ABSTRACT
The perspectives taken on the Great War in Britain demonstrate key features of the cultural heritage of the conflict. Both the view from the trenches, as communicated by the soldier poets, and the witness perspective, which developed through the official memorial schemes, provide contemporary groups and individuals with a means to frame current concerns and agendas within the context of the First World War. However, in this guise of a witness the aims and objectives of the left and right of the political spectrum are joined in the utilisation of the heritage of the Great War to further a critical agenda of contemporary politics to highlight the failings of the state. Indeed, on the death of the last few remaining veterans of the conflict in Britain during 2009, opposing elements of the political spectrum sought to appoint themselves as reliable witnesses to the war and the presumed message of the veterans.
