A Group Photograph - Before, Now & In-Between

Published on 5 April 2021
Submitted by Andrew Tatham

This presentation by Andrew Tatham was delivered 'live' to an online audience. In this, Andrew - the author of two books - shows how personal, family and war history connect through to today.

Andrew talks about the story of the 8th Battalion, Royal Berkshire Regiment, and their involvement in the Battles of Loos and the Somme. He also tells a story full of family history investigations and human interest. The presentation is based on his two books based on one group photograph from 1915.

The stories of all 46 men in the photograph show the impact of the war on their families. In particular, one of the men left 341 letters from 18 months on the Western Front which present a portrait of a man and a marriage during a time of traumatic uncertainty. But this is not just his war, it’s society’s war as his letters show its effects on both the Home Front and the Western Front and examine the minutiae of life during the war.

A Group Photograph - Before, Now & In-Between
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