Recollections

Producing a newspaper in 1916 using primitive equipment was slow, fussy, and difficult enough, but imagine doing so under enemy shellfire in the ruins of bombed-out Ypres.

“Ypres 1916 – The Printer” [5:04]
excerpt from The Wipers Times, BBC movie released in 2013.

Published by a group of British soldiers fighting in the trenches on the Western Front during the Great War, The Wipers Times was a much loved magazine consisting of poems, wry observations, and satirical humour. Named after the British slang for Ypres, the Belgian city which saw some of the worst fighting of the war, the magazine was born out of the chance discovery of an abandoned printing press, and served to lift the spirits of the troops as they fought and lived in the trenches.¹

“Reading a newspaper in the trenches, 1916^©”² The Wipers Times may be the most well-known of several trench newspapers in the British, German, French, and Australian forces.

The Wipers Times was the brainchild of Captain Fred Roberts and Lieutenant John (Jack) Hesketh Pearson of the 12th Battalion, The Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment). They were assisted by Sergeant George Turner, a printer in civilian life, who restored the abandoned printing press, trained a few helpers, and got production underway. The first issue was published on February 12, 1916. Copies were snapped up quickly, and later editions of about 200–250 were printed. Eagerly received, these were read aloud and shared.

Captain Frederick John Roberts (1882–1964), editor³

Lieutenant John (Jack) Hesketh Pearson (1883–1966), sub-editor⁴

Sergeant George Turner, printer by trade, soldier by fate.⁵

As Roberts later recalled: “To get an idea of the birth of the paper one has to try to visualize Wipers in those early days of 1916. We lived in rat-infested, water-logged cellars by day and at Hooge by night. As an existence it had little to recommend it.”⁶

In 1930 he elaborated further:

At this time I was in command of three companies of the 12th Batt. Sherwood Foresters, with headquarters in the ramparts at Ypres, and the sergeant brought me the news of the discovery, with a statement that he could make the press work.

I went round to look at it, and found that, although shells had damaged the outfit fore and aft, the centre, or printing piece, was more or less intact. Also, the room was covered to a depth of about an inch with type of every kind, although there was a shortage of large “E’s.” There was a good lot of paper, and a drum of printing ink.

The first two numbers were successfully issued before the enemy committed an unfriendly act by dropping a 5.9 [high-explosive artillery shells] in the middle of the works. Private Johnson, who for some reason preferred printing to crawling about in the mud of Hooge, immediately unearthed a smaller and much more useful press at the Ecole De Bien-Faisance, some distance up the Menin Road.

Although the enemy was particularly unfriendly at the moment, by the help of a barrow the two men managed to get the press into Ypres, where it was installed in the ramparts.

We became inundated with copy from all ranks. Generals vied with privates in wishing to give their opinion of the war, Hooge, the Staff, Ypres, the Hun, and a thousand other things.⁷

“The Western Front, 1916” map.⁸ Three major battles in western Belgium killed thousands and totally destroyed the city of Ypres. It was an unlikely and dangerous place to run a printshop.

The newspapers were always in a state of flux and were never published according to a preset schedule. The movement of a unit to a new front could disrupt publication, along with shortages of paper or ink. More damaging was the death or injury of critical members of a paper’s staff or frequent contributors.⁹

“The Second Battle of Ypres in 1915” by Canadian artist Honourary Major James Kerr-Lawson.¹⁰ The Wipers Times operated nearby. The ruined 13th century Cloth Hall was rebuilt as it once stood, and now houses the Flanders Fields Museum.

When the paper had to relocate during the war, the name of the paper changed accordingly. At times it was The “New Church” Times, The Kemmel Times, The Somme Times, The B.E.F. Times, and finally The Better Times.¹¹

The March 6, 1916 edition was understandably delayed.¹²

Roberts’ editorial explained why No. 3, Vol. 1 was late:

Firstly, we must apologise to our numerous subscribers for the delay in bringing out our third number. Owing to the inclemency of the weather our rollers became completely demoralised, also the jealousy of our local competitors, Messrs. Hun and Co, reached an acute stage, and brought some of the wall down on our machine.

