FrontLine: The Commemoration Issue

Darren Keightley taking in the graves at Honnechy British Cemetery on this year's second Frontline Walk, which followed the route of the Hundred Days Offensive.

Credit: Ed Smith Photography

Welcome to the ‘Commemoration Issue’ of FrontLine.

As we approach the end of the WWI centenary years, it seems wholly appropriate that this issue should carry the theme of ‘commemoration’. The 2014-2018 period has provided a poignant reminder of the sacrifices that were made by the Great War generation, as well as offering an opportunity to make tributes, both public and personal, to the fallen.

Though our charity wasn’t established until 1944, in observing the end of the First World War, one can trace a dotted line to the reasons for our charity subsequently being founded. The Army Benevolent Fund, as we were then known, was set up by the Army as their national charity so that soldiers returning from World War Two received the welfare support that had been so sorely lacking for those returning home in 1918 at the end of World War One. As such, our formation was, and continues to be, one of the many legacies of ‘the war to end all wars’.

Also in this brief snapshot of the issue: the story of Joseph Connor and a celebration of our WWI battlefields tour event, the Frontline Walk, which has now raised more than £1 million since its inception in 2014!

I hope you enjoy the selection of stories below - please do visit our website to read the full issue.

Yours, in commemoration.

Tom Cuff-Burnett

North Country troops bring supplies up to the frontline during the Battle of Menin Road.

Credit: National Army Museum

The Great War: 1914-1918

The end of the First World War brought about innumerable changes to society. Those lucky enough to return from the fighting came back to a drastically altered UK landscape – one that was economically, socially and politically unprepared for their homecoming. The challenges faced by the men and women in the aftermath of WWI were the catalyst for our charity being established towards the end of the Second World War.

11th Battalion The Cheshire Regiment man a trench near La Boisselle.

Credit: National Army Museum

A Lifetime of Support: enabling independence and freedom for a WWII veteran

"Even though I left the Army nearly 70 years ago, The Soldiers' Charity helped me like it was just the next day - it really did make a big, big difference. I now have my independence again."

Credit: Naomi Gabrielle Photography

Joseph Connor is a sprightly 94-year-old WWII veteran. At the age of just 18, Joseph served as a Trooper with the 15th (Scottish) Reconnaissance Regiment, driving a Humber light armoured vehicle.

Joseph served from 1942 to 1945 and was involved in frontline action in France, including the Allied invasion of Normandy. Here, his job was to go forward as part of the recce team, fire and pinpoint enemy positions and report back to his unit, often ending up in the front vehicle going towards German-held positions. However, in true, understated military fashion, he simply describes these missions as “a bit dodgy”! More recently, Joseph was proud to be one of the British veterans awarded the Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur by the French government, for the part that he played in the liberation of France during the Second World War.

Joseph lives in his own home on the outskirts of Glasgow but now has limited mobility, so uses an electrically-powered scooter to get around. However, due to the raised front court of his driveway, he often had difficulty getting from the house to his car or scooter, having to negotiate a set of steps down to the pavement. This became hazardous in the winter, when the steps and driveway became covered in ice and snow. It also meant that Joseph had to store his mobility scooter in a lock-up a few streets away.

Upon hearing of his situation, our charity funded a new driveway in June 2017 that allowed Joseph to drive his car and mobility scooter right up to his front door. This has turned his life around and he can now get to and from town with ease. Speaking about how much it has helped him, Joseph says: “When The Soldiers’ Charity helped me, it really did make a big, big difference. Without their grant, I would have actually had to move home. I now have my independence again, so thank you.”

Joseph, on the left, as a young man in the Army in 1943.

The Big Picture: Armistice Celebrations

The signing of the Armistice on 11th November 1918 sparked scenes of jubilation across Europe, with thousands of people taking to the streets to celebrate the end of the hostilities. The image below is just a snapshot of the outpouring of relief and joy in London:

Revellers sit atop a London bus during the Armistice Day celebrations.

Credit: National Army Museum

World War One centenary sees our Frontline Walk raise £1,000,000!

Philip 'Barney' Gillespie, formerly Royal Irish Regiment, pictured at the Thiepval Memorial in France on the Frontline Walk 2018.

Credit: Ed Smith Photography

It is as if we had written the script when we launched this event in 2014, that it should reach this amazing milestone just four years later. To celebrate this remarkable achievement and reflect on the amazing funds raised by our intrepid walkers, we’ve pulled together some fun facts about their incredible feat:

£2,200 - the amount of money raised, on average, by each participant

47,000km - the total distance walked since 2014 - more than the circumference of the globe!

476 - total number of participants since 2014

61,000,000 - approximate number of steps taken by our Frontline Walkers over the four years

We would like to take this opportunity to thank each and every walker for the hard work and commitment they have shown in raising vital funds for our charity. Without them, the Walk wouldn’t be the success it is today. Every step taken has provided an opportunity to contemplate 100 years of sacrifices made by the Army for our security and prosperity, to pay homage to those who returned, and to help us be here for their tomorrow.