Shadows Beneath the Somme: Grafitti from the Great War

Description

During the winter of 2014, a team of Archaeologists brought to light the most important concentration of soldier graffiti dating from the Great War. To their surprise, located throughout the Naours caves in Northern France, rediscovered by the local Abbot in 1877, they discovered inscriptions written by soldiers of many nations made during the First World War. Intensive research of these inscriptions has led to an amazing inventory of nearly 3000 names ,most of them of Australian soldiers. Ongoing research has unearthed incredible, individual stories of these Soldiers at War. These were men. We now know their names and we want to discover their stories. Some received medals, some returned home after the war and many paid the ultimate sacrifice. Their inscriptions are their lasting legacy! "Shadows Beneath the Somme" unearths individual and unique stories of 40 Australian men who went to war and wrote their names on cave walls under the village of Naours.

Gilles Prilaux is a renowned French Archaelogist who is a specialist of the Great War. He is presently Archaeologist project manager at EPCC SOMME PATRIMOINE Amiens France. Michael Fiechtner is a credited historian, researcher and teacher with a passionate interest in discovering unique historical perspectives of the Great War and telling the associated stories. Donna has co-authored an inspiring book on the WW 1 Graffiti on cave walls in Naours in Northern France and has written the most recent screenplay and an accompanying novel for Photos in the Attic. The story is set during WWI in Vignacourt, France and Childers, Queensland where principal screenwriter Donna Fiechtner and fellow creative collaborator and husband, Michael are based. Both historians, it is told through their unique and insightful lens.