Anthony Seldon - The Path of Peace: Walking the Western Front Way

The Western Front Way, an idea that waited 100 years for its moment, is the simplest and fittest memorial yet to the agony of the Great War. Anthony Seldons account of how he walked it, and what it means to all of us, will be an inspiration to younger generations.

Sebastian Faulks

A journey of self-discovery and a pilgrimage of peace A remarkable book by a remarkable man.

Michael Morpurgo

A timely, eloquent and convincing reminder that to forget the carnage of the past is to open the door to it happening again. If anyone needs persuading that a 1,000 kilometre Western Front Way would be both civilizing and educational this is the book they should read.

George Alagiah

A dazzling journey... The Path of Peace is a beautiful and generous gift to those of us fascinated by our common histories of the First World War.

Olivette Otele

A haunting, intense, enjoyable and memorable book.

Tristan Gooley

This beautifully written and heartfelt account of the authors experiences and reflections as he follows the Western Front Way will surely inspire others to make the pilgrimage

Cherie Lunghi

A mesmerising and deeply impressive book unlike any other on the First World War.

David Yelland

Also by Anthony Seldon

Churchills Indian Summer: The 195155 Conservative Government

By Word of Mouth: Elite Oral History

Ruling Performance: Governments since 1945 (ed. with Peter Hennessy)

Political Parties Since 1945 (ed.)

The Thatcher Effect (ed. with Dennis Kavanagh)

Politics UK (Joint author)

Conservative Century (ed. with Stuart Ball)

The Major Effect (ed. with Dennis Kavanagh)

The Heath Government 19701974 (ed. with Stuart Ball)

The Contemporary History Handbook (ed. with Brian Brivati etc.)

The Ideas That Shaped Post-War Britain (ed. with David Marquand)

How Tory Governments Fall (ed.)

Major: A Political Life

10 Downing Street: An Illustrated History

The Powers Behind the Prime Minister (with Dennis Kavanagh)

Britain under Thatcher (with Daniel Collings)

The Foreign Office: An Illustrated History

A New Conservative Century (with Peter Snowdon)

The Blair Effect 19972001 (ed.)

Public and Private Education: The Divide Must End

Partnership not Paternalism

Brave New City: Brighton & Hove, Past, Present, Future

The Conservative Party: An Illustrated History (with Peter Snowdon)

New Labour, Old Labour: The Wilson and Callaghan Governments, 197479

Blair

The Blair Effect 20015 (ed. with Dennis Kavanagh)

Recovering Power: The Conservatives in Opposition since 1867 (ed. with Stuart Ball)

Blair Unbound (with Peter Snowdon and Daniel Collings)

Blairs Britain 19972007 (ed.)

Trust: How We Lost it and How to Get It Back

An End to Factory Schools

Why Schools, Why Universities?

Brown at 10 (with Guy Lodge)

Public Schools and the Great War (with David Walsh)

Schools United

The Architecture of Diplomacy (with Daniel Collings)

Beyond Happiness: The Trap of Happiness and How to Find Deeper Meaning and Joy

The Coalition Effect, 20102015 (ed. with Mike Finn)

Cameron at 10 (with Peter Snowdon)

Teaching and Learning at British Universities

The Cabinet Office 19162016 The Birth of Modern British Government (with Jonathan Meakin)

The Positive and Mindful University (with Alan Martin)

The Fourth Education Revolution (with Oladimeji Abidoye)

May at Ten (with Raymond Newell)

Public Schools and the Second World War (with David Walsh)

Fourth Education Revolution Reconsidered (with Oladimeji Abidoye and Timothy Metcalf)

The Impossible Office?: The History of the British Prime Minister (with Jonathan Meakin and Illias Thoms)

First published in hardback in Great Britain in 2022 by Atlantic Books, an imprint of Atlantic Books Ltd.

Copyright Anthony Seldon, 2022

The moral right of Anthony Seldon to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act of 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

Every effort has been made to trace or contact all copyright holders. The publishers will be pleased to make good any omissions or rectify any mistakes brought to their attention at the earliest opportunity.

Map artwork by Bell Hutley.

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Hardback ISBN: 978 1 83895 740 7

E-book ISBN: 978 1 83895 741 4

Atlantic Books

An imprint of Atlantic Books Ltd

Ormond House

2627 Boswell Street

London

WC1N 3JZ

www.atlantic-books.co.uk

This book is dedicated with admiration and thanks to those who have worked hardest to see the Western Front Way/Via Sacra become a reality: Rory Forsyth, Kim Hay, Tom Heap, Peggy Heap, Lal Mills, Amanda Carpenter, Kitty-Buchanan Gregory, Charles Pike, Laura Lestoquoy and Andrew Gillespie. All profits from the book will go to the Western Front Way.

And all her paths are peace.

Proverbs 3

DUM. DUM. DUM. DUM. Its 5 a.m., and the alarm on my phone is hammering away by my head. It has the tempo and bark of a Lewis machine gun, model 1916.

I drag myself up. I slept badly. I always do when Im in a strange bed and have a big day ahead.

I creep quietly down the narrow staircase, put the kettle on, and take some tea in to Sarahs bedroom.

So much hinges on this day, Monday 9 August 2021. Its been a long time coming. A whole lifetime perhaps. But with the day now dawning, it seems to have come quickly, too quickly. I am not ready. The taxi is arriving at seven, and there is much to do. I pack and unpack my rucksack. Im an innocent at this. I need more time to work through what I might need. I dont know what Im doing. A hurried Covid test, debris left scattered on the sideboard, an even more rushed breakfast, and were off.

Sarah and I dont talk much in the car. We are lost in thought. The radio blares out the half-remembered song Titanium about a machine gun mowing people down mercilessly. Even here, we cant escape a long footprint of the First World War... I stare defiantly ahead as the taxi speeds into Heathrows Terminal Two, disgorging us, our bags and dreams, into the cold morning air.

Confusion in all directions as we struggle to clear security and passport control. No one is listening to the announcements nor to the attendants. Were going to miss the plane the whole plan is at risk until the PA system tells us that Swiss Air Lines has pushed our departure time back eighty minutes.