Jaine Blackman on a war dead tribute revealing the tales behind the headstones

For the Fallen is the touching photographic tribute to the unsung heroes of the Great War and the tireless work of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) which keeps their memory alive.

From headstones in the remote Namib Desert to those in the lush undergrowth of Buff Bay in Jamaica, and from an isolated grave on a tiny island on Loch Shiel to the 72,000 names on the Thiepval Memorial in France, this book commemorates some of history’s greatest and most devastating battles and the men and women who fought and died in them.

Acclaimed photo journalist Michael St Maur Sheil, who lives in Oxford-shire, has been photographing sites of the Great War for almost a decade and this photographic odyssey captures the stories behind memorials and head-stones worldwide — from the soldier buried alongside his twin (who died the same day) in Saskatchewan, Canada, to the memorial by the Tower of London dedicated to 12,000 men lost at sea.

The stunning photos provide an insight into the sheer amount and spread of war graves and also the utter dedication of the CWGC’s staff: more than 23,000 different locations world-wide are tended by over 1,200 members of staff, some of whom are third generation Commission employees.

Peter Francis’ commentary provides a fascinating overview of the history of the organisation. Prior to its founding in 1917, soldiers who died while serving the British Empire could not expect a lasting memorial, their individuality lost in mass graves.

The Great War changed everything, when CWGC founder Fabian Ware enlisted the Empire’s brightest stars, including Rudyard Kipling and architect Edwin Lutyens, to help him ensure the dead would never be forgotten again. Although initially dogged by vehement objections against the policy of non-repatriation of the dead and use of headstones and not crosses, this book is testament to the Commission’s success.

For The Fallen is published to mark the First World War centenary and is the perfect companion for history, military and photography enthusiasts.

* Michael St Maur Sheil has been documenting battlefields of the Great War since 2006, and his exhibition Fields of Battle, Lands of Peace 14-18 will be in St James’s Park until November 14. He has worked in over 60 countries, and received a World Press Photo Award for his work on child trafficking in West Africa. He is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and a member of the British Commission for Military History.

For The Fallen
Peter Francis and Michael St Maur Sheil
Foreword by HRH Duke of Kent
AA Publishing. Hardback, £25