The Wipers Times went through many names from the original Wipers Times to the final Better Times which ended in December 1918. It was a boon to the men of the trenches, irreverent, satirical and often very funny, Lieutenant Samuel Pepys’ diary being a particularly funny running joke. Here you will find reproduced the complete Wipers Times, a sterling reminder of the resilience and perseverance of the editors, Captain F. J Roberts and Lieutenant J.H. Pearson.
The Wipers Times The Famous First World War Trench Newspaper Synopsis
From its long-running cartoon pun (‘Are We Being Offensive Enough?’) to its brilliantly subversive column ‘Things We Want to Know’ (‘The name of the officer who originated the idea’), its hilarious spoof ads to its pastiche fake contributors (Belary Helloc), this complete facsimile edition of the Wipers Times, produced to accompany the BBC dramatization, is a historical masterpiece that enables us to sample the real spirit of the trenches . . . from the safety of our armchairs.
If you can drink the beer the Belgians sell you,
And pay the price they ask with ne’er a grouse, If you believe the tales that some will tell you, And live in mud with ground sheet for a house, If you can live on bully and a biscuit, And thank your stars that you’ve a tot of rum, Dodge whizzbangs with a grin, and as you risk it Talk glibly of the pretty way they hum. . .
Chris Westhorp is an experienced freelance editor, writer and researcher. Formerly of Arms and Armour Press and Duncan Baird Publishing, he is a specialist interest in military history and aviation. Chris is the author of The Commando Pocket Manual 1950-1945 (Conway, 2012) amongst numerous other titles.
