Western Front Association

The Western Front Association (WFA) was inaugurated on 11 November 1980, in order to further interest in The Great War of 1914-1918. The WFA aims to perpetuate the memory, courage and comradeship of all those who fought on all sides and who served their countries during The Great War.

The WFA was established by military historian John Giles, who enlisted the help of John Terraine, who had co-written the landmark television series The Great War, which was first broadcast in 1964. The Western Front Association does not seek to justify or glorify war. It is not a re-enactment society, nor is it commercially motivated. It is entirely non-political. The object of the Association is to educate the public in the history of The Great War with particular reference to the Western Front.

Since its foundation the WFA has grown over the years to in excess of 6,000 members worldwide. There are around 60 branches in the UK, Europe, USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. The WFA is a UK registered charity, numbered 298365.

Web Site
The website of the The Western Front Association contains a wealth of articles on The Great War and there is an interactive discussion forum with a wide range of discussion topics, the Front Forum. One of the notable sections of the website is a "For Schools" section which has a large number of educational resources for teachers and young students alike.

Branches
With nearly sixty branches world-wide, including fifty in the UK and Ireland, the association has a representation in most counties in the UK and in most of 'main combatant' countries which took part in the Great War. Membership of the WFA is not a requisite to attend branch meetings, which are open to the public. As most branches hold an event at least once a month, there are between 500 and 600 meetings up and down the UK every year in which an aspect of the Great War is discussed. The number of branches being formed is increasing, which gives an indication that interest in the First World War is also increasing.

Publications
The WFA publishes its eminent journal, "Stand To!" three times a year. This contains many learned articles on the subject of The Great War. There is also a house magazine for members, the "Bulletin", which is also published three times each year. An electronic newsletter is also available for members and non-members to subscribe to.

Annual Service of Remembrance
The WFA organises each year the Remembrance ceremony held at the Cenotaph in Whitehall, London on 11 November (not Remembrance Sunday).

Butte de Warlencourt
The Western Front Association owns a small but historically important part of the "old front line" on the Somme, the Butte de Warlencourt. This land was bought by The Western Front Association in 1990 in order to ensure its future preservation.

A memorial detailing the fighting that took place in the area was dedicated in a ceremony on the Butte on 30 June 1990. The ceremony involved the then President of the WFA, well known historian and author John Terraine.

Medal Index Cards
The Medal Index Cards were saved from destruction in 2005. Medal Index Cards (MICs) are the original method of recording medal entitlement for soldiers who served in the Great War.Each soldier who served in an active theatre of operations was awarded a medal.

The Medal Index Cards were stored at the Ministry of Defence record centre in Hayes until 2005. Due to the need to make space, the MoD sold the Hayes site for redevelopment; the MoD (which owned the cards) proposed the cards would be destroyed. No museum or archive was prepared to take them on, so the Western Front Association came forward and agreed to save these records.

Since obtaining these cards, the WFA has been storing them. Many WFA members have requested copies of these, often placing the card in a frame alongside the medals.

Pension Index Cards and Ledgers
In November 2012, the WFA announced that it has secured over six million Pension Index Cards and Ledgers from the UK's Ministry of Defence, which would otherwise have been destroyed. These are an extremely valuable primary source for family and military historians as they provide information on men (and some women) who served in the Great War and who subsequently applied for a pension. This significantly adds to the data that is available, particularly for those individuals who survived the Great War.

Sound Archives at the Imperial War Museum
The Imperial War Museum's sound archive holds over 33,000 recordings relating to conflict since 1914. This consists of the largest oral history collection of its type in the world, with contributions from both service personnel and non-combatants as well as significant holdings of speeches, sound effects, broadcasts, poetry and music. The Western Front Association funded digitisation of the majority of IWM's First World War sound recordings, thereby widening public access to this important historical resource.

Tours
The WFA organises tours of the Battlefields four times a year

Membership and Contact
Applications for membership are always warmly welcomed from anyone of a like mind. The address of the association is:

The Western Front Association PO Box 1918 Stockport SK4 4WN Telephone: +44 (0)161 443 1918

Honorary Office Holders
Patron: Col Terry Cave CBE

President: Peter Simkins MBE, FRHistS

Vice Presidents:

Dr. John Bourne BA, PhD, FRHistS Prof. Gary Sheffield BA MA PhD Lt. Col. Graham Parker OBE André Coilliot The Burgomaster of Ypres The Mayor of Albert

Past Patrons:

Sir John Glubb KCB, CMG, DSO, OBE, MC John Terraine FRHist.S

Past Presidents:

John Terraine FRHist.S Correlli Barnett C.B.E., D.Sc., MA, F.R.S.I, F.R. Hist..S., F.R.S.A. (interview with Correlli Barnett in May 2011)

Past Vice Presidents: The Earl Kitchener TD, DL (appreciation: The Western Front Association) Tony Noyes CEng MICE (appreciation: The Western Front Association) John Toland HRH The Prince Albrecht, Duke of Bavaria General Sir Anthony Farrar-Hockley, GBE, KCB, DSO, MC The Earl Haig, OBE, KStJ, DL Col Terry Cave CBE Hon. Leonard G. Shurtleff