He went on to add:

We hear that the war (to which we alluded guardedly in our first number, is proceeding satisfactorily, and we hope shortly to announce that it is a going concern. So for the time being there we will leave it, and turn to graver subjects. We regret that there is still reason to deplore the inability, inefficiency, ineptitude and inertia of our City Fathers with regard to the condition of the roads (these are mostly up still), and the fighting of the town. We should like to see these matters taken in hand at once.

Censorship

Produced for those in the trenches, but also read by the higher-ups, the paper gave soldiers a way to vent frustrations in a safe context, and included their gripes and complaints. While often served up with humour, this grousing informed officers of discontent brewing in the ranks. Interference from above was minimal, however, and censorship was much like that for letters home. Locations, names of units, and battles were guarded.

While providing an escape for soldiers, The Wipers Times self-censored content, excluding negative or pessimistic stories, anti-war messaging, overt condemnation of the enemy, and gruesome tales that would hurt morale. Soldiers did not need to be told that war is hell.

The editor’s tone was well received by everyone, including those in charge:

Our first number was a howling success, and support was forthcoming from the higher command. Major-General Bertram Mitford was one of our most enthusiastic readers. Major-General Sir John Capper, too, was good enough to give us much encouragement. Field-Marshal Haig and Field-Marshal Plumer were regular subscribers, and it may be said here that the proceeds were of no little benefit to the padre’s charities.¹³

Produced in the rubble of war-torn Ypres, The Wipers Times was clearly written for the men in the trenches, not the officers.

In addition to news, typical topics in the paper included shelling, sex (although never vulgar or explicit), food, cigarettes, rum and whisky, rats, slackers on the home front, sports, and weather. Issues included editorials, letters, contests, and serial stories. Regular columns like “People We Take Our Hats Off To,” “Things We Want to Know,” “Answers to Correspondents,” and “Cupid’s Corner” were popular.

The paper was rife with inside jokes and references. Cartoons appeared often, and there were more limericks and poetry submissions than could be accommodated.

E. J. Couzens drew a cartoon of a chinless platoon commander wondering, “Am I as offensive as I might be?” The figure became the paper’s motif.¹⁴ [May 22,1916]

The rank and file always liked to hear about the inanities of those in the rear who did not understand the real war at the front, especially stories about the staff officers being seemingly out of touch with the issues that mattered to the fighting men.¹⁵

Trench soldiers considered the “army line” in home-front press or semi-official publications unreliable, and instead welcomed the authenticity and satire of The Wipers Times. Its dark humour and biting satire helped them cope with the misery and absurdity of the war while kicking back at authority. As Tim Cook, Canada’s eminent military historian, noted:

It was difficult to know if the airing of grievances helped to relieve the abuses and nonsense directed at the rank and file by some of the more egregious officers during the daily routine of work, training, and hard labour in the trenches, but the privates seemed to think that it did.¹⁶

Submissions of all kinds were welcomed, including letters to the editor.

“I must protest.”¹⁷ [April 10, 1917]

Front-line soldiers on both sides were often frustrated by civilian newspaper accounts of the war. The infantry mired in the mud of Flanders or digging for their lives on the Somme knew from first-hand experience that the enemy was not on his last legs and that “one more push” would not lead to the enemy’s surrender.¹⁸

Well-known figures were re-imagined by The Wipers Times. The paper regularly poked fun at Hilaire Belloc, a “noted disputant” and writer for a pro-war magazine called Land and Water who often inflated estimates of enemy casualties. In the trenches, readers enjoyed a satirical piece by “Belary Helloc” instead:

In this article I wish to show plainly that under existing conditions, everything points to a speedy disintegration of the enemy. We will take first of all the effect of war on the male population of Germany. Firstly, let us take as our figures 12,000,000 as the total fighting population of Germany. Of these 8,000,000 are killed or being killed hence we have 4,000,000 remaining. Of these 1,000,000 are non-combatants, being in the Navy. Of the 3,000,000 remaining, we can write off 2,500,000 as temperamentally unsuitable for fighting owing to obesity and other ailments engendered by a gross mode of living. This leaves us 500,000 as the full strength. Of these 497,250 are known to be suffering from incurable diseases, this leaves us 2,750. Of these 2,150 are on the Eastern Front, and of the remaining 600, 584 are Generals and Staff. Thus we find that there are 16 men on the Western Front. This number I maintain is not enough to give them even a fair chance of resisting four more big pushes, and hence the collapse of the Western Campaign. I will tell you next week about the others, and how to settle them.¹⁹

