The Western Front Way

Wapping

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In the largest commemorative project in the world, it has become possible to walk or cycle 1,000 km from the Swiss border of the Vosges to the Channel coast of Belgium, following the course of the stagnated no-mans-land of World War One’s Western Front.

It is a project that owes its existence to a young second lieutenant, who:

1915. 2nd Lieutenant Alexander Douglas Gillespie of the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders writes home from the front line to tell of his vision of ‘a via sacra’ (a sacred road) before being killed in action; “when peace comes, our government might combine with the French government to make one long avenue between the lines from the Vosges to the sea….I would make a fine broad road in the ‘No-Mans Land’ between the lines, with paths for pilgrims on foot and plant trees for shade and fruit trees, so that the soil should not altogether be waste. Then I would like to send every man, woman and child in Western Europe on a pilgrimage along that Via Sacra so that they might think and learn what war means from the silent witnesses on either side.”

Shortly thereafter, Gillespie was killed in action.

https://thewesternfrontway.com/

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I am indebted to an article in today’s Times newspaper, a Google search then taking me to the website of the Western Front Way’s homepage.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/...0?shareToken=f4afad1cf8c397694a96379e2427f695
 
That looks to be very well worth linking a few days here and there to see the whole 1000km. Cheers for sharing
 
Thank you. That is exactly what I was thinking. Ride or drive to a stop, anywhere along the 620 miles of the route and walk along a section, maybe doing a little very basic research as to what happened there.

We, in the UK, tend to view the First World War, through the blinkered eyes of Flanders, all but ignoring the slaughters that occurred to our sector’s south. The new Via Sacra, (a concept itself lifted from the French’s own Via Sacree of Verdun) should right that.
 
Make a great pilgrimage. My grandfathers both lost brothers in WW1. Up in the North West at Arras and Thiepval which I've visited before. A trip further south and east would be interesting. Thanks for that.
 
Wapping, very many thanks for featuring this - how wonderful that 2nd Lieutenant Alexander Douglas Gillespie had that vision, that it was preserved and then finally realised. I am definitely going to set-out to cycle this route at the earliest opportunity. (Put Brompton on train, head east!).
I went to Germany last month to pick-up a bike and rode back via the backroads through to Belgium and then to Ypres & the Menin Gate (I found my great-grandfather's name on the wall there, which was an emotional experience...).
There is a 'Last Post' ceremony held at the Menin Gate every evening (20:00hrs) and has been, since the Gate was completed in 1927 (WW2 excepting)....what an amazing tribute that the Belgians host this daily event with the dignity and respect for those who fell - each evening there is a guest choir from somewhere in the U.K./Europe/the Commonwealth. It's an incredibly respectful, moving experience.

Over 55,000 names etched into the walls and a remarkable reminder of the impact that the deaths of these soldiers would have had on lands distant - the detail of losses from within the Indian, Australian, South African and New Zealand regiments, for example, are a sobering reminder of our debt.

On this theme, I took the time to find a nearby Commonwealth War Graves Commission site and was able to locate the headstone of a N.Z soldier, Alfred Elderton, who died of wounds at 22yrs, and immediately send a photo to living relatives in Auckland....the first know visit to this grave in 105 years, by anyone remotely connected to him; how emotional that was...(How on earth did families of the fallen ever manage to reach what we now refer to as 'closure' across the physical distance in those years? Unimaginable sense of loss...).

Interesting that this new route, Via Sacra, also passes Verdun - the slaughter fields that were the crucible of Canada's modern identity.

Again, thank you for sharing.
 
Wapping, very many thanks ..........

Again, thank you for sharing.

