A funeral on the Western Front

Photograph, World War One, Western Front (1914-1918), 1916-1917 (c).

The recovery of bodies for burial on the Western Front was difficult and dangerous work. It was also a gruesome task which could take a heavy toll on the mental health of the soldiers who undertook it, as Chaplain David Railton, recalled 'no words can tell you of the horrors of clearing a battlefield'.

Ensuring that the fallen were recovered and given funerals was vital for the morale and well-being of both soldiers and their families back home. However, the terrible nature of warfare on the Western Front meant that the bodies of hundreds of thousands of men were either lost without trace or were recovered but could not be identified.

From an album of official photographs.