Flanders

by John Giles

Published 27 December 1987
The author recreates, by means of contemporary photographs juxtaposed with others taken by him over a number of years plus eyewitness accounts and narrative, the atmosphere, past and present, of that once famous salient. He aims to present a moving tribute to the men who fought with great courage and tenacity in the horrendous conditions that prevailed in Flanders during what was known as the Great War. To them "Wipers" was more than just a foreign city, it was a way of life and, for so very many, a way to death.

The Western Front

by John Giles

Published 27 December 1992
This work covers the main British battle areas of the Western Front between 1914 and 1918. Starting with the spark that ignited the war, the outline of events brings the operations of the British Army in France and Flanders full circle: from the BEF at Mons in August 1914 and the retreat beyond Marne to the victorious advances of the forces of the British Empire and their re-entering the town in November 1918. It is impossible not to marvel at the triumph of nature over the obliteration of the landscape.