I am pleased to report that the project is starting to take shape well, not least as I learn in more detail about the history of the First World War and can start to identify locations for taking photographs during the 2014-18 period.  It’s a steep learning curve for me – the last time I studied this period in any detail was at GCSE, and sad to say the cogs from that era are a little rusty!  But I am making progress with the help of some superb books and some even more superb friends and colleagues.

As things stand, I am still having to fund the project entirely myself, so at most the number of trips I am going to be able to make abroad during the centenary period will be about 8-10.  Of necessity, therefore, I will have to be highly selective in the number of locations I visit, and possibly in some cases will have to sacrifice the element of being there close to the exact 100th anniversary of action.  However, that’s all part of the challenge of making the project work, and it just underscores the importance of the current process of researching and selecting battlesites.

With all that in mind, I am excited to say that following an initial field trip to the Western Front last October, I am in the final stages of planning a second towards the end of April.  The route for this will encompass Ypres, Poperinghe (and in particular Talbot House), Mons, Loos, Festubert, and Neuve-Chapelle.  On the way home I also plan to visit the St Omer base of the Royal Flying Corps, which will provide an interesting echo to my last historical photo project on the RAF.

Once that is complete, there should be plenty more photos to share, so please keep an eye on the website; you can also follow us on Twitter and Facebook, where of course you can share your own WW1 remembrance images as well.