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A samurai once quoted “ My past is an armour I cannot take off, no matter how many times you tell me the war is over”. It is probably one of the oldest references to PTSD in history. Edit: I’ve never gotten this many likes thank you.

That WW1 account is like a horror novel. One of the most disturbing things I've listened to. I can't imagine the mental illness caused by this war.

As an infantryman during the late unpleasantness in Iraq, I assure you the triumph and horror of war is the same as it ever was.

I think the only major difference is, in antiquity, hand to hand combat was VERY personal. In our new age of combat there's more of a "to whom it may concern" vibe. In the end, every one of these accounts has the same common thread. Every man was willing to fight and die with the man beside him.

The coming Home story of the Qing Dynasty soldier felt close to home for me. I'm a war veteran. Served on the front lines in Afghanistan as a machine gunner. I remember coming home. How alien it felt, seeing my parents and brother. While I was only gone for 12 months and have been back for 11 I still don't feel at home.

Imagine getting thrown off your horse in battle like this man did, these dudes were really about it and not the playing around. Crazy how you can listen to someone’s near death experience from 700 to 800 years ago. These are not made up stories, that situation really happened somewhere out there all those years ago.

Very interesting account by Jean De Joinville who, seeing himself unable to draw the sword by his side, drew the sword at his horse's side. Even the Crusaders' horses were armed.

That WWI account, man. Nightmarish.

My g.g maternal grandfather was a foot soldier who rose to the rank of captain in the Somme before he got exposed to Mustard Gas in the trenches, which ruined his lungs. After a 3 week duration in a war hospital he was forced to retire from active duty as the damage was deemed largely permanent. He gave up his captains title because after getting gassed, he felt that he didn't deserve to keep on calling himself a captain. He married a suffrogette (female rights activist) and later went on to become a very successful engineer (self-taught) and built things which contributed to the war efforts and rebuilding of the country, but he was also a (functional) morphine addict (his addiction began when he was prescribed morphine as a pain treatment for his damaged lungs). My g.g. maternal grandfather had 3 sisters, all of whom also served as nurses in the Somme. In the 1920s, one of them went onto become a female doctor, which an extreme rarity back in the day; she put herself through one of only 2 medical universities in the whole country back then that would accept women for doctor training and she later went on to pioneer in childrens medicine (there's a plaque dedicated somewhere to her in London). But although she loved children, she never had any of her own children; her first love (and one true love)- her fiance - had died in the trenches in WW1 and after his sudden death, she never formed an attachment to another man ever again. As a doctor, she was said to cut a very austere figure; she was very tall woman- dominant, confident, fast walking, and harsh talking (she was also an athiest!) and she didn't take any nonense from adults around her (especially men) but towards children, she was very soft and understanding. She also developed a great fondness for young artists (and sponsored quite a few) after following the life stories of some of the patients she saved. My g.g. paternal grandfather was pilot, flying over the trenches in one of the early primitive planes of the day. He was also a captain. But he lost his younger brother, who was also a pilot; back then, the planes were horrendously vulnerable to fire (they were so easy to shoot at that they were often called sitting ducks) and his brothers (my g.g. uncle) plane caught fire after being shot at by the enemy. There was only 1 functioning parachute and rather than ditch the burning plane and let the navigator die, he insisted on trying to land it. He was forced to land it over enemy lines; the navigator survived, but my g.g. uncle died of over 70% burns to his body 4 days later in a military hospital (the Germans did look after him, but this level of burns are very difficult to survive even with modern technology, the odds are stacked against the individual). He was later post-humously awarded a great medal of honour for his bravery, for he knowingly sacrificed his life to a terrible burns death to save another (there's a plaque dedicated to him somewhere in a small chapel in france). After my grandparents died, I inherited a small book which had originally belonged to this g.g. uncle when he was a child and in the book, were illustrations and stories of heroic tales from the Medieval times and tucked amongst the pages, was a small and very faded photo of his mother and him as a child which had been used as a bookmark. My g.g. paternal grandfather was said to have a very severe, strict, strange and intense personality, letting few people get close to him. In his final years, his untreated PTSD made him go quite loopy; apparently he would have attacks during the night where all-of-sudden in a flashback, he would be back in the barracks, believing the house to be under enemy fire and scrambling to get ready for combat whilst also running around naked and confused in the dark. During these episodes he couldn't be reasoned with and it was quite scary for other family members to see and experience. There were a lot of relatives who also died and never left any decendents nor legacies, such as one g.g. aunt who lost her 2 only children - 2 very handsome sons - in WW1, one after the other, in quick succession. She then lost her husband in the Spanish Influenza Pandemic and was said to be so crushed by the deaths of her husband and sons (her whole world, basically), that she died of a broken heart not long afterwards. A lot of relatives died in the war years, but she cut a particularly tragic figure in the family. Many people who fought and died have been long forgotten already. Please try not to forget. Go to your local graveyard, leave a flower on a stone. Make conversation with elderly veterans. Research your family history, talk to your grandparents and old aunts and uncles. Every family's story is full of tales of heroics, survival, courage and determination. You are made of your ancestors, and they were made of great stuff. Never forget. Keep the memories alive and stay peace v . The more we understand and remember, the less likely we are to repeat histories darkest hours.

