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Video summary

Stefan Westmann was a German conscripted in 1914, and recalls the terror and horror of being under heavy artillery fire in the trenches.

He expresses horror and regret at his own killing of a French soldier, and reflects on the inhumanity and brutality of war and how it made normal men killers.

He also remembers the kindness of the British in allowing the German to bury their dead after they had repelled a German attack.

This memory informed his decision to move to London when he needed to escape from Germany in the 1930s.

This is from the series: I Was There: The Great War Interviews.

Teacher viewing recommended prior to use in class.

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Teacher Notes

Students could identify as many different features of fighting in the trenches as they can find.

The teacher could ask them to focus on the following features in particular: attitude towards the enemy; methods of attack and defence; attitudes of soldiers towards the war.

This clip will be relevant for teaching History at KS3, KS4/GCSE, in England and Wales and Northern Ireland.

Also at Third Level, Fourth Level, National 4 and National 5 in Scotland.

This topic appears in OCR, Edexcel, AQA, WJEC, CCEA GCSE and SQA.

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Relatives left at home describe what it was like coping whilst the men were away at war.

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The experiences of a disillusioned soldier and the widow of a soldier killed in action

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