Ian Hislop explores the history of soldiers listed on Britain's war memorials, talking to relatives of the deceased and considering the impact the conflicts had on society. He begins by travelling around the country to find out how - and why - so many monuments were erected, discovering that the lack of bodies to bury meant the bereaved needed a focus for their grief.
Ian Hislop discovers the impact World War One had on the class system in Britain. The deaths of so many landed gentry left holes in the ranks of the officers, which were filled by middle-class men. However, the new recruits often had a difficult time in the officers' mess and were labelled 'temporary gentlemen' by their working-class colleagues.
Ian Hislop finds out what effect World War One had on the lives of British women. Those serving as nurses, ambulance drivers and munitions workers came closer to the front line than ever before - and many died during the conflict. Back at home, bereaved mothers, wives, sisters and daughters were left behind by countless slaughtered soldiers.
Ian Hislop explores events following Armistice Day, as Britain's five million surviving soldiers returned home after World War One. Although promised a land fit for heroes, they faced widespread unemployment and poverty, while physical disability and psychological trauma meant their lives would be changed for ever.
Ian Hislop examines the lives of six soldiers executed for cowardice or desertion during World War One. Focusing on the recent decision to grant them pardons, he asks whether it is sentimental to view them all as innocent victims and questions the wisdom of rewriting history.
Ian Hislop explores the compelling and emotive stories of conscientious objectors during the First World War. Ian visits war memorials and the battlefields of the Western Front, and looks for evidence in local archives and personal war diaries to inspire his search for stories. He meets the descendants of some of the 'Conchies' and hears how they have dealt with the social stigma of their relatives' refusal to fight. Ian discovers that conscientious objectors fell into two loose categories; the 'alternativists', those prepared to undertake non-combative roles, such as ambulance drivers and stretcher-bearers; and the 'absolutists', the most determined and extreme COs who refused to carry out any work that aided the army – they wouldn't even peel a potato if it helped the war effort. Ian also explores the experiences of volunteers, who on witnessing the horrors of the battlefield, became committed COs. Ian uncovers stories of imprisonment, physical abuse, tragedy and extreme bravery. At the heart of the film he asks, if we memorialise the courage of those who fought and died, should we not also remember and honour those who had the courage not to fight?
Ian Hislop explores the compelling and poignant stories of soldiers from across the British Empire during the First World War.