What really strikes me the most on these accounts was the similar feeling of dread, the terrifying feeling knowing you might die from seeing allies get wounded, dying around you. The constant stressful anticipation of ones surroundings, the fear of uncertainty. Praying, hoping that somehow everything will go on your way, and everything will work out for you, that the enemy will be few, that reinforcements will come, that some how you get to strike the enemy first, no matter how impossible or silly it may seem. All to reasure and comfort oneself admist the nightmarish and unpredictible situation that everyone hopes in their minds, will soon end.

I met a WWII veteran and his lovely wife at a play a few years ago, his name was John Garand (possibly Grand/Grande). I noticed his WWII vet hat and approached him not really knowing what I wanted to say. So I just walked up and said "I've never met a world war II veteran before." He replied, "Now you have" and shook my hand. He seemed so happy to have someone ask him about it and was open about his experience in Europe. We didn't speak for very long, and as I was returning to my seat I found myself overwhelmed with emotion and I cried as the play began. I imagine he has passed on by now, but thank you for your service Mr. Garand.

WW1 accounts are always so horrific. I remember going to my grandpa's once, and he was showing me pictures of my ancestors. He was gestured to each one saying, 'This is your great-great-grandfather; he died during WW2'. WW1 did a good job of preening my family tree. There was one set of brother on my paternal grandmother's side who all died in WW1.

My great grandfather was a signaller at pashendale. Won the highest non officer medal (behind the Victoria cross) Australians could earn. After hearing Dan Carlin (of hardcore history) describe pashendale as one of the last places he'd ever want to be I was rightly horrified at what my poor great grandfather must have gone through.

What an haunting tale from the Somme, especially when three of my great Uncles were killed, one of them was awarded the MM and all three of the ones killed had been previously wounded. My other uncle got his leg machine gunned off and my one other uncle was in the tank corp, both returned. My great grandfather was a tunneller, he also returned, but all of them volunteered and fought for a country where they weren’t even allowed the vote till 1918.

In a foreign field he lay Lonely soldier, unknown grave On his dying words he prays Tell the world of Paschendale Relive all that he's been through Last communion of his soul Rust your bullets with his tears Let me tell you 'bout his years Laying low in a blood filled trench Kill time 'til my very own death On my face I can feel the falling rain Never see my friends again In the smoke, in the mud and lead Smell the fear and the feeling of dread Soon be time to go over the wall Rapid fire and end of us all Whistles, shouts and more gun fire Lifeless bodies hang on barbed wire Battlefield nothing but a bloody tomb Be reunited with my dead friends soon Many soldiers eighteen years Drown in mud, no more tears Surely a war no-one can win Killing time about to begin

The trench wars always get to me. Every other account at least had an end to it, but the trenches never seem to end. How did any of them ever truly leave those trenches?💜

The Crusader's account's just pure cinematic, I love that he neither spared the extremely gory details nor the almost Deux Ex Machina Splendor of Louis coming in with his riding sledge hammer of knights. Such beauty of language for such a savage scene, at times you feel almost the time is still and you hang on his every next word. But you could totally see it probably just as he (spellbound) saw all of it. Just finished the Qing officer's part. The last part of his account is where it really hits. Right when the Emperor arrives and demobilizes the army, and what's been going on outside of his campaign caught up with him. Him reacting to news of his brother and of his (almost certainly PTSD-filled) return. An old soldier return to a strange incongruous home with children and family who seemed to be strangers. It's so ahead of its time too. That sense of alienation once men who are put in such pressurized violent cauldron are plucked back into their peaceful homes. Something Erich Remarque who wrote All Quiet on the Western Front or many Nam vets would probably nod about. Unlike the former, its the silence and unspoken parts that really hits. The last one in WW1 is the most eerie, without even seeing, the soldiers essentially clambered into an ecosystem of war, of war-made fog, war-made auditory distortions, and war-made corpses that littered everywhere. That when combined with him previously psyching himself before going over was like a condemned man torturing his own mind while awaiting execution. The fact that he just became brutally economical after Friar died reminded me how men from the Lost Generation like Hemmingway really despised long sentences and only wanted to use very minimal words.

