Main content

Richard Henry Tobin

Richard Henry Tobin, Leading Seaman of the Royal Naval Division, describes the horror and thrill of trench warfare on the Western Front.

Richard Henry Tobin had joined the Royal Naval Reserve Mersey Division in 1911, and when war broke out he was promoted to Leading Seaman with the Hood Battalion. Having landed at Antwerp, Henry saw the civilian impact of war in the desperate and fearful Belgian refugees.

As a Sergeant Major he would spend the next three years to-ing and fro-ing over Passchendaele and the Somme, and remembers the feeling of dropping into a Somme trench in March 1918 that he had first occupied in November 1916. This is an inspiring account of how the British unwillingness to give up and give in is one of the greatest examples of human endeavour during the Great War.

Release date:

Available now

23 minutes

The Great War Interviews Collection

The Great War Interviews Collection
This programme is part a collection of interviews with World War One veterans and civilians filmed in the 1960s for the landmark 成人论坛 series The Great War.

Credits

Role Contributor
Interviewed Guest Richard Henry Tobin
Producer Detlef Siebert
Executive Producer Sandra Gorel

Featured in...

More about the centenary of World War One on the 成人论坛

The 成人论坛 presents a season of programming commemorating the centenary of World War One.

Explore World War One on the 成人论坛

New perspectives on the war that changed everything.