In this episode of the Western Front Association’s Mentioned in Dispatches, Dr Richard Batten, Honorary Research Fellow in History at the University of Exeter, discusses his new book For King and Country: The Role of Patriotism in Mobilisation in the First World War, published by Pen & Sword in 2025. Focusing on Devon but addressing wider national and European themes, the book explores how local elites encouraged men to enlist, enforced wartime discipline and sought to define patriotism, while also showing how ordinary people – especially women and working-class communities – responded to or challenged these ideals.

In this episode of the Western Front Association’s Mentioned in Dispatches, Nick and Fiona Jenkins discuss their remarkable journey along the entire Western Front. In Walking the Line, they travelled over 1,000 kilometres from the Belgian coast to the Swiss border to discover what physical and emotional traces of the First World War still remain. With humour, resilience and a healthy dose of wine, they traversed former battlefields, forests, cemeteries and mountain passes, producing not only a travelogue but also a moving reflection on history, memory and the meaning of remembrance. Published by Wetsocks Books.

Cameron Telch, a doctoral candidate in Educational Studies at Mount Saint Vincent University, discusses the underrepresentation of shell shock in Canadian war museums. He shares two important archival discoveries—a 1919 Canadian film and a 1958 American play—that offer new perspectives on the cultural memory of psychological trauma in the First World War. His research challenges prevailing narratives and raises important questions about how shell shock is remembered in public history.

Professor Gary Sheffield compares and contrasts the experience of the London Territorial Force in the First and Second World Wars. He explores the evolution of its role, structure and public image across the two conflicts, offering fresh insights into the transformation of this key component of Britain’s military reserve. This talk was part of the London Pride Conference held in June 2024.