Truly dispairing. All different eras and time periods, yet the horrors of war never seem to change for the better. The British soldier in the Somme left my heart feeling like a wet rock after, how miserable it is to live a life where you embrace death like an old friend.

My great great grandfather fought in the Somme and survived. He was a sergeant in the East Surrey Regiment. On the last morning he told his squad to scrape the dirt of their uniforms with their button hooks and they would go and find some food. As they were about to head off a General came along on horseback and told my great great grandfather that he was being mentioned in dispatches for having a clean uniform. As you can understand my great great grandfather was livid for that. His death was an ironic one if you ask me. He worked on the rail roads when he came home and was hit by a train as the watchman hadn't seen it coming and couldn't warn my great great grandfather. He survived one of the bloodiest battles of WW1 to be killed by a train when he came home.

There was a very interesting article (in the Times I think?) that reflected upon the normalisation and glorification of war in media, and even in museums. The idea is that a proper account of war is unfit for a general audience, especially when dealing with WW1 and similar conflicts. A veteran’s quote was quite powerful: « when we say war is hell, is is not a hyperbole, it’s an accurate description of what war can be », in the sense that it is the end of all justice and humanity. He recollected how he saw friends die in the most horrific, absurd and senseless ways, how he was witness of rape, murder, massacre, in a way he had never thought possible. Essentially, the idea is that if you wanted to have a good idea of what WW2 was, you’d have to see the naked rotting corpses of teenagers eaten by rats, the scattered brains of innocent people, the bloody legs of a raped and strangled elder woman, pieces of legs and arms thrown about, while young men who would otherwise be in school try to survive without being crushed by a truck by accident or losing their hearing or sight in a blast. Of course you don’t ever see that in museums or in movies, but gore, crime, injustice, filth were all major parts of WW1 and 2.

The man who wrote the last account, "1916 The Somme" was very gifted writer. I hope he lived past war and passed away being happy with his life. His talent with the pen was more than just special. The way he described anything from the landscape or setting he was in, to the sharp dreadful emotions thrust upon you from the experiences of war, was perfect. It was uniquely descriptive, he had the ability to capture ones attention before getting to the action. I felt like I was there haha, like I was watching a movie in theaters for the first time.

Imagine the sheer pain and terror of having your *nose* sliced off in grim melee. The knight from the story weathered this injury and then politely asked his lord if he wanted to call for help. Death can wait for chivalry.

Sometimes when I see large crowds of people I try to imagine what it might have been like with thousands of people all fighting with melee weapons and I just can't imagine it, let alone in disciplined formations and things

These are fantastic storys. Some of the best things from history you could hear. Thank you so very much. For this its amazing to me. I wish someone would make people read this in history class. Memorizing state flags that's barely history. This stuff is real history thank you

While I was in the Navy stationed in Japan, I got the opportunity to go to Iwo Jima for a det. prior to the annual carrier deployment. It was a very somber feeling walking around knowing that so many people perished on that small island. Everywhere you went you could see remnants of what happened there, along the roads, in the caves, on the trails, bottles, toothbrushes, rusted rifles, shell casings, etc. Near the invasion beach area, you could see where people had carved their names and dates into the rocks, both Japanese and American and there was also a small shrine close to the "housing" area where old Arisaka rifles had been lined up against the wall, laid to rest. I have never been to another place like that in my life, and the feeling was almost overwhelming in a way. So much history, and so many lives lost on an island so small.

Another account I’d recommend looking into is Angilbert’s poem on the Battle of Fontenoy between Louis the Pious’ sons. His descriptions are so vividly human.

As a soldier myself one of the things that listening to these stories reminded me of is that regardless of the time and place, the utter horror and inhumanity of war never changes.

1:30 Hmmmmmmmmm the nitpicky part is killing me about the legionnaires wearing Hellenistic linothorax Regardless. Love this channel so much.

My grandfather who retreated at Dunkirk, re-deployed to Libya /N.Africa, then up through Italy until stationed at Belgium, told me; “I lost my faith when I saw all my friends buried alive in a shelled trench.” Just those sad words alone haunt me, God rest & have mercy on his good soul.

The first one is quite unique, it’s not only a first person view of Roman warfare but Caesar’s first person view. We literally know how Caesar saw, fought in and triumphed in an engagement, everything he felt and what he saw…mind blowing

This is easily one of the most important and impressive channels on KZfaq.

