Sean King had been stationed in Ranihket in India with the British Army when the Great War broke out and was quickly redeployed . At the time he recalls,

"We thought we were the best equipped army in the world but we found we were up against it when we went there."

Trained to use their rifles to get fifteen hits a minute at a target a quarter of a mile away the British Army soon discovered that there were now faster and more powerful guns.  

'The Irish Brigades In The First World War' was a two part documentary for radio. The programme examined the participation of the Irish Brigades in the Great War using personal accounts of the battles from surviving members.

The documentary was produced by Kieran Sheedy and presented by Tom McGurk. The clip used here was taken from part one and broadcast on 10 November 1974.

The photograph accompanying this clip shows British infantry soldiers training.

Courtesy Library of Congress LC_B2_3212_7 

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