Scrapbook from the trenches

Remarkable sketches drawn in Shropshire by soldiers from World War I provide a unique insight into The Great War.

But, just as importantly, the artistic works provide an all-important reality check at a time when the ever-changing politics of Europe continue to dominate the headlines.

Though it began almost 100 years ago, the First World War remains one of the most shocking and frightening episodes in the history of mankind.

• See more pictures in our gallery to your right

More than 70 million military personnel fought and more than 15 million died.

It was eclipsed, of course, by World War II, which cost the lives of around three times as many people. But The Great War somehow remains the most poignant of all because it changed the way we think, it taught us to respect our freedoms, it forever altered the world.

The sketches were composed in Shifnal by soldiers recuperating from front line duties. They had seen atrocities that many of us can only imagine.

They had lived through a kind of devastation and brutality too extreme for most of us to contemplate.

Images from the front line have a priceless, timeless quality. They remind us of the savagery and brutality that young men endured. Numerous themes are invoked by their pictures: the fragility of life, the torment of war, the grief of combat, the loss of loved ones.

The men who were wounded while trying to preserve our liberty have provided a graphic reminder of their struggles. The words 'Lest We Forget' – a plea not to forget past sacrifices – spring to mind as we imagine how they suffered so that we might be granted liberty. We remain forever in their debt.

Today, in an ever-uncertain Europe, the actions of those soldiers seem all the more profound. New presidents come and go, there are crises over currencies, fractured political alliances and many European nations experiencing periods of deep austerity.

The sketches are important because they provide a sense of perspective. Our troubles may seem tough – but they are slight compared to those faced by the bravest men of all, the soldier-artists from World War I.