The Wipers Times

Ian Hislop

I work a night shift, so, come 9 o'clock, when the best television drama seems to be scheduled, I wend my way to work down the A419 and feel like I'm missing out. Thankfully, BBC iPlayer is a boon in catching up with such programmes when I'm off work and can't sleep due to the night shift pattern playing merry hell with my physiology. In such a fashion, I caught up with the recently broadcast The Wipers Times written by Ian Hislop and Nick Newman. With the 100th anniversary of the onset of the First World War rapidly approaching (for Great Britain, 4th August 2014) there is no doubt a myriad of television programmes coming our way detailing the first truly global industrial conflict (the American Civil War experience would have it as the contender for the first industrial conflict). However, as one of the vanguard, this drama was entertaining, amusing, spiritually moving, educational and a must-see for anyone interested in the history of early twentieth century history.

With Ben Chaplin as Captain (later Lieutenant Colonel) Fred Roberts and Julian Rhind-Tutt as his subaltern, Lieutenant Jack Pearson, the feature-length drama tells the true tale of how the two officers of the 12th Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment) published a satirical magazine whilst under fire on the Western Front at the Belgian town of Ypres - the British "Tommy" quickly renamed the town Wipers for obvious reasons. On a foray into the battered, but still intact, town to plunder materiel with which to construct and repair the trenches, the Pioneer unit stumble upon a printing press. Their non-commissioned officer, Sergeant Harris (Steve Oram), being a printer in civvy street, enthuses over the machine and the idea of publishing a magazine "like Punch, but with jokes" is rapidly seized upon as a means to relieve the boredom of army life. The magazine features spoof advertisements, stories and poems in the vein of the British Music Hall tradition, an entertainment medium that would have been redolent in the minds of every man serving at the front - with no wireless (radio) or television at that time, the major source of light entertainment was the Music Hall as epitomised in the BBC programme The Good Old Days.

The magazine was extremely popular amongst all ranks and its name changed several times as the unit was moved up and down the frontline, but the content remained a constant. However, its popularity was not universal and rankled with some members of "The Staff" stationed many miles behind the frontline. Some Staff Officers felt that, not only should the publication of the magazine be stopped, but also Captain Roberts should be tried at a court martial for inciting insubordination. Thankfully, this viewpoint as expounded by Lieutenant Colonel Howfield (Ben Daniels) was overruled by General Mitford (Michael Palin) who saw the worth of humour helping to relieve the drudgery and terror of the lives of those soldiers manning the trenches.

The magazine is evidence that the British sense of humour was then, as now, a source of satirical fun, giving two fingers to authority, but simultaneously driving home a serious message. The fact that, post-war, the editor of the magazine was unable to secure a journalist's role speaks volumes for the problems faced by many of the servicemen who returned home to a "land fit for heroes" only to find that the promise of their politicians to make their world so was as hollow as the one made in August 1914 when they were told that the war would be "over by Christmas".

This programme will no doubt feature in the BAFTA's and deservedly so!

Footnote

When watching this programme, look out for a "cameo" from Winston Churchill who served in the army before returning to Blighty to continue his political career. 

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