Old Front Line
WW1 Podcast with Paul Reed
Despatches: Battlefield Pilgrimages
In this latest edition of Despatches we look at the phenomena of Battlefield Pilgrimages which began almost as soon as the Great War ended and continued throughout the 1920s and 30s. What were they? What motivated people to go on a pilgrimage to the battlefields and what can we find of their history in a new book on the subject?
Mike Hill’s new book: Pilgrimage to the Western Front
Terry Whenham’s podcast: The 1928 Pilgrimage
Podcast Extras:
14 Comments on “Despatches: Battlefield Pilgrimages”
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Thanks Paul, another great episode of Dispatches. Mike
Thank you, Mike!
pilgrimage….investigation…….research has determined British burial sites,notably at Fromelles.is there British will , is there
British lobby to investigate
Hi Lambis – investigation a little different to pilgrimages but yes I hope there is that will. Perhaps you would like to come on the Podcast sometime to talk about this?
Well done Paul. Fascinating part of the history.
Thank you, Peter.
Nice one Paul
Another great podcast
Thank you, Steve!
Interesting program, In the late 1920’s the US set the Gold Star Mothers pilgrimages. Mothers and wives of Doughboys buried in France were taken by ship to France and to the American cemeteries to visit the graves of their sons and husbands. The mother of one of my late neighbors went on one of the trips to visit the grave of her son, Theodore Jackson, who had died of the Flu while deployed. Much to the shame of the US, the wives and mothers of black Doughboys were also able to take Gold Star Mothers pilgrimages but were given berths on poor quality ships and given second class accommodations.
A very interesting listen, I knew that these visits/pilgrimages took place but it was good to hear more detail and learn about the scale of these pilgrimages.
Thanks for sharing and all the work that must have gone into this podcast.
Thanks so much, Ian.
Thanks for an excellent podcast Paul. The Chaplain of the DLI summarised the situation perfectly.
Thank you, Stephen!
Another excellent podcast Paul. Thank you.
It inspired me to re-visit Charlotte Zeepvat’s wonderful biography of the life and death of William Noel Hodgson of the 9th Devons. As you will know, William’s parents: Henry and Penelope made their own pilgrimage – visiting the Devonshire Cemetery in 1920 and taking rose bushes with them from England to plant there. An exert from their visit reads: “He [William] lies with his own comrades around him, in this tiny close, on top of a hill “looking out” over miles of open land; where great winds blow! and in the very heart of the land for whose deliverance they all contended to the death.”
What emotions Henry and Penelope experienced on their visit one can only imagine.