If you go back in that direction, go and stay a night or two at Talbot House, Toc H in old WW1 signals terms in wonderful Poperinge. It is a museum and hostel all in one.

http://www.greatwar.co.uk/ypres-salient/museum-talbot-house-history.htm

https://www.talbothouse.be/en/bb/home

The last time I stopped there was in 2018 when I took a pal who was visiting his Great Uncles grave on the Somme 100 years to the day that he passed of his wounds in a field hospital...I imagine like many visits to the entire area, a very moving experience. (We did a bit of the Ypres Salient one day and rode across country to the Somme the next day sating at Toc H for 3 nights)
 
If you go back in that direction, go and stay a night or two at Talbot House, Toc H in old WW1 signals terms in wonderful Poperinge. It is a museum and hostel all in one.

http://www.greatwar.co.uk/ypres-salient/museum-talbot-house-history.htm

https://www.talbothouse.be/en/bb/home

The last time I stopped there was in 2018 when I took a pal who was visiting his Great Uncles grave on the Somme 100 years to the day that he passed of his wounds in a field hospital...I imagine like many visits to the entire area, a very moving experience. (We did a bit of the Ypres Salient one day and rode across country to the Somme the next day sating at Toc H for 3 nights)

Davey B
Thanks for that...yes, I'd like to go back and this walking/cycling route is the perfect stimulus for that. (Again, tip of the hat to Wapping).

Cheers.
 
There is a book titled 'Back to the Front' by Stephen O'Shea which gives an account of his walk along the entire length of the line of the Western Front, well worth a read
 
Further interesting fact ref Toc H

 
the soldiers charity do a 100km mile walk of part of said route, i had hoped to do it the year covid struck, so it became a non starter at that time. link below

 
I have downloaded the subscription app, just to see what it looks like

Foranyone thinking of bicycling or walking the route I’d think it would be very useful. It is well set out, the graphics are clear and has an off-line mode, where the individual map sets and other information can be downloaded. I’ll buy the book at some point, too.

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By their nature, the bicycling and walking routes sometimes take paths that are not available to vehicles. Anyone wanting to motorcycle or drive, would need to make some simple alterations.
 
Downloaded some of the maps for the walk from Switzerland to the North Sea and keen on walking this south to north (or vice versa) at some point before I'm too knackered to do it.
Read the Anthony Seldon book and quite inspired now.
Is the app worth buying Richard? (only £20 I know!).
 
Downloaded some of the maps for the walk from Switzerland to the North Sea and keen on walking this south to north (or vice versa) at some point before I'm too knackered to do it.
Read the Anthony Seldon book and quite inspired now.
Is the app worth buying Richard? (only £20 I know!).

I think so, in as much as I guess it supports the project. It’s also handy to have on your phone.
 
Thanks! Great.

The family and I did the Western Front about 5 years ago - I researched the areas my Grandfather fought in and we explored them all.

It was very moving.
 
A good find that, and thank you for sharing.
It’s gone on to my ‘Adventures to go on’ list.

Roughly a 6 week walk or 3 on a bicycle. Ideally located for us down in the sunny county of Kent too.

Thanks again.

Edit:- just noticed that the OP was from Oct ‘22. Hey ho, better late than never I suppose. Ta.
 
I did my version of the route last summer on the motorcycle and it took a leisurely 6 days, north to south. The area's around the Somme and Verdun both deserve at least two days. The front was not static, so in some areas like the Somme, my route was very convoluted. It was a very sobering experience but worthwhile.

==========

I have created a separate post and thread for shez1’s excellent take on the northern end of the Western Front Way.


Richard
 
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The front was not static

Indeed the front wasn’t static for the full four year duration of the war. That though is not the purpose of the Western Front Way route / memorial. Instead it takes a snapshot of the entire front’s position for extended periods. It is interesting in as much as most Brits tend to concentrate only on the northern most sectors (ie, those where ‘We’ fought) with little to no interest in the more central and southern sectors or, worse, no realisation that there was even even anything south of the Somme.

In a way it is not dissimilar to people ignoring the landings on the Mediterranean coast and the viscous fighting up past Strasbourg in WW2, simply as that was almost exclusively an American (them again) and French affair.
 
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Watched, for the second time, Journey’s End on iplayer last night.
Based on the experiences of a British army officer, R C Sheriff, in the four days leading up to the devastating German offensive in 1918 in Aisne and mentioned several times in Seldon’s book.
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