A unique story of POWs in World War I.

Covering traumatic capture on the battlefield, internment in POW camps, escape attempts, punishments, day-to-day boredom and meagre rations, Behind the Wire is a gripping, comprehensive history of the remarkable experiences of POWs in the First World War.

Opening with the desperate scene of the brutally cold, wind-swept POW camp at Wittenburg in December 1914, where 16,000 prisoners were dying in from exposure and malnutrition, Jackson weaves together official reports and first-hand accounts to reveal the immense challenges faced by all belligerent nations in housing their prisoners of war, and how the men behind the wire did all they could to survive and one day return home.