Despite the passage of more than eighty years, there are still many sites on the Western Front where evidence of the Great War can still be seen today. The man-made changes to the geography and topography of the Front, whether it be the multitude of shell craters at places such as Vimy or Verdun, or the more subtle trench lines of the Somme, which have now become little more than chalky lines on the surface of a newly-ploughed field, are still there to be seen and visited. All the photographs on this page were taken by myself within the past two years. Please click on each of the images for a better version.

Before you go off exploring any of the features which still remain on the Western Front however, please remember to take the appropriate safety precautions and please respect the fact that many soldiers lie at rest close by, in unmarked graves.

A limited number of trench lines have been preserved, some being more authentic than others. The trenches at Sanctuary Wood and Notre Dame de Lorette, for example, are accessible only after paying the appropriate fee to the museum attendant. Although these trenches have obviously been re-excavated, they represent a fair picture of the methods of trench construction and a frightening realisation of the close proximity of the opposing front lines. The trenches at Beaumont-Hamel have never been re-excavated, and as a consequence have become little more than grassy depressions. This does not, however, detract from their significance as a battlefield memorial, and they are preserved as an area of national importance to Newfoundland.

The trenches at Vimy Ridge are also owned and administered by the Canadian Government, and although they are now a fairly clinical representation, complete with concrete sandbags and concrete duckboards, they are freely accessible to all. The Grange Tunnel system within the ridge itself is also free to guided groups, and is one of the 'must see' features of any trip to the battlefields.

Remains of trenches at Notre Dame de Lorette (left and right). The concrete trenches at Vimy Ridge (centre).

Very occasionally, when venturing off the beaten track, it's possible to come across the remains of trenches which you won't find in the guidebooks. Farmers often use the steel corkscrew pickets which originally supported lines of barbed wire in the manufacture of new fences for their land, and rusty rolls of original wire can sometimes be seen discarded at the roadside.

British concrete bunkers, Brielen Bridge (Essex Farm), Ypres - at one time a dressing station.

Some of the trench maps of the time are extremely accurate, and the line of a particular trench, although no longer physically there to be seen, may be traced on the land around you. Where it crossed a road or track, for example, you may find modern evidence of the old trench itself, perhaps now in the form of a drainage ditch or embankment. The same can be said of bunkers and dugouts, although the majority of those which have survived are on private land and half-full of stagnant water. I cannot stress strongly enough how dangerous it is to venture inside such a structure, so don't do it.

Part of the old German Switch Trench, near Flers (left). British dugout, near Hunter's Avenue, Ploegsteert Wood (centre) and the water-filled interior of the same dugout (right).

In most of the areas along the old front line, battlefield debris in the form of shards of shrapnel, lead balls, bullets and cartridge cases (both spent and live), may be seen lying in the fields. This is particularly noticeable after ploughing has just taken place or a heavy rain shower has washed the surface. Although it is tempting to take souvenirs, please be extremely careful what you pick up and take away. It is illegal to be in possession of ammunition, albeit over eighty years old, but on a more sombre note it is still fairly common to find fragments of human bones in newly ploughed fields, so please leave well alone. In the extremely unlikely event that substantial human remains are discovered, the local police should always be the first port of call.

Part of the French defences at Notre Dame de Lorette, now used by sheep.

Every year, a vast amount of debris is ploughed up by farmers from the fields of France and Flanders. It has since become known as the 'Iron Harvest'. A large proportion of this is large-calibre unexploded ordnance, and it is left at the roadside or on the corners of fields for collection and disposal by the army. Many of these items are unstable and may contain either high explosive or toxic gas. Only this year (2000) a militaria collector was killed when such a shell exploded in his hands, and a particularly stupid practice has evolved amongst local people whereby the copper driving bands from large-calibre shells are prised off and sold for scrap. Can it really be worth the risk?

Some of this year's Iron Harvest. These are some of the smaller examples (left and right). British .303 ammunition and shrapnel balls found on the Somme (centre).

One sight that is becoming more rare on the Western front is the Demarcation Stone. These pink granite stones, or Bornes, were designed after the Great War by sculptor Paul Moreau Vauthier and erected at intervals along the length of the Front to mark the limit of the German advance in 1918. Originally 119 in number, many have since been lost, either as a result of the second world war or through road traffic accidents. Some were even destroyed by explosions from local farmers' Iron Harvests. The stones are approximately one metre high and are topped with a carved steel helmet - either that of the British Tommy or the French and Belgian Poilu.

British demarcation stone at the roadside near Hill 60. Note the carved grenades and water bottle.

One of the most obvious legacies of the Great War on the Western Front are the war cemeteries and memorials. They seem to be everywhere - British and Commonwealth, French and German and Belgian, Chinese and American - they dot the landscape at all too frequent intervals. These are, of course, the focus and purpose of the trip for many visitors today.

Old Imperial War Graves Commission signposts beneath the Lille Gate, Ypres. This organisation became the current Commonwealth War Graves Commission in 1960.

©2000 Paul Hinckley
The images on this page are all the property of the author and may not be reproduced without permission.

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