Our Story
This Way to the Front is a pop-up public history exhibition exploring the Hundred Days Offensive of 1918: the final Allied advance of the First World War. Taking place between August and November 1918, the Hundred Days marked a turning point in the conflict, as Allied forces pushed across the Western Front towards the Armistice. Yet despite its significance, this final campaign is often less familiar to the public than earlier battles such as the Somme or Passchendaele.
Visitors are invited to step into a market-style exhibition space and follow the Hundred Days Offensive. The exhibition includes display panels, tea-stained letters, handwritten material, maps, replica documents and photographs. These elements are designed to create a personal and tactile experience, helping visitors connect with the campaign through individual voices and material traces.
The exhibition is designed to be accessible, reflective and engaging for a general audience. Whether visitors know a lot about the First World War or are encountering the Hundred Days for the first time, the aim is to offer a clear, human and memorable introduction to the campaign.
Meet the curator
Sofia Thomas Hinds
Public historian
I’m Sofia, an MA Public History student at Royal Holloway, with a particular interest in how histories of conflict, memory and remembrance are interpreted for wider audiences.
Through This Way to the Front, I aim to bring the Hundred Days Offensive to life through personal stories, local connections and carefully researched displays, making this complex history more accessible, meaningful and engaging for visitors.
@sofiaviolathomas
Voices of the Front
Visitor Testimonials
'The information boards were easy to read and really well laid out. Lots of interesting snippets of information all tied together in a compelling chronological depiction of the dramatic events. The curator Sofia was engaging and passionate about her subject matter. Impressed with the tie in with those soldiers who were from Henley, it resonated with us and lots of others around us. Most impressed'
'Really is incredible, it is done so well'
'It looked great, so many people forget about it. We need young people like you, the younger generation to do things like this. Thank you.'