TALES FROM THE GREAT WAR - Episode 1
From: Rachel Jeffreys
Series: TALES FROM THE GREAT WAR -- Series
Length: 04:00
- Playing
- TALES FROM THE GREAT WAR - Episode 1
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- Rachel Jeffreys
SERIES DESCRIPTION: This is a series of five four-minute episodes, to be aired in order. TALES OF THE GREAT WAR also exists as a 29-minute show which includes all of the material in the five episodes plus more. Attached to this Series site (and at the linked site of the 29-minute show) there are also two 29-second audio promos. A transcript is given at the site of each individual episode. David Srebnik of Listener Directed Productions says: I enjoyed TALES FROM THE GREAT WAR immensely -- it's filled with joy and character while also being historically instructive, and so genuine and authentic. This is a wonderful merging of two natural storytellers. The writing, assembly/mix, and flow are very strong -- but it's the natural delivery style, voice, and vocal tone that really make it sing. Although Veterans Day of any year would be a perfect time to air TALES FROM THE GREAT WAR, there is no mention of Veterans Day in the show, so it is appropriate for broadcast at any time. An engaging and affecting storyteller relates his experiences in World War One, and gives 21st century listeners a very human insight into a different era. He sails past the torpedoed Lusitania; visits more than 30 ports around the world in the days before air travel; and has a revelation about how lucky he was to have survived The Great War. Narration and music are interspersed. Listeners who heard a shorter version on WOI Radio say: What a great Welsh talker! This was put together so well. It just carries you along with it. By the end I had tears in my eyes.
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TALES FROM THE GREAT WAR
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From: Rachel Jeffreys
A Welsh-American remembers World War One with uncommon candor, poignancy, and even humor. Visit a very different era and a very different war.
TALES FROM THE GREAT WAR - Episode 5
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A Welsh-American remembers World War One with uncommon candor, poignancy, and even humor.
TALES FROM THE GREAT WAR - Episode 4
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A Welsh-American remembers World War One with uncommon candor, poignancy, and even humor.
TALES FROM THE GREAT WAR - Episode 3
(04:00)
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A Welsh-American remembers World War One with uncommon candor, poignancy, and even humor.
TALES FROM THE GREAT WAR - Episode 2
(04:00)
From: Rachel Jeffreys
A Welsh-American remembers World War One with uncommon candor, poignancy, and even humor.
Related Pieces
Piece Description
SERIES DESCRIPTION: This is a series of five four-minute episodes, to be aired in order. TALES OF THE GREAT WAR also exists as a 29-minute show which includes all of the material in the five episodes plus more. Attached to this Series site (and at the linked site of the 29-minute show) there are also two 29-second audio promos. A transcript is given at the site of each individual episode. David Srebnik of Listener Directed Productions says: I enjoyed TALES FROM THE GREAT WAR immensely -- it's filled with joy and character while also being historically instructive, and so genuine and authentic. This is a wonderful merging of two natural storytellers. The writing, assembly/mix, and flow are very strong -- but it's the natural delivery style, voice, and vocal tone that really make it sing. Although Veterans Day of any year would be a perfect time to air TALES FROM THE GREAT WAR, there is no mention of Veterans Day in the show, so it is appropriate for broadcast at any time. An engaging and affecting storyteller relates his experiences in World War One, and gives 21st century listeners a very human insight into a different era. He sails past the torpedoed Lusitania; visits more than 30 ports around the world in the days before air travel; and has a revelation about how lucky he was to have survived The Great War. Narration and music are interspersed. Listeners who heard a shorter version on WOI Radio say: What a great Welsh talker! This was put together so well. It just carries you along with it. By the end I had tears in my eyes.
Broadcast History
Debut
Transcript
TALES FROM THE GREAT WAR - Episode 1
Time = 4:00:00
[Music in and under narration]:
War: a constant reality in today's world; and in the past, too, of course -- but war used to be different. Hardly anyone alive today can think back to The Great War, as World War One was called. But in a way, I CAN think back to it. I'm Rachel Jeffreys, and I have World War One stories in my head, thanks to a Welsh-American who lived in, served in, and sometimes reveled in The Great War. My grandfather Tom Jeffreys spoke about it to me and my brother David for many an hour at his house in Baltimore, telling us vividly and poignantly the personal stories that make plain old history come to life. "A great Welsh talker" -- that's what a friend once called my grandfather. Some non-Welsh folks called him and all Welshmen "Taff," as in the ditty "Taffy was a Welshman, Taffy was a thief!" I called him...
Read the full transcript
Timing and Cues
This piece is the first in a series of five four-minute episodes. They should be aired in order, one a day, one a week, or all in one day. It begins with music, then narration. Actualities from the World War One veteran are interspersed with narration. The piece ends with fading music which can have a live tag over it.
There is also a 29-minute version of TALES FROM THE GREAT WAR, which includes the material in these five episodes plus more. At the site of the 29-minute version there are also two 29-second audio promos.
SUGGESTED HOST INTRO OR PROMO: Do you love a good story? Are you a history buff? Tune in
to hear an engaging personal account of World War One from a riveting Welsh-American storyteller who experienced it. His granddaughter, public radio's Rachel Jeffreys, hosts TALES FROM THE GREAT WAR.
Musical Works
| Title | Artist | Album | Label | Year | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summer Dance #1 | William Mathias | Hoddinott & Mathias. | Nimbus 5466 | 1996 | 00:59 |
| Sospan Fach | Trad | We'll Keep a Welcome. | EMI | 1992 | 00:48 |
| When the Lusitania Went Down | Chas. McCaroon/Nat Vincent | Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition. | New World | 1977 | 00:18 |
| Colonel Bogey | Kenneth Alford | Grand March. | London | 1986 | 00:42 |
| Serenade | William Mathias | Welsh Classical Favorites. | Marco Polo | 2000 | 00:55 |
| Men of Harlech | Trad/Joseph Barnby | We'll Keep a Welcome. | EMI | 1992 | 00:40 |
Additional Files
- thomas jeffreys jpg (thomas_jeffreys_head.jpg)
