Veteran’s hands with projection of Salonika troops, group work (Photo courtesy of Susan Francis)
As part of the Away from the Western Front project, activities took place all over Britain to bring this often overlooked history to a wider range of people. Using original material from archives and museums, we invited people to explore the history and heritage in their locality, using the historical records to inspire creative activities including film, drama, art and music.
National Conference
On 30 October 2018 - the centenary of the Mudros Armistice - we held a conference showcasing our work, with presentations from leading speakers in the field. Find out more here.
Creative Writing Competition
Our creative writing competition attracted poems and short stories inspired by the First World War away from the Western Front. Read the winning and shortlisted entries here.
National Music Project
An exciting national project involving community choirs, brass bands, smaller groups and solo singers. Listen to our new composition based on the experiences of West Indian soldiers.
Food Away from the Western Front
Composer Gustav Holst was in Salonika at the end of the war and wrote back about the food he ate. We took this further, exploring the food from the many nationalities present in the campaign.
The Turin Men
Why were eighteen soldiers buried near Turin? Following a query by an Italian teacher, we looked into their stories and set up a commemoration ceremony on 11 November 2018.
Khan al-Shilan
What and where is Khan al-Shilan and why were British and Indian soldiers held captive there in 1920? This project examines the background to their fate and tries to decipher the wall inscriptions that they left behind. Photo: Turath Jamil.
A Family Goes to War
The story of four brothers' experience of serving away from the Western Front, remembered in a school which now incorporates their family home.
Horses in the War
Horses, mules and donkeys played a major part in the First World War – a staggering eight million were killed. This project took a closer look.
Health – the Hidden Enemy
In East Africa, many more troops and native auxiliaries died from disease than from enemy action, leading to a government inquiry after the war. What was the real story?
Castle Drogo to Salonika
We explored the story of how a labourer building Britain’s last castle left his job on the slopes of Dartmoor and went to Salonika. The project included a drama production in the chapel which he helped to build in 1914.
Salonika Stories
The Sandham Memorial Chapel is one of Britain’s most beautiful war memorials, painted throughout with scenes from the artist’s experiences in Salonika. We worked with military veterans to reflect on the issues which Stanley Spencer's work raised for them.
From Islington to Egypt, Palestine and Syria
Soldiers from the Finsbury Rifles exchanged the streets of London for the sands of the Middle East. Islington’s multicultural communities discovered links to their own heritage, producing some exciting animations based on their research.
Holy Lands
Travelling to Palestine, soldiers from rural North Devon were encountering their own religious heritage, visiting places they knew well from the Bible.
From Lancashire to Mesopotamia
Schools worked with the Lancashire Infantry Museum to explore the stories of British and Indian soldiers who fought side by side against the Ottomans in Mesopotamia.
The First World War – the Iranian Perspective
Although neutral, Iran was drawn into the tragedy of the First World War. Iranians living in Britain today looked into this little-known part of their national history and reflected on some very different perspectives of what happened.