The third in a series of blogs charting the experiences of men and women who lived through the First World War is now available to view on the PRONI website. 

PRONI hold a wide range of records, including letters, diaries and memoirs relating to the First World War and to contemporary events in Ireland, providing first-hand accounts of all aspects of war as well as on life at home.

The October blog features the thoughts of Colonel Fred Crawford who, while working with the Army Service Corps, had some unique thoughts on wider issues of the war.

'An idea has been in my head: would it not be possible to get a lot of ships and fill them with concrete down to load line and send them through the German minefields to block the entrance to the Elbe and bottle up the German Fleet? I think it could be done. With a few plucky men to run them in it certainly would be worth a trial.'

Each month, PRONI will publish transcripts from the papers of a number of individuals who lived through the war period.

Click here to view the October blog.