About fourty years ago – when I made my first steps – the historians started to discover a larger field than the classical military events of the First World War. They became interested in the economy of the home front, the way propaganda worked, how war prisonners were treated and what kind of food was served in the trenches. But also what scars remained in the landscape and how commemorations are organised. They gave a voice to the war poets and registered the stories of the veterans having seen the front day and night. The story of the First World War is more than number of casualties, it is the story of men and women and the impact of the events until today. 

The Somme has been part of this war and more than 25 different nations fought here in the trenches, so it is a perfect starting point for your battlefield tour with Julia.