The Great War may have ended nearly a century ago, but its legacy lives on. As these remarkable images taken by Irish photographer Michael St. Maur Sheil illustrate, it's going to take a very long time for the scars of this war to completely heal.
All images Michael St. Maur Sheil; they are republished here with permission. Be sure to check out his exhibition project, Fields of Battle, Lands of Peace 14-18, which will be opening in London on Aug 4th. More pictures can be seen at WesternFrontPhotography.
Top image: The Somme in Northern France. Though it's been nearly a century, the scene of one of the Great War's most infamous battles still bears its telltale marks. Trench lines criss-cross the landscape, while the craters from artillery shells continue to pockmark the fields where more than a million men were wounded or killed from July 1st to November 18th, 1916.
Battle of Messines in Belgium
Following the failed Nivelle Offensive in April and May 1917, British and Territorial forces launched an attack on the Germans that eased the pressure on the demoralized French troops to the south. The battle, which raged from June 7th to 14th, claimed over 50,000 casualties on both sides. At one point, 10,000 men were killed in an instant when the British detonated 19 mines under German lines.
The Battle of Verdun in France
This is the site of the most intense and protracted engagement of the Great War. For nearly 11 months, German and French troops waged an unrelenting battle. Despite the horrific losses on both sides, the iconic Battle of Verdun failed to be decisive for any of the combatants, though it effectively marked the end of Erich von Falkenhayn's military leadership. Today, the farmers' fields still bears its tortured marks.
The Soccer Ball Kicked Across No Man's Land
"Here is a shot of one of the most iconic items from WW1: this is a football kicked into action by a British Regiment - The London Irish Rifles - as they attacked German trenches," St. Maur Sheil told io9. "They kicked this football ahead of them and charged after it. It is shot on the actual ground where this action took place." The football was kicked by the LIR across No Mans Land on Sept 25th 1915 as they attacked the German positions in the town of Loos. [read more about this at bottom]
Chemin des Dames, France
This was the site of three major battles during the war, the First (1914), Second (1917), and Third (1918) Battles of the Aisne. The second battle was the scene of the Nivelle Offensive — an engagement that cost the French 40,000 casualties on the first day alone. After 12 days of battle, French losses amounted to 271,000, compared to 163,000 German casualties. It was considered a disaster by the French public — one that cost General Robert Nivelle his job.
The Lochnagar Crater, France
At 7:28 AM on July 1st, 1916 — the first day of the Battle of the Somme — British forces detonated 24 tons of ammonal (an explosive made up of ammonium nitrate and aluminium powder) in a packed mine underneath German forces. The explosion, which was reportedly heard in London, was witnessed from the air by 2nd Lieutenant C.A. Lewis of No. 3 Squadron RFC:
The whole earth heaved and flashed, a tremendous and magnificent column rose up in the sky. There was an ear-splitting roar drowning all the guns, flinging the machine sideways in the repercussing air. The earth column rose higher and higher to almost 4,000 feet. There it hung, or seemed to hang, for a moment in the air, like the silhouette of some great cypress tree, then fell away in a widening cone of dust and debris.
The crater remains to this day, running nearly 70-feet deep.
The Cratered Remains of Butte de Vaquois, France
This used to be a small village. Located atop a strategic ridge, both sides resorted to digging and setting off explosive mines underneath the hill. In all, some 531 mines were detonated, including a 60-ton mine that vaporized the church and 108 men along with it. By the end of the engagement, the village ceased to exist in any recognizable form. It's estimated that 8,000 French and Germ