Esme Smith, who graduated from Christ’s in July with a degree in History, is spending the summer working at Thiepval for the Commonwealth Graves Commission (CWGC).
The Thiepval memorial in northern France commemorates more than 72,000 men from the UK and South African forces who died in the First World War on the Somme, but who have no known grave.
Esme, who is one of only six interns selected from over 100 applicants, acts as a guide for visitors to the Memorial and battlefield, and as an assistant at special events. She also researches and writes blog posts for the CWGC.
She first encountered the CWGC when she visited the grave of her great great grandfather who was in the Lancashire Fusiliers. John William Guy - known as ‘Jack’ - died in August 1918.
She says:
“It was touching to think that they [the CWGC] still take care for him 100 years on.”
Now her internship means that she is helping others to find their fallen relatives by locating their name on the wall of the Memorial. She says, “People are really moved by the experience.”
Esme grew up in Liverpool and says of studying History at Cambridge:
“It’s so much fun. You walk everyday through an amazing historical city to your department and there you meet inspiring teachers. I had books by people who taught me at Cambridge on my shelves long before I even came to university.”
Over the three-year course she was able to develop her own interests. Esme wrote her dissertation on the experience of Chinese seamen from Liverpool during the Second World War.
Despite their vital role supporting the British Merchant Navy, over 1000 men were forcibly repatriated in October 1945 even though many had wives and families in the UK.
Esme, who hopes to continue a career in Heritage, says of the internship:
“This opportunity has been amazing - I just get to talk about history all day!”
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More on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission which commemorates or looks after the graves of 1.7 million servicemen from the First and Second World Wars in 150 countries across 23,000 sites.