The Realities of War

Mike Finn looks at the Liverpool press to find out what people back home were told about conditions on the Western Front.

In 1920, the war correspondent Philip Gibbs published his account of The Realities of War. Although Gibbs assiduously denied that his reporting from the Front during the Great War had  in any way been false, he conceded that it had been incomplete. Gibbs excused this apparent dereliction of duty with an appeal to a higher moral imperative – his obligation to spare his readers the full truth of the suffering and dangers faced by their loved ones on the battlefield.

To continue reading this article you will need to purchase access to the online archive.

Buy Online Access  Buy Print & Archive Subscription

If you have already purchased access, or are a print & archive subscriber, please ensure you are logged in.

Please email digital@historytoday.com if you have any problems.