was similar to Punch, but contained a more specific type of comedy relating exclusively to the soldiers on the Western Front. The satire and humour of the paper helped reinvent the situation in the trenches diffusing the conditions of war by ridiculing and exaggerating them. With a foreword by Ian Hislop, editor of Private Eye, and a 5000 word commentary by Malcolm Brown, leading military historian.