Arthur Conan Doyle also received The Wipers Times treatment. A popular series featured:

“Herlock Shomes,” a trench detective addicted—instead of to morphine—to a vermorel sprayer used to dispel chlorine gas attacks. He and his assistant, named Hotsam, feature in absurd dramas set in no-man’s-land, at times accompanied by glamorous women as they attempt to solve mysteries—such as cases involving soldiers’ missing whiskey and rum. One antagonist is Sandy Sam, described as a “suspected spy and sandbag merchant.”²⁰

Mock advertisements (including want ads) satirized those in newspapers of the day. They were well crafted and resembled legitimate ads, remarkable given the limitations of printing in a war zone.

“Mislaid somewhere in trenches…”²¹ [April 17, 1916]

Why not give your mechanically-inclined boy a flamethrower! Thousands have been sold.²² [March 20, 1916]

The Salient Estate. Underground residences ready for habitation.
Spend your holiday at Hotel des Ramparts, Wipers.²³ [March 20, 1916]

Is your life miserable? Are you unhappy? Buy your hated company commander a slippery duck board.²⁴ [September 8, 1917]

Four Australian soldiers in Flanders, October 22, 1917, the Third Battle of Ypres (Passchendaele). Only The B.E.F. Times could find humour in treacherous duck boards. (Fall off and you could drown in the mud. Some did.)²⁵

And if you find you are not unhappy, but instead a victim of optimism, well, that can be cured.²⁶ [July 31, 1916]

The Last Issue

At war’s end, The Wipers Times packed up. It had served its purpose well for three years.²⁷

The final two issues of The Wipers Times, in November and December of 1918, were aptly renamed The ‘Better Times’. While remaining true to its humorous and biting nature, the last issue included a heart-felt editorial that began with a poem:

“When this blooming war is over

Oh! How happy we shall be;

When we get our civvy clothes on

No more soldiering for me.”

(Expurgated Soldier’s Song.)

ARE we? And shall we? The end of the War none of us will ever regret, but there will be a lot connected with the last four years that we shall miss. A lot of us can remember blue-clad mobs wandering (one cannot call it marching) down English lanes and streets singing the above. This was in the days before khaki was obtainable. And many of us can trace those same mobs through the various stages of camp, Aldershot, B.E.F., until to-day when we know them as soldiers, many of them veterans, beribboned, but still singing the same old grouse. We cannot say that the majority of us took to soldiering kindly, but now that it is all over and we shall soon “have our civvy clothes on,” the reversion will be tinged with many regrets. One cannot but remark on the absolute apathy with which the end was received over here. England seems to have a jollification, but here one saw nothing but a disinterested interest in passing events. Perhaps that was because the end came without the expected administrative crash, and the decisive battle was spread over many months, and so became an indefinite action and not a “show.” Anyway though some may be sorry it’s over, there is little doubt that the line men are not, as most of us have been cured of any little illusions we may have had about the pomp and glory of war, and know it for the vilest disaster that can befall man kind.²⁸

“Soldiers from the Kings Liverpool Regiment listening to the news being read out as they wait in their trench in 1918.”²⁹

Conclusion

Historians value the archive of trench newspapers that “created a space for disobedience and dissent within the accepted parameters of the hierarchical army.”³⁰ Publications like The Wipers Times left a unique record of the war experience of front-line soldiers. These newspapers “were important for helping the soldiers vent their frustration and keep up their spirits, and for leaving a printed legacy. All soldiers realized they were living through momentous events. Men aimed to bear witness.”³¹

Published Collections

The appeal of The Wipers Times outlasted the war. Understandably, few original editions survive, but copies are available from several sources.

