Trench Talk success

Last month Professor Jane Chapman, from the School of English and Journalism,  joined Professor Ross Wilson from the University of Chichester to shine a spotlight on the importance of trench newspapers, humour and morale during the First World World.

The talk was delivered in the 1,000 seater Chichester Festival Theatre, using the set of  ‘The Wiper Times’  – a play which tells the story of a group of soldiers in Ypres during the First World War who find a printing press and produce a satirical newspaper from the trenches – as a backdrop to their discussions.

Many of those in the audience had either seen the play, which had been staged just a few days earlier, or the BBC drama and were keen to find out more. The event gave them the opportunity to see archive material and ask questions about the impact of satire from the trenches.

Widening the focus beyond the British, Professor Chapman also included international examples of trench cartoons, from Australians, Canadians and German prisoners of war.

Professor Chapman and Professor Wilson have co-authored two articles on trench cartoons, one of which will appear in the journal ‘War and History’ in 2018.