Happy New Year! My obsession with all things WW1 has continued into 2012. Gruesome, tragic, and ideologically flawed, the Great War captures my imagination like few conflicts do. I think it is in large part due to my fathers collection of history books that I read about WW1 at a really young age. This led to a morbid fascination of the ghastly nature of trench warfare. I still recall this picture vividly, it was my first introduction to human skeletal anatomy.

In the history book I had, the version of the photo was cropped to just show the soldier's remains. I would stare at the skeletons face and try to imagine what the man looked like in life. Did he know he was going to die? Was he wearing a helmet? I wondered if his arm was raised in defense or was it a coincidence that it came to rest covering his throat. I noted the awkward position of his left leg. I wanted to know his story... To this day I am still wondering. Here are some links to some excellent documentaries on specific battles that I have found to be interesting viewing while I am working.
Line of Fire Cambrai 1917
The Somme - From Defeat to Victory
Battle of the Somme - The True Story
A young Indiana Jones imagining of a gas/ flamethrower attack..
Big budget Passchendaele in 11 parts.