Now It Can Be Told by Philip Gibbs is a memoir. The genre is war journalism and memoir. Philip Gibbs, a British journalist and one of five officially sanctioned war correspondents during World War I, provides a detailed, unvarnished account of the war's grim realities. The book captures the stark horror of trench warfare, the psychological toll on soldiers, and the pervasive disillusionment among the troops. Gibbs writes with a poignant honesty, describing the harrowing experiences he witnessed on the front lines and the stark contrast between the propagandist portrayal of the war and its brutal reality. Gibbs's narrative is both personal and comprehensive, offering insights into the everyday lives of soldiers, the devastating impact of modern weaponry, and the emotional scars left by the conflict. His writing is imbued with a sense of urgency and a deep empathy for those who endured the war's hardships. "Now It Can Be Told" serves as a powerful reminder of the war's human cost and the importance of honest reporting. It remains a significant work for its historical value and its unflinching portrayal of the true face of war.
Sir Philip Armand Hamilton Gibbs KBE was an English journalist and prolific author who served as one of the five official British reporters during World War I. His siblings A. Hamilton Gibbs, Francis Hamilton Gibbs, Helen Hamilton Gibbs, and Cosmo Hamilton, as well as his father Henry James Gibbs and his own son Anthony, were all writers. Gibbs, the son of a government servant, was born in Kensington, London, and his name was registered as Philip Amande Thomas. He had a home education and decided at a young age to pursue a career as a writer. Gibbs was a Roman Catholic. His first piece appeared in the Daily Chronicle in 1894, and five years later, he released the first of many volumes, Founders of the Empire. He was appointed literary editor of Alfred Harmsworth's main (and expanding) tabloid-format daily, the Daily Mail. He also worked for several big newspapers, including the Daily Express. His first attempt at semi-fiction, The Street of Adventure, was published in 1909 and told the story of the official Liberal Party journal Tribune, which was created in 1906 but failed dramatically in 1908. Franklin Thomasson, Leicester's MP from 1906 to 1910, created the paper at great expenditure.
