Fields of Battle - Land of Peace 14-18

2014 - 2018

Designed to commemorate the centenary, this street gallery is the result of a six-year journey documenting the First World War 'fields of battle' by photo-journalist and battlefield guide Michael St Maur Sheil.

“You cannot really understand a battle without viewing the ground on which it was fought. Part of the process is intellectual: to see how ridges provided fields of fire and woods offered cover.

But, part of it, too, is emotional. These landscapes were once peopled by soldiers, embedded deep in the seams of the soil. Mike Sheil has an unrivalled ability to bring together the skills of photographer and historian and to evoke that sense of landscape and memory which is so essential to those of us who are fascinated by these haunted acres.”

Major General (ret’d) Mungo Melvin CB OBE

Have you forgotten yet?… Look up, and swear by the green of the spring that you’ll never forget. Siegfried Sassoon

Depicting the battlefields of the First World War as they are today, Fields of Battle – Lands of Peace 14-18 fulfils the words of Siegfried Sassoon by creating an association between the memories of a century ago with the modern landscape to enable people of all ages, nationalities and backgrounds to explore the greatest legacy of military history in the world.

Registered charity Fields of Battle 14-18 has developed a unique and engaging touring street gallery exhibition, based not on the horrors of war, but on how over time, nature has healed the battlefields, creating a link between the modern day and the personal dramas and stories these peaceful landscapes now hide.

Created to appeal universally, using powerful imagery combined with fascinating historical information and educational content, this free-to-the-public exhibition served as a gateway through which everyone can pass to visit the ‘battlefields’ and immerse themselves in the momentous events of the Great War.

Pre-launch exhibition at Westminster Hall, London

Photographer Mike St. Maur Sheil, Lord Faulkner of Worcester, Dr. Andrew Murrison MP, Rt Hon Maria Miller MP – Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport and the Rt Hon Jeffrey Donaldson MP.

The Rt Hon Jeffrey Donaldson MP, Rt Hon Maria Miller MP – Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Dr. Andrew Murrison MP, Lord Faulkner of Worcester and Photographer Mike St. Maur Sheil.

In the week before Remembrance Sunday, and less than 12 months before the Centenary commemorations began a preview event was hosted by the Rt Hon Jeffrey Donaldson MP at Westminster Hall. The street gallery was then exhibited in St James Park, granted by Royal Parks. Situated directly opposite Horse Guards Parade, immediately adjacent to the Guards Memorial and within a stone’s throw of Buckingham Palace and the Cenotaph, the official launch of the Fields of Battle Lands of Peace street gallery couldn’t have taken place in a more fitting location.

As part of the officially recognised French Government Centenary programme, the Fields of Battle – Lands of Peace exhibition was selected as the official exhibition by the Sénat to assist the nation in marking the centenary of World War One. The exhibition comprised of two parts: 83 large-scale panels and supporting captions on the street around the perimeter railings of the Jardin Du Luxembourg between April and August 2014, and a giant ‘walk on’ map of the world situated directly in front of the Sénat between May and August 2014.

Fields of Battle-Lands of Peace 14-18 is a partner in the First World War Centenary programme led by the Imperial War Museum. It is further endorsed by The Commonwealth War Graves Commission, The British Commission for Military History, the CIPCR-Causeway Institute, the Flanders Government and the French Sénat.

“I was very pleased that Fields of Battle 14-18 was the first project to use the First World War Centenary brand mark. I like Mike’s images and I believe that the outdoor exhibitions will not only be able to attract diverse audiences, but also have the potential to unite countries participating in the commemorations”

Diane Lees, Director General, Imperial War Museum

Some of the beautiful photography featured in the exhibition...

Douchy Farm to Rozenveld

St Mihiel

Ouvrage de Froidterre

Thiaumont

Newfoundland Park

Chemin de Dames

Shrewsbury Forest

Ploegstreet Wood

Munich Trench Cemetery

Fort de Douaument

London Irish Rifles

Fields of Battle - Verdun

Photographer

Michael St Maur Sheil

Awarded a World Press Photo Award in 2002 for his work on child trafficking in West Africa, Michael began working as a photographer in Northern Ireland in 1970, after studying Geography at St Edmund Hall, Oxford. He is a member of the British Commission for Military History together with being a badged member of the International Guild of Battlefield Guides. Captured over a period of seven years, Michael’s photography combines a passion for history and landscape and presents a unique reflection on the transformation of the battlefields of the Great War into the landscape of modern Europe. “This collection represents a legacy which I hope will create a gateway to the battlefields themselves, thus encouraging people to visit these historic landscapes during the centennial period and so create awareness and understanding of the events and historical implications of the First World War.”