Memorialisation of the war dead has taken many forms, but it is seldom that a soldier will immortalise himself before he dies. This talk will briefly examine the different forms that memorialisation of the war dead take in the 20th century, focusing on the use of trees and plants and in particular a recently recognized form of memorialisation - conflict arborglyphs. Arborglyphs – also known as tree graffiti, made by soldiers in the 20th century can be considered as memorials made by individuals which convey their thoughts and feelings as well as their location in war. The talk will explore how these carvings change depending on the battle scene that they are created in (facsimile battle landscapes, battle landscapes and after-battle landscapes) and how they can now be seen as memorials to the soldier, whether they were intended to be at the point of their creation or not.
Conflict arborglyphs differ from other forms of memorialisation because the creation of memorials are often a way for the living to project the way in which they would wish to be commemorated when they die and not necessarily carrying out the wishes of the individual who died. However, conflict arborglyphs largely reflect what the soldier deemed important at the time.
Chantel Summerfield is probably the world's only expert in military tree carvings. She is now finalizing a PhD in Archaeology and Anthropology at the University of Bristol. At one stage an intern at In Flanders Fields Museum, she is also vice-chairman of the secretary of the Herefordshire and Worcestershire branch of the Western Front Association.
In Flanders Fields Museum, Gateways to the First World War and the University of Kent present a series of eight seminars, free and open to all.
Seminars will take place in Canterbury during the autumn term and in Ypres during the spring term.
Venue: Keynes Seminar Room 13, University of Kent
