The content bedrock for this activity relates to the historic text and image archive of the Daily Mirror and the Daily Record, plus the equally comprehensive archives of Trinity’s leading regional titles in places like Liverpool, Manchester, the Midlands, the North East, Yorkshire and both north and south Wales, says Trinity Mirror.
The Mirror had a significant number of staff photographers embedded with the troops in the trenches between 1914 and 1918. Thousands of the remarkable images they secured - previously stored for the best part of a century in their original glass negative format - have now been digitised and made available for this project. The end product is an insight into the often ‘Unseen War’ which is the title of the first magazine in a series of four bi monthly editions that encapsulate the key ‘Great War’ anniversaries and the battles that cost the lives of nearly one million British soldiers.
Each edition of the Trinity Mirror World War 100 magazine collection will be polybagged to hold a comprehensive central magazine featuring many never seen before images, plus personal stories and info graphics.
In tandem with this, either a relevant historic war newspaper edition of the Daily Mirror, or Daily Record in Scotland, is being inserted. These will build into a special collection, providing a unique insight into how the war was being reported here in Britain as our troops confronted one campaign after another on battlefields that have become part of the national psyche like Ypres and the Somme, to name but two.
In those areas where Trinity Mirror has large regional newspapers, a second magazine insert will focus on the war effort of that particularly city or region.
Ken Rogers, Managing Director of the Trinity Mirror Media unit that has been researching, designing and producing these products in tandem with Mirrorpix, said: “This project has been several months in the making and will drive forward to become one of the most comprehensive media research and delivery exercises we have ever undertaken. I’m extremely proud of the targeted heritage team that has been working on this, led by our Heritage Editor Harri Aston.
“Trinity Mirror initially staged a series of meetings in London attended by senior editors and regional community editors. This was the starting point for our research and interaction with our readers nationwide. While the polybagged magazines and inserted historic newspaper editions will be the flagship of our World War One commemoration plans, our national and regional newspaper titles will continue to produce spreads and supplements in their own right, reflecting the impact that Great War had on entire communities.”
Fergus McKenna, Head of Licensing and Syndication at Mirrorpix, said: “Our new WW1 series is yet another fantastic example of how our national and regional Trinity Mirror businesses work together to deliver first class products. I'm especially proud because this is the first major publishing project we have undertaken since our group archives were brought together into a single library in late 2013. The Mirror World War 100 collection perfectly illustrates our unique history as a publisher and highlights what a special asset our archives are.”
The first part of the Mirror Collection bi monthly war magazine series went on sale nationwide yesterday (Wednesday 2nd April).
They will be available in high street stores, leading supermarkets and local newsagents, as well as relevant front counters at TM centres.
The collection can also be secured online: www.mirrorcollection.co.uk