Those who fought in WW I have fought a war that has never seen befor. The amount of destruction and industrialized death truelly was out of this world. Landscapes changed to be never be the same again. Complete villages whiped of the map. Men, weapons and bombs in the burried ground to this very day, and dead lands where no tree will grow for the coming 200 years.

Your work of bringing the video format to these sources making them widely consumable. I absolutely LOVE this and always look out for letters. My grandmother has some old ones even one from her grandmother who was the only Cherokee in our family.

This channel is honestly a godsend, so much to be learnt and so interestingly presented.

OH, that glorious Segue into the promotion. What SKILL ! The Sutlers Caesar mentions were the men whose charge was controlling and caring for the baggage horses and carts, and cavalry remounts, often they were old men who had been Auxiliary, or allied troops when they were younger. In later days, Sutlers were considered to be strong and aggressive men, from their outdoor life spent working with horses.

Damn, the last one is brutal. You can feel all the horrors that a war can bring. People around can pretend to fight wars in videogame, enjoy battles in movies, but real life is raw and cruel, and anything related to war as you experience it in flesh is totally inhumane.

It seems that over time combat has distanced the enemy from each other, with current conflict often striking unseen enemies with artillery and air strikes, and much more casualties resulting than early conflicts

This is why people should write. History needs to remember.

The most fascinating, informative video I've seen in months. Well done ! Thank you for your time and effort. Pat

When it comes to history nothing surpasses the actual words of thosewho were there!

I almost feel you could make a horror story about WW1. Something about that war is just the epitomy of dread and hopelessness.

One of the Finest History Channels on KZfaq!

I remember a friend who was both in Afghanistan and Iraq describing to me how war is a feeling of both horror and triumphs you get kind of a Stockholm syndrome to it but it’s awful in the end

We only hear about the heroes who survived or died in really epic ways. We never hear the stories of the simple soldier who died doing something like going over the top or clearing a building but sets off a trap and dies. There were millions and millions of Patrick McLoughlan's in WW1 and every other war fought ever and we'll never know most of them even though each one of them were a unique human being with their own thoughts and feelings and dreams

Incredibly evocative stories, you can't beat the feeling of being in a battle knowing you may well die in the coming moments as you run, with your friends, towards death. A timeless emotion that has been oft repeated, without exception, in the history of mankind. Courage and valour had always been held in high regard by us, no doubt encouraging some of these incredible acts by human beings

Im a US Marine Rifleman and I feel I know each and every one of these Warriors. War is Hell. War is unavoidable. War is Human

When you boil it down to it's core, no matter the passage of time or the advancement of technology, their experiences were all similar. War is hell to those who fight it.

Loved this! Keep up with the great content sir!

The Rifleman from the Peninsular War is an interesting one. Riflemen under Craufurd at that time were some of the best soldiers in the British Army: usually literate and numerate, with good eyesight, volunteers, as well as those 'difficult' men other Regiments wanted rid of (usually with some intelligence). This meant they were a mixed lot, everything from 'Gentlemen rankers' to criminals. The number of books called 'The Recollections of Rifleman --- ' attests to this. I found a memoir from WWII (in which my father served in Egypt and Italy, and into Austria, by 'Rifleman Dalby'. After my father read it, he reckoned he knew the men mentioned, as the names were altered, but still descriptive, and the name or number of the units had been shifted 'one to the right'. Dalby was probably a man my Dad knew as 'Prof', and there was an Irishman there called 'Mick' in the book (IIRC), but he was Paddy Doherty, my fathers close friend. The book covers the Italian campaign from the British viewpoint, and how these men were the first to enter the Third Reich (Austria), and tells how all of this is almost forgotten, as reporting of the Italian campaign fell off almost to nothing after June, 1944.

What really got me was listening to the soldier mentioning his experience with shell shock at the Somme and realizing that somewhere in history the term shell shock had to be invented to describe the effects of a new weapon of warfare, artillery. Inventing new weapons to do damage then inventing terms to describe the damage done.

Your work Voices of the Past is truly appreciated

This is a beautiful collection, thanks

Coming from a military family, from the civil war forward that I know of…war isn’t glamorized, but camaraderie in arms was held at a high standard.

This is another masterpiece! Thanks so much for all your work!

Captivating. Epic narration

Love the bits of comedy and irony in these stories. Wow, truly the most bravest stories lived

This channel is so underrated, Excellent content every upload ✅

Amazing video like always!

