A new kind of memorial for a new generation

Texts From The Trenches is a new kind of memorial created to reconnect a new generation with remembrance of the 1,117,077 commonwealth men and women who sacrificed their lives during WW1.

The Challenge

As more and more people lose any generational links with World War I, it’s difficult for young people to understand the importance of remembrance. For Armistice100, we wanted to make it relevant for a new generation.

The Cultural Opportunity

We went back to the source, the National Archives and uncovered the rawest expressions of war: real letters written by those who lived it. Then we reframed them through a lens familiar to today’s generation: phone messages. Simple. Striking. Personal.

These emotional fragments of the past became a guerrilla poster campaign across London, were shared through social channels, and featured across university campuses via Talon Outdoor taking remembrance out of ceremony and into the everyday.

Impact

Our work struck a chord around the world, appearing on TV and in the national press, and has been reshared on Remembrance Day every year since. It was awarded as a leading piece of work by D&AD, formed part of The New Creator’s Showcase at Cannes and is now part of the permanent collection at the New York Poster Museum.