Stories told by soldiers: WW1 - The Savage Enemy

The Lore Network

Though initiated by Germany with an unbridled savagery that showed no partiality towards age or innocence, that sought to leave the aggrieved with "only their eyes to weep with," the war erupted onto the global stage. Belgium, a neutral territory ostensibly safeguarded by international diplomacy, found itself violated, its integrity marred as German forces surged through its landscape like an uncaring tide.
In counteracting this unholy intrusion, a role of indelible valor was enacted by the British Expeditionary Force. Pitted against insurmountable odds, against an enemy that appeared almost mythical in its preparedness, these men and women held their line, echoing through history.
This account, a glimpse into the dusk-like early days of a war that would stretch long into an unseeable horizon, is relayed through the experiences of Driver George William Blow of the Royal Field Artillery. His is a story marked not merely by the rigors of frontline artillery combat, but by the personal cost—a physique bruised and broken, two ribs shattered, and five loyal horses laid to rest beneath the unforgiving soil. The narrative he weaves is, like the man himself, wounded but unbroken, his voice carrying from the war-torn fields to reach us, a reverberation from a past filled with both heroism and tragedy.
Join us now as he describes in his own words the valour, triumph and heartbreak of those fateful days.

Support the show