That last account was haunting. Just an amazing video thank you so much for this

This is one of the best things ive seen on youtube. Absolutely fascinating.

I read The Recollections of Rifleman Harris. It’s a great book that displays the Peninsular war in a vivid and sometimes heartbreaking manner. I highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in the military history!

Thank you for sharing these glimpses into a few lives so affected by the horror of war. There are countless number of soldiers and civilians who never got to share their stories of such powerful and impactful events. I recommend the documentary; They Shall Not Grow Old. It is a collection of WW1 film matched with voices from an archive of first person accounts during the war. It's powerful to hear these real people speak of what they experienced. I hope humanity will learn from our long history of war and suffering, and aim to create a better world for those who will inherit it.

Another fantastic insight. Thank you ❤

These stories must be a series I want every war story in the history of man kind on this channel

i think the most horrible thing about war is that how horror becomes trivial and normalised so quickly. like lets say in civilian life someone shoots someone with a gun. that is a big thing, even if the other person is not killed. it becomes a new story, lots of people get involved. the justice system, the healthcare system etc, a lot of time and energy is spent to make sure the injured person is cared for and the perpetrator is brought to justice. and the whole affair is not forgotten so quickly. but in war... someone gets shot and noone even flinches and thousands of other even more ghastly things all day every day. all these things that should be cared about and cried over and slowly "digested" become pretty much normal and a lot of it is completely forgotten or not even known about. like all the people missing in action that noone will ever know exactly what happened to them.

"my recovery from an overdose of rum" I'm dead.

I love this channel thank you for giving me hours of quality content.❤

The art in this is awesome!

These first hand accounts of war are always so harrowing. The one regarding the Crusaders fighting the Turks i've heard before, but always sticks with me.

Personally, this is what I consider the main part of warfare history. The famous generals, politicians, tacticians are important, that is undeniable, but one most not forget, those things only happen mostly by the common soldier on the frontline, not a politician or a general seeing things from a safe place

One of the best history channel on KZfaq

Awesome video man!!!!

That one account from World War I was absolutely horrific. Goodness, we really can't be fixed.

If these recollections are contained in one book, I would love to obtain it. Riveting video. Well done.

Excited to play this video when i finish work today

I loved this collection!

There's no point inventing hells for any religion when we do such great work of creating it ourselves here on Earth. That WW1 story was worse than my worst nightmare. I feel so much for the poor people who had to get through dread and horror that are beyond the worst side of my imagination. Can't even imagine what it must be to witness these moments in actual real life. Literally incredible.

Dear God the crusader one was just... Man it was beautiful!

This dude and his team is without doubt the best documentarian. History of the universe/earth and now this channel my God, thankyou for making great content

Brilliant stuff. Thank you guys for amazing content.

2022 BCE - Bandits raided Ur again today. A few guards were struck down, and a neighbour is injured. I hope he survives. He is a close friend, and I am fond of his family back in Uruk. Trade continues, but is slowed due to the attacks. I hope I see another summer... 2022 - The Russians struck our position again. A few soldiers were shot, and a corporal is injured. I hope he survives. We're quite close, and I am fond of his family back in Kyiv. Trade has all but stopped, no grain or weapons. Attacks in the Black Sea have slowed them all down. I hope I see next summer...

Fred Bulls companion was Private Samuel Friar, Manchester Recumbent. He died on the First of July, 1916. He was only 22

This video is awesome!! You gained a subscriber today, looking forward to enjoying the rest of your content. 👍🏾👍🏾🔥🔥

Pure class of an ad segway

The medieval one is the most interesting, I like how it subverts the expectation that medieval combat was chivalrous and romantic, dude literally had his nose dangling from his lip

Awesome video! Thank you!

Brilliant video. Glad to know no matter how grave the situation, the word 'bunghole' still makes me chortle

”War never change,it evolves”

Holy moly the ww1 Somme account gave me chills

Absolutely splendid.

Definitely love this! Question though, what was the background music that was playing during the 1916 reading? Sounds very nice.

"I and my knights had decided to go and attack some Turks" - in such casual way. Lovely.

most of the previous once save the Qing Soldier is adventurous and glory filled in tone but the WW1 instantly turned into horror absolute horror.

Fascinating, thank you.

Amazing video. The best channel on KZfaq

I need more first hand accounts of historical events.

I like this!!! Can you do one on life on a shipping vessel through history?

The Qing Dynasty one was beautiful

I love the respect people of the further past gave to their enemies. They always give them credit and compliment them in ways even though they fought. It shows that hate wasnt such a driving force as it is today.