University of Cambridge: The b.e.f. Times

While in the trenches during WWI, soldiers began to produce their own magazines. The best known of these was the Wipers Times, later renamed the B.E.F. (British Expeditionary Force) Times. It was printed on a printing press salvaged from the ruins of Ypres (known to the British as 'Wipers'). The magazine ran for over two years and was widely circulated among the troops. These magazines seem a reaction against the contemporary British press, with its often gung-ho patriotism and lack of understanding of conditions in the trenches. A few excerpts are shown here. Also includes some questions for discussion.