Italian trench journals from the WW1 period

This collection gathers 905 issues of Italian trench journals such as "Il Grigio Verde", "La Trincea", "Gli Avvenimenti", "L'eco Caricaturista", "La Scintilla Caricaturista" etc. Among which are illustrated and coloured journals such as "La Tradotta" with comic strips.

These trench journals through their wit and black humour, present a unique selection of wry, humorous and poignant submissions from the Italian soldiers. They contain poems, sketches, short stories, jokes, plays, letters, editorial cartoons, articles and a wider commentary on military and civilian life written and illustrated by the soldiers. Produced, mostly unofficially, by every type of unit engaged in the war, they are a reflection of their units and were principally distributed only to the members of the unit.

Trench journalism functioned to sustain morale and develop a military culture by providing outlets for soldiers to socialise, share accomplishments, and vent frustrations with military life. These unique, though little-known, journals provide an essential counterpoint to the official histories of the First World War.