by Jacqueline Alexander

"It stank," he said. "So did I when I fell into it. Arms and legs, dead rats, dead everything. Rotten flesh. Human guts. I couldn't get a bath for three or four months afterwards."

These are the words of Henry Allingham, the world's oldest man and one of the last surviving first world war servicemen, who died last Saturday at the age of 113. His words refer to spending a night in a shellhole in Flanders, the famous battlefield of the First World War.

Few of us were alive then and fewer still bore witness to the horrific scenes that unfolded. It is difficult to comprehend the reality. The dates, treaties, battles and statistics learned during history lessons all merge into a vague idea of hardship, heavy sacrifices and loss of life. It is only when we hear the words of those who lived through it that we can claim any sort of insight into their almost unspeakable hell.

Whenever a war, act of terrorism or natural disaster occurs, newspaper reports go a long way to telling us what happened, when and where it occurred and possibly how events unfolded. Post-event analysis (sometimes) tells us why it happened and there will inevitably be a plethora of supposition and conjecture in the hours, days, weeks and years after the event but there is still no substitute for the testimony of those of lived it, breathed it and survived it.

We want to know exactly what happened. We want to know what people saw. We want to know how it felt to be in the midst of it. Most of all, we want to understand.

Eyewitnesstohistory.com does a fine job of supplying us with exactly the information we want from the people who were there to see it. This is a site with a wealth of first-hand information: written accounts, film and audio all work together to create a site that is riveting to the point of addiction.

Bert Chaney, a 19-year-old signal officer during the First World War, had a front-row seat as tanks made their debut on September 15, 1916. His testimony is one of many that help to paint a vivid picture of what happened.

“We heard strange throbbing noises, and lumbering slowly towards us came three huge mechanical monsters such as we had never seen before,” he said.

Today, with the availability of 24-hour news, global communication and ever-evolving technologies, breaking news reports are often accompanied by eyewitness accounts, amateur video filmed from a mobile phone, live interviews with survivors, their families, friends, neighbours, former teachers and anyone else with a vague connection to the person involved. Perhaps the news channels take it too far but they know we have an appetite for detail and they deliver — not always the detail we want but we keep watching anyway.

Possibly the most unexpected aspect of eyewitnesstohistory.com is the availability of video from the First World War — or, more accurately, film that has been formatted to video. You get to watch the first tanks make their way across the battlefields, a U-boat attack in 1917 and some of the celebrations when the end of the war finally came on Armistice Day in 1918.

It’s not just the war that makes an impact on this site either. Film footage, audio and written accounts of the Hindenburg tragedy are almost unbearable to watch, hear or read. As Herbert Morrison, the radio reporter, watches the disaster unfold he famously cries, “Oh, the humanity”. Then, as you watch the film, it is virtually impossible to reach the inevitable conclusion as the intensity of the disaster hits home.

Further back in time, and on a lighter note, we are treated to a few excerpts from a feisty young Queen Victoria’s diary. We learn that the Queen was in her dressing gown when she heard the news of her uncle’s death and, therefore, her ascension to the throne. Not only was she underdressed — she was “quite alone” — a phrase that gives us an insight into the importance of her growing independence from a controlling mother as she took charge of our country at the age of 18.

Whether your desire is to learn more about historical events or simply to understand life in a bygone era, eyewitnesstohistory.com will go a long way to sating your curiousity. The only thing you need is time — and lots of it. Somewhere in the region of 113 years may just be enough.

MOVERS AND SHAKERS

In Britain, 2012 generally means one thing — the Olympics — but as preparations continue, it seems the rest of the world is wondering why we are bothering.

Apparently, the doomsday predictions for 2012 include cataclysmic and apocalyptic events that will bring about the end of civilisation as we know it. It is, however, important for Lord Coe to read the small print and bring London 2012 in on time and out of budget because the end of the world will only be nigh during the Olympics — the predicted date for our doomsday is December 21, or 22 or maybe the 23. Who knows? Apparently, millions of people do as 2012 is the second most popular search this week.