How I Filmed the War A Record of the Extraordinary Experiences of the Man Who Filmed the Great Somme Battles, etc.

A young Royal Engineers officer volunteers as an official cinematographer, snapping moving pictures of the Western Front at a time when film is still a novelty. He slips through mud‑filled trenches, watches artillery crews set up their guns, and captures the stark reality of life behind the lines—often from a distance so close the flash of a shell lights his lens. The narrative balances vivid descriptions of everyday soldiers with the technical challenges of lugging heavy cameras across shattered landscapes, revealing how a single reel can convey the chaos and camaraderie of war.

Through a series of daring assignments, he shadows Belgian troops in a night raid, follows French mountain troops across snowy hills, and even finds himself in the middle of a royal inspection. Along the way, he confronts exploding shells, improvises camouflage for his equipment, and wrestles with the ethical weight of turning devastation into spectacle. His candid voice offers listeners a rare, front‑row seat to the making of early war footage and the personal courage required to film history as it unfolds.