THE Church services are behind us, the ceramic poppies are being extracted and the surge of media attention given to all things WW1 has faded to a trickle. The Centenary of the start of the carnage was enthusiastically embraced by the British people – to the extent we are left with a sense of “Where do we go from here?”

The centenaries of major battles and other key events within the war will naturally be commemorated in various ways until November 2018, providing us all with an opportunity to examine other aspects of the conflict well away from the dominant images of mud and misery on the Western Front. And there is a great deal of interest out there to explore.

If we choose to treat the next four years as a chance for education and awareness-building about the war, “social media” is in a position to play a vital role. For example, there are a growing number of Facebook pages and groups which are endeavouring to place and maintain aspects of the war in the public mind. Style of content differs but all can be located by using Facebook search terms such as “Great War”, “World War One”, “First World War” or “WW1”. If 2014’s media coverage sparked your interest, there’s no reason not to develop it via a very rewarding four-year journey.

Ray Thompson

Brigg

North Lincolnshire