A 10-part series on YouTube celebrates the 100th anniversary of The Wipers Times. https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/worldwaronehistory Part 1 is included here:

“100 Years The Wipers Times - Part 1/10” [3:48]

VisitFlanders, 2016

The Flanders Field Museum in Ypres has an original copy of the first issue from February 12, 1916. The British Library has several issues.
A collection of the first 15 issues of The Wipers Times was published in a book in 1918. An entire series was published in 1930, reprinted in 1973, 1988, and 2006. Amazon offers a number of such books.
An online collection can be accessed at Wellcome Collection, part of the Royal Army Medical Corps Muniments Collection (RAMC/479), at https://wellcomecollection.org/works/h8ndatbq/items
Internet Archive has a full collection (403 pages) of issues at https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780333473344
The Sussex and the Great War website includes mention of The Wipers Times at https://sussexthegreatwar.wordpress.com/wipers-times. A link on the site opens a PDF version, (February 12, 1916 to April 10, 1917) at https://sussexthegreatwar.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/wipers.pdf. Images are scans from a book entitled The Wipers Times: A facsimile reprint of the trench magazines:—The Wipers Times—The New Church Times—The Kemmel Times—The Somme Times—The B.E.F. Times. (Herbert Jenkins Limited, London, 1918).

Dramatic Productions

Movie still fromThe Wipers Times, the 2013 BBC drama, © Trademark Productions, Photo by Helen Sloan.³²

The Wipers Times, the BBC movie released in 2013, featured Michael Palin, Julian Rhind-Tutt, and Ben Chaplin. The film was written by Ian Hislop and Nick Newman, who also produced a stage adaptation three years later. Performances included a UK tour in 2018.

The full movie can be viewed on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYjdT6bXsqE

Pour a shot of rum, raise a toast, and tune in.

____________________________
Sources (retrieved November 11, 2026)

1. “The Wipers Times,” Army Benevolent Fund, https://armybenevolentfund.org/support-us/the-wipers-times

2. “Reading a newspaper in the trenches, 1916©”, “Photograph, World War One, Western Front (1914-1918), 1916 (c). National Army Museum, London. British soldiers catch up with the war news during a stint in the front line trenches.” Accession Number NAM. 1999-11-70-41. https://www.nam.ac.uk/explore/wipers-times. Wikimedia has a flopped version of this photo at https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Reading_the_news_in_the_trenches_1000_yards_from_the_Bosch_present_positions_(4688659754).jpg sourced from the National Library of Scotland’s Flickr collection: https://www.flickr.com/photos/nlscotland/4688659754/

3. “The Wipers Times,” Lives of the First World War, Imperial War Museum, https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/story/8956

4. “The Wipers Times,” Lives of the First World War, Imperial War Museum, https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/3453787

5. Robert St. John Smith, “The Wipers Times Exposé: The Printer and the Presses,” January 15, 2026. “Sergeant George Turner, service number 16862, born 27 July 1891 in Shrewsbury, Shropshire. He enlisted into the Sherwood Foresters on 14 September 1914, with his civilian occupation listed as Collier. He was promoted to corporal in October, then sergeant in December of the same year. He served with the Foresters for the duration of the war and was demobilised in January 1919. […] He spent his entire working life for the railways before retiring at the age of 70. He died, from ill-health, at the age of 75.” https://robertstjohnsmith.com/post/2023-09-02-the-wipers-times-exposé-the-printer-and-the-presses/

6. Lt.-Col. F. J. Roberts, M.C., “How it Happened,” The Wipers Times: A facsimile reprint of the trench magazines:—The Wipers Times—The New Church Times—The Kemmel Times—The Somme Times—The B.E.F. Times. (Herbert Jenkins Limited, London, 1918), p. v

7. Lt.-Col. F. J. Roberts, M.C., “ ‘Wipers Times’: How It Happened,” The Daily Express, July 14, 1930, p.9 (transcribed in “Lieutenant-Colonel Fred Roberts M.C., Daily Express, 25 July 1930, p. 9,” Robert St. John Smith blog, https://robertstjohnsmith.com/post/2026-07-31-the-wipers-times-expos-contemporary-accounts-of-the-wipers-times/#lieutenant-colonel-fred-roberts-mc-daily-express-25-july-1930-p9

8. “The Western Front, 1916” map, Canadian War Museum. https://www.warmuseum.ca/firstworldwar/introduction/maps/the-western-front-1916

9. Tim Cook, The Secret History of Soldiers: How Canadians Survived the Great War (Toronto: Allen Lane, 2018), p. 207

10. “Reminders of the First World War loom large in the Senate,” SenCA+ magazine, Senate of Canada, Beaverbrook Collection of War Art, Canadian War Museum, CWM 19710261-0334. https://sencanada.ca/en/sencaplus/how-why/reminders-of-the-first-world-war-loom-large-in-the-senate

