How the newspapers covered the outbreak of the first world war

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/04/firstworldwar-national-newspapers

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Several of today's national newspapers mark the 100th anniversary of Britain's declaration of war against Germany by reminding readers how they covered the story when it broke.

Did I say Britain's declaration? The headline, as shown in the Daily Telegraph's reproduction of its page from 5 August 1914, read "England's declaration of war" [my italics].

Similarly, it is noticeable that the Daily Express front page headline on that day, as reproduced in its four-page souvenir pull-out, said: "England expects that every man will do his duty" [my italics again]

The Times publishes two supplements. One is a four-page centenary edition with a cover picture of poppies and the famous line from Laurence Binyon's poem, For the fallen:

"At the going down of the sun and in the morning we will remember them"

Inside is a reproduction of the diary of the war that The Times originally published on 12 November 1918, the day after the signing of the armistice.

Its other 12-page pull-out, "Britain at war", carries the paper's leading article on the day after war was declared, which began presciently: "This day will be momentous in the history of all time."

Among the features on other pages is a profile of the paper's acclaimed war correspondent, Lieutenant Colonel Charles Henry Wyndham à Court Repington, described as "a famous bounder, a gossip, a fight-picker and feud-feeder."

There is also a piece on the 10,500 letters written to the The Times's editor during there war, including extracts from those by Arthur Conan Doyle and HG Wells.

The Sun chooses to tell the story of the war through a 12-page supplement in which it tells the story through a series of trademark Sun-style front pages, with headlines such as "Fritz in bitz" and "Kaput".

The best of them is a reworking of the Dad's Army theme song, which referred to Mr Hitler. This one says: "Who do you think you are kidding, Mr Kaiser?" I note the self-deprecating byline too, "Meg Lomania."

Its main front page is also devoted to the centenary, and backs the initiative by prime minister David Cameron in calling on its readers to "light a candle at 10pm tonight". And there are two pages inside asking everyone to remember the fallen of the great war.

The Daily Mirror reproduces its 5 August 1914 front page, which - as befitted the million-selling title then marketed as Britain's "picture paper" - carried a series of almost relevant photographs to highlight war's declaration.

On its back page were two much more relevant pictures showing the flood of young men who signed up right away to fight. The recruitment building, it said, "was besieged by would-be soldiers."

The Daily Mail, which ran a spoof "historic edition" on 14 July, didn't try to repeat the exercise.

Instead, it carries a two-page spread, "Horror beyond imagination", rightly billed as a "haunting account" of life in the trenches, written by Sebastian Faulks.

Though it was published at the weekend, I also want to draw attention to Alan Travis's piece on how the Manchester Guardian fought to keep Britain out of the war.