Empires of the Dead

Join David Crane online as he discusses the forgotten story behind the making of the cemeteries of the First World War.

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In the wake of the First World War, Britain and her Empire faced the enormous question of how to bury the dead. 

In this online talk, David Crane will describe how the horror of the slaughter motivated an ambulance commander named Fabian Ware to establish the Imperial (later Commonwealth) War Graves Commission. 

Behind its famous monuments - Tyne Cot, the Menin Gate, Thiepval among them - lies a deeply moving story, which chronicles a generation coming to terms with grief on a colossal scale.

David Crane is an acclaimed author and historian. His book ‘Empires of the Dead’ was shortlisted for both the Samuel Johnson and Hessell-Tiltman Prize in 2013. 

This talk is part of our events programme for the ‘Buried Among Kings’ exhibition.