Finding the Fallen
Encyclopedia
Finding the Fallen is a UK based documentary TV series by Yap Productions developed for the History Channel / Discovery Channel
in which a team of archaeologists, historians and forensic experts work to identify unknown World War I
soldiers and finally lay them to rest.
fields of France and Belgium, releasing the fallen from the mud of the battles in which they fought and died. Using geophysical survey
s and wartime maps
they try to locate the original trenches, finding bones, shreds of uniforms, personal effects and the remnants of war to help them identify the fallen soldiers. By doing so they reveal the personal histories of named soldiers and cast light on the human nature of war.
. The exhibition, ran from November 2005 to February 2006, and depicted excavations, trench life, and how the investigation work led to identification.
"The exhibition gives historical insight into the Great War and looks at how the history of the battlefields and trenches of the war are really just inches below our feet. It also looks into how today’s forensic science and technology can help identify the missing and illustrates a real life case study of one of the identified soldiers from the series."
The back cover reads:
”At the end of the First World War, nearly two million soldiers were missing, presumed dead.
Almost 90 years later, the once-bloody battlefields of Northern France and Belgium have given way to rolling countryside, and are surrendering their secrets. Beneath the farmlands lie the unknown and the unclaimed dead….
This DVD follows the dedicated team of archaeologists, forensic experts and historians known as No Man's Land as they seek to find, recover and identify the fallen of the Great War. Each episode in this complete five-part Discovery Channel series focuses in riveting detail on one archaeological dig at the site of a single significant battle of the Great War.
From the Belgian town of Ypres - where the team discover evidence of the very first trenches of the conflict - to the infamous German stronghold at Serre in Northern France, join the fascinating search using the latest battlefield archaeology and forensic techniques to recover and piece together the identity of those lost in the maelstrom of a long ago war. Other battlefields visited are Loos, the site of a hellish underground battle in 1915, Beaumont Hamel on the Somme and Passchendaele, where in 1917 the battlefield was transformed into a vast sea of liquid mud that swallowed up so many lives…
Another report and images of the dig is available too.
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
in which a team of archaeologists, historians and forensic experts work to identify unknown World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
soldiers and finally lay them to rest.
Concept
This UK original series developed by Yap Productions follows the work of 'The Trench Detectives' as they move through time and across the battleBattle
Generally, a battle is a conceptual component in the hierarchy of combat in warfare between two or more armed forces, or combatants. In a battle, each combatant will seek to defeat the others, with defeat determined by the conditions of a military campaign...
fields of France and Belgium, releasing the fallen from the mud of the battles in which they fought and died. Using geophysical survey
Geophysical survey
Geophysical survey is the systematic collection of geophysical data for spatial studies. Geophysical surveys may use a great variety of sensing instruments, and data may be collected from above or below the Earth's surface or from aerial or marine platforms. Geophysical surveys have many...
s and wartime maps
MAPS
Maps is the plural of map, a visual representation of an area.As an acronym, MAPS may refer to:* Mail Abuse Prevention System, an organisation that provides anti-spam support...
they try to locate the original trenches, finding bones, shreds of uniforms, personal effects and the remnants of war to help them identify the fallen soldiers. By doing so they reveal the personal histories of named soldiers and cast light on the human nature of war.
Series 1
- Episode 1: LoosBattle of LoosThe Battle of Loos was one of the major British offensives mounted on the Western Front in 1915 during World War I. It marked the first time the British used poison gas during the war, and is also famous for the fact that it witnessed the first large-scale use of 'new' or Kitchener's Army...
- Episode 2: Passchendaele 1917: Drowning in Mud
- Episode 3: Serre 1915: Brothers in Death
- Episode 4: YpresFirst Battle of YpresThe First Battle of Ypres, also called the First Battle of Flanders , was a First World War battle fought for the strategic town of Ypres in western Belgium...
1914: the First Trench - Episode 5: Beaumont Hamel
Series 2
- Episode 1: Barnardo Boy
- Episode 2: Man & Horse
- Episode 3: Secret Trench
- Episode 4: Codename “Tank”
- Episode 5: Buried Alive
- Episode 6: The Rings
- Episode 7: Silent Witness
- Episode 8: Highland Warrior
Exhibition
To commemorate the Finding the Fallen series an exhibition was created by the experts at the National Army MuseumNational Army Museum
The National Army Museum is the British Army's central museum. It is located in the Chelsea district of central London, England adjacent to the Royal Hospital Chelsea, the home of the "Chelsea Pensioners". The National Army Museum is open to the public every day of the year from 10.00am to 5.30pm,...
. The exhibition, ran from November 2005 to February 2006, and depicted excavations, trench life, and how the investigation work led to identification.
"The exhibition gives historical insight into the Great War and looks at how the history of the battlefields and trenches of the war are really just inches below our feet. It also looks into how today’s forensic science and technology can help identify the missing and illustrates a real life case study of one of the identified soldiers from the series."
DVD
A DVD set for season 1 is also available:- Number of discs: 2
- Release Date: 11 June 2007
- Run Time: 250 minutes
The back cover reads:
”At the end of the First World War, nearly two million soldiers were missing, presumed dead.
Almost 90 years later, the once-bloody battlefields of Northern France and Belgium have given way to rolling countryside, and are surrendering their secrets. Beneath the farmlands lie the unknown and the unclaimed dead….
This DVD follows the dedicated team of archaeologists, forensic experts and historians known as No Man's Land as they seek to find, recover and identify the fallen of the Great War. Each episode in this complete five-part Discovery Channel series focuses in riveting detail on one archaeological dig at the site of a single significant battle of the Great War.
From the Belgian town of Ypres - where the team discover evidence of the very first trenches of the conflict - to the infamous German stronghold at Serre in Northern France, join the fascinating search using the latest battlefield archaeology and forensic techniques to recover and piece together the identity of those lost in the maelstrom of a long ago war. Other battlefields visited are Loos, the site of a hellish underground battle in 1915, Beaumont Hamel on the Somme and Passchendaele, where in 1917 the battlefield was transformed into a vast sea of liquid mud that swallowed up so many lives…
External links
An extensive and detailed archaeological report of the Serre dig (episode 3) is also available.Another report and images of the dig is available too.