Harvests of Iron (2): The Theatre of Operations

Second of two programmes in which first-hand accounts provide a fresh view of life during the First World War. The Theatre of Operations The letters between military surgeon Georges Duhamel and his wife Blanche lay forgotten in a family attic for 75 years. Recently rediscovered, they reveal a poignant love story set against the backdrop of the First World War. In 1914, Blanche Duhamel moved to the frontline capital at Amiens, from where the lights of the trenches were visible, in order to be closer to her husband. Their four-year correspondence vividly conveys the daily hopes and fears of a family at war. Previously unseen film footage shows how business and pleasure continued alongside scenes of suffering as British and colonial troops came and went from the city.