Stand To! 140 now available: the human cost of war
The latest edition of Stand To!, The Western Front Association’s flagship journal, is now available to members. This special issue takes as its theme the human cost of war—exploring not only battlefield losses, but the lingering legacies that affected those who returned from the front, their families and communities long after the guns fell silent.
This edition brings together an exceptional range of contributions examining trauma, loss and remembrance from multiple perspectives.
Edgar Jones examines the psychological impact of shell shock on veterans and their families, discussing its scale and how new methods were developed to address this newly recognised condition. Peter Hodgkinson explores the experience of amputees through detailed case studies, whilst Jessica Meyer considers how wounded servicemen contributed to cultural change after the conflict.
The theme of grief and remembrance runs throughout. Jack Sheldon profiles Käthe Kollwitz, the grieving parent whose sculpture at Vladslo has become a powerful symbol of personal loss. Linda Maynard examines sibling grief and its traumatic scars on families, whilst Megan Wang discusses the relationship between the bereaved and the buried dead in the United Kingdom.
Mark Connelly traces the ‘experimental’ cemeteries of the Imperial War Graves Commission, examining initial ideas about how the fallen were to be commemorated. Rosie Barron writes about the War Detectives and their ongoing work to identify those still being discovered along the former front lines.
The experience of combat itself is examined through Greg O'Reilly’s personal account of his grandfather's harrowing time atop Höhe 161, Maximilian Baulch’s piece on B Squadron, Essex Yeomanry at Frezenberg Ridge in 1915, and John Sneddon’s account of ten Cornish tunnellers lost in the subterranean war. Karen Leenders explores the ‘live and let live’ attitude that sometimes emerged at the front.
For those who did return, the transition to peace was often difficult. Frances Hurd examines how alcoholism and violence affected many veterans, whilst Adam Powell discusses the loss of status experienced by former soldiers struggling for work and understanding. Robb Robinson looks at fishermen after the war, many of whom found themselves clearing stray mines rather than catching fish.
Dirk Danschutter reminds us that the human cost extended to animals too, examining the devastating impact on horses and the relationships between soldiers and their animals. The issue is completed by The Camera Returns, Bob Grundy and Steve Wall’s regular photographic feature, and book reviews from Andrea Hetherington.
The ‘disappeared’ cemeteries
This edition also includes an article by Jill Stewart on the ‘disappeared’ cemeteries—the approximately 1,020 small British and Dominion cemeteries that were concentrated into larger sites after the war.
This substantial piece of original research is accompanied by an extensive spreadsheet, available as a downloadable PDF on our website, documenting each cemetery’s name, location and where its graves were moved. Three years in the making and still a work in progress, this research offers an invaluable resource for anyone tracing an ancestor’s original burial location.
Read the full article and download the spreadsheet: The ‘disappeared’ cemeteries
Access for members
WFA members can read this issue, along with the complete archive of previous editions, through our Searchable Magazine Archive. This powerful resource allows you to search across decades of Stand To! content by keyword, author and topic. Members also have access to historical magazines, like Twenty Years After, WW1 A Pictured History, I Was There! and Purnell’s History of the First World War, among many others.
Members who receive printed copies of Stand To! will find the journal in their letterbox soon.
Join The WFA
Membership of The Western Front Association offers access to Stand To! three times a year, the Searchable Magazine Archive, access to vital archival records and maps, and much more. Our members include family historians, academic researchers, battlefield visitors and anyone with an interest in the history and legacy of the First World War.
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