Great War Diaries

Documentary using dramatic reconstructions to tell the story of the First World War based on the letters and journals of those who lived through it, revealing tales of personal tragedy, love, happiness, pain and grief. In the first edition, a Scottish auxiliary nurse accompanies the British Army to Belgium, a young Cossack girl follows her father into battle and a German woman endures the untimely death of her only son. A French boy witnesses his country under occupation, while a German schoolgirl is forbidden from using French words in class.

A second batch of dramatic reconstructions based on the letters and journals people whose lives were affected by the First World War. A young Cossack girl experiences a gas attack on the Russian front; an Austrian soldier despairs as he is transported to Siberia; and a Scottish volunteer nurse desperately tries to help the survivors of the genocide in Armenia. A traumatised Italian-American believes he is possessed by the Holy Spirit; a British officer has to act as tour guide for an MP; a German soldier witnesses the horrors of the Somme and a schoolgirl is drawn into a brief romance with a young airman.

The final batch of dramatic reconstructions based on the letters and journals of people whose lives were affected by the First World War. An Australian piano teacher tries to get home from behind enemy lines, an Italian-American leads a revolt in a mental institution, a German soldier is involved in a mutiny, and a schoolgirl attempts suicide. An experienced English journalist is sickened by the Allies' behaviour as the war comes to a close, a French boy witnesses the German retreat and a Cossack woman is caught up in the Russian Revolution.