On Wednesday 14th September at the University of Kent, Professor Mark Connelly interviewed James Brazier, founder member of the Western Front Association, on his experiences with the organisation and his years of researching the events of 1914-1918.
James Brazier first became interested in the Great War in the 1960s, and it has remained with him ever since. Much of the original inspiration came from Barbara Jones’ and Bill Howell’s, Popular Arts of the First World War, one of the first books to take the material culture ephemera of the war seriously. This turned James into a confirmed collector of trench art, postcards, memorabilia and other artefacts of the conflict, many of which he has lent to museums and galleries for exhibitions. As a resident of Kent, James found it very easy to visit the battlefields and became involved with John Giles and Richard Dunning (the owner of Lochnagar Crater at La Boisselle). Together they took the decision to form the Western Front Association under John’s leadership with James as its first honorary treasurer before moving on to become editor of the association’s Bulletin between 1991 and 2000. James’s interests and roles therefore reveal him to be both a major shaper and reflector of contemporary engagement with the Great War.
