When we visit a former First World War battlefield, we often gaze upon a set of fields and woods punctuated by clustered dwellings. At first glance, nothing unusual. However, the strikingly well-maintained war cemeteries, which form a mosaic across that landscape, and the undulating contours where once there were trench lines or explosions, provide certain... Continue Reading →
Ploegsteert Woods CWGC - photograph by Hannah Bausor Today I'm really missing Flanders, having not visited in 3 months which is the longest period I've been away from there in nearly a year! One of my favourite areas is Ploegsteert Wood and it's a place I am keen to return to soon for some solitary... Continue Reading →
Many of us will have heard the names Nellie Spindler and Edith Cavell but British nurse Ethel Rosalie Ferrer McCaul has to a certain extent faded into obscurity over recent years. In 1914 however, Ethel was one of the most prominent and influential voices in Army nursing and a key figure in the reformation of... Continue Reading →
I have just returned from a long weekend on the Somme. Time spent in the Silent Cities for me is not just an interest or a hobby, it is something deeply spiritual. To understand the events that took place in the fields and villages of the Somme with tools like Linesman is certainly valuable -... Continue Reading →
My trip to Flanders last weekend was unexpectedly cancelled, so I found myself at somewhat of a loose end and left ponding what it is that means so much to me There and also what it is that I hope to achieve this year. Over the past 18 months or so, I have been lucky... Continue Reading →
I'm off to Flanders next weekend for a night away with a good friend and am currently day dreaming about watching dawn break at the Menin Gate and night fall in the Silent Cities. These pilgrimages have become more and more important to me over the years and I'm reminded of a poem by one... Continue Reading →
In 1917 behind Waterloo Station in London, George Burchett was doing a roaring trade. He had been practising his craft since he was a small child, reportedly expelled from school at the age of 12 as a result. At the turn of the century, he began working in the East End of town. The docklands... Continue Reading →
When we think about remembrance and The Great War, our thoughts naturally turn to the men who rest in the Silent Cities of the Old Front Line. And of course so they should, but it is also important that we think about the wider impact of the conflict and those men who I feel are... Continue Reading →
The High Weald in East Sussex is an area of outstanding natural beauty which extends across Sussex, Surrey and Kent. It is a patchwork of ancient woodlands, farmland, sunken lanes and historic villages that spans the undulating landscape of the South East of England. I know many of these villages well, as it is where... Continue Reading →
