The Wipers Times
Published by a group of British soldiers fighting in the trenches on the Western Front during the Great War, the Wipers Times was a much loved magazine consisting of poems, wry observations, and satirical humour. Named after the British slang for Ypres, the Belgian city which saw some of the worst fighting of the war, the magazine was born out of the chance discovery of an abandoned printing press, and served to lift the spirits of the troops as they fought and lived in the trenches.
To coincide with our ‘No Man’s Land’ garden of remembrance at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in 2014, The Soldiers’ Charity teamed up with a number of guest columnists to re-create and honour this piece of wartime literary history.
Six issues in total were produced, with a new issue handed out each day of the show, as well as an online version. Guest writers included Blackadder’s Stephen Fry and Tim McInnerny writing as the grandsons of General Melchett and Captain Darling respectively, and a number of foreign affairs correspondents such as Kate Adie, Lindsey Hilsum, Caroline Wyatt, John Simpson and Orla Guerin.
A huge hit with the public at the Chelsea Flower Show, and with our online supporters, the back issues of our exclusive Wipers Times revival are available to download now. Simply click on a thumbnail below to read that issue.
The Wipers Times collection:
Visit our publications page to read the back issues of the Wipers Times, including our 2014 Christmas Special, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the 1914 Christmas Truce.