11. “ ‘The Wipers Times’, No. 3, Vol 1, Monday 6 March 1916,” National Army Museum, London. https://collection.nam.ac.uk/detail.php?acc=2007-03-17-1

12. The Wipers Times, March 6, 1916. https://wellcomecollection.org/works/h8ndatbq/items?canvas=21

13. Lt.-Col. F. J. Roberts, M.C., “ ‘Wipers Times’: How It Happened,” The Daily Express, July 14, 1930, p.9 (transcribed in “Lieutenant-Colonel Fred Roberts M.C., The Daily Express, 25 July 1930, p. 9,” Robert St. John Smith blog, https://robertstjohnsmith.com/post/2026-07-31-the-wipers-times-expos-contemporary-accounts-of-the-wipers-times/#lieutenant-colonel-fred-roberts-mc-daily-express-25-july-1930-p9

14. “Questions a Platoon Commander should ask himself.” The “New Church” Times, No. 3, Vol. 1, May 22, 1916. https://wellcomecollection.org/works/h8ndatbq/items?canvas=46

15. Tim Cook, The Secret History of Soldiers: How Canadians Survived the Great War (Toronto: Allen Lane, 2018), p. 214

16. Tim Cook, The Secret History of Soldiers: How Canadians Survived the Great War (Toronto: Allen Lane, 2018), p. 216

17. Correspondence,” To the Editor,” The B.E.F. Times, April 10, 1917.

18. Tim Cook, The Secret History of Soldiers: How Canadians Survived the Great War (Toronto: Allen Lane, 2018), p. 198

19. “By Belary Helloc,” The Wipers Times, No. 2, Vol. 1, February 26, 1916. https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780333473344/page/18/mode/2up

20. Zita Ballinger Fletcher, “The Wipers Times: British Humor in the Trenches,” June 8, 2021. https://historynet.com/wipers-times/

21. “LOST” want ad, The “New Church” Times, April 17, 1916. https://wellcomecollection.org/works/h8ndatbq/items?canvas=37

22. “Has your boy a mechanical turn of mind?” ad, The Wipers Times, March 20, 1916. https://wellcomecollection.org/works/h8ndatbq/items?canvas=26

23. “For Sale, The Salient Estate” and “Hotel des Ramparts” ads, The Wipers Times, March 20, 1916. https://wellcomecollection.org/works/h8ndatbq/items?canvas=31

24. “Is your life miserable? Are you unhappy?” ad, The B.E.F. Times, September 8, 1917. National Army Museum, London. https://collection.nam.ac.uk/detail.php?acc=1997-12-75-133

25. Andrew Knighton, “WW1: The Third Battle of Ypres—The Leading British Offensive Of 1917,” photo by Frank Hurley, sourced from Australian War Memorial and colourised by Royston Leonard / Facebook group WW1 Colourised Photos. https://www.warhistoryonline.com/world-war-i/ww1-the-third-battle-of-ypres.html

26. “Are You a Victim of Optimism?” ad, The Somme-Times, July 31, 1916. https://wellcomecollection.org/works/h8ndatbq/items?canvas=69

27. The “Better Times”, Vol. 2, No. 1, December 1918. National Army Museum, London. https://www.nam.ac.uk/explore/wipers-times

28. “Editorial” [excerpt], The “Better Times,” No. 2, Vol. 1, December 1918.

29. Zoe Drewett, “What was life like in the trenches during World War 1?” MyLondon blog, August 14, 2014. https://www.mylondon.news/news/local-news/what-life-like-trenches-during-7616238

30. Tim Cook, The Secret History of Soldiers: How Canadians Survived the Great War (Toronto: Allen Lane, 2018), p. 216

31. Tim Cook, The Secret History of Soldiers: How Canadians Survived the Great War (Toronto: Allen Lane, 2018), p. 220

32. Benjamin Brundell, “Wipers Times,” British Letterpress in 100 Objects, January 29, 2022. https://letterpress100.co.uk/2022/01/29/wipers-times

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Recollections

Wednesday, November 11, 2026

Index

The Wipers Times

Censorship

Contents

Advertisements

The Last Issue

Conclusion

Published Collections

Dramatic Productions