
The Old Front Line
The Centenary of the Western Front in Pictures
Dr Stephen Bull(Author)
Casemate Publishers
Published on 19. August 2014
Book
Hardback
192 pages
978-1-61200-230-9 (ISBN)
Description
Now that the last veterans are gone, the First World War is now a completely historical subject-governed by archaeology and genealogy, battlefield tourism and military history. The anguish and privations are a bit further away, but there is still huge interest in the awful conditions and carnage endured by a generation of youth who sacrificed their lives for their country.
"The Old Front Line"is a phrase first coined by the poet John Masefield when he looked back on the battle of the Somme from a distance of just one year, in 1917, and speculated how the Western Front might look in the future. Stephen Bull's copiously illustrated work-part travel guide, part popular history-a century on, answers his speculations. The main source material is new and contemporary photographs, as well as some from the intervening century. Taken together these provide a series of exciting vistas and informative details that tell the story of the battles and landscapes. Aerial photography, old and new ground shots-and in a few cases even images taken underground-provide an authoritative summary of the war on the Western Front.
Following an introduction that sets the scene and looks at the early stages of the war, eight chapters examine the Western Front geographically, looking closely at the main areas of fighting and what is visible today: not just the"iron harvest"-the scars left by trench and battle-but also the cemeteries, war memorials and statues that remind the visitor starkly of the loss of a generation.
"The Old Front Line"is a phrase first coined by the poet John Masefield when he looked back on the battle of the Somme from a distance of just one year, in 1917, and speculated how the Western Front might look in the future. Stephen Bull's copiously illustrated work-part travel guide, part popular history-a century on, answers his speculations. The main source material is new and contemporary photographs, as well as some from the intervening century. Taken together these provide a series of exciting vistas and informative details that tell the story of the battles and landscapes. Aerial photography, old and new ground shots-and in a few cases even images taken underground-provide an authoritative summary of the war on the Western Front.
Following an introduction that sets the scene and looks at the early stages of the war, eight chapters examine the Western Front geographically, looking closely at the main areas of fighting and what is visible today: not just the"iron harvest"-the scars left by trench and battle-but also the cemeteries, war memorials and statues that remind the visitor starkly of the loss of a generation.
Reviews / Votes
The Old Front Line by Stephen Bull and The Normandy Battlefields by Leo Marriott & Simon Forty are absolutely superb guides to some of the most important battlefields of the two world wars in Europe. Both of them are books I wish I had written and illustrated. * War History Online *More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Illustrations
b/w and colour illustrations throughout
Dimensions
Height: 266 mm
Width: 266 mm
ISBN-13
978-1-61200-230-9 (9781612002309)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
08/2014
Casemate
€6.49
Available for download