Heavy howitzer straffing the Hun, Flanders
Eleven soldiers are involved in manoeuvring and loading a howitzer gun, whilst an officer watches on. The gun is resting on a false wooden floor to support its weight. A bombed cottage can be seen in the backgr... More
Royal Engineers repairing a bridge in the Somme area after the German ...
The bottom left of the photograph is a mass of tangled pieces of metal. There are four soldiers in amongst this tangle trying to salvage pieces. In front of this a little dingy with a soldier in it is moored to... More
Battle for the ridges, Flanders
Two artillerymen lie sleeping on a gun carriage. It looks very uncomfortable. Soldiers at the front often had to grab sleep when they could in un-conducive surroundings. Due to the exhaustion experienced this t... More
Some Tommies having dinner in a captured village, Flanders
Soldiers eating, Western Front, during World War I. Soldiers relaxing in the remains of a shelled building. One man is sitting and eating at a salvaged table, while others are scavenging through the wreckage. T... More
General Gouard visits a school of instruction for officers
General Gouard, France, during World War I. According to the photograph's original caption, he is visiting an instruction school for officers. ..Visits to Allied forces' troops from high-ranking officers from t... More
Army Commander Sir H.S. Horne inspecting machine gun limbers
Inspection of gun carriages, France, during World War I. This photograph shows Commander Sir Henry Horne (1861-1929) inspecting a parade line of empty gun carriages. Each consists of two pairs of large wheels w... More
Howitzer in the act of firing, Flanders
A Howitzer being fired, with three men standing to the right of the gun. One of the men is using a very long rod or taper to ignite the charge. The British-designed Howitzer was widely used, both by British and... More
Owing to modern artillery, captured villages have to be marked with a ...
Wooden signs which have been neatly written read, 'High Street. This village is Ervillers. Town Major (arrow to the right). P W Pen (arrow to the left).' There are two soldiers beside the signs one of whom is k... More
Deputy Haase, Chairman of the Peoples' Commissaries, addressing the cr...
Haase speaking at funeral of revolutionary victims, Berlin, November 1918. In this photograph, Hugo Haase (1863-1919) is standing on a platform addressing a crowd at the funeral of the victims of the Berlin Rev... More
Officer and man of the Signal Service testing wires, Flanders
Two uniformed men beneath a telegraph pole. The man on the right is using a portable telephone or wireless set. The task of installing, testing and repairing communication lines and cable during the war was nev... More
Chipilly which was taken after hard fighting by London troops
A badly bombed or shelled village. It is a depressing scene of destruction and devastation. On the right, one building has completely collapsed - those left standing are badly damaged and possibly beyond repair... More
Her Majesty was very interested in the Nissen huts
Queen Mary standing outside a Nissen hut. There is a duckboard path running along the front of the hut, and two bunches of flowers decorate the doorway. Standing in the doorway is a woman dressed in white, hold... More
Beautiful old bridge now well behind the line, has stood all the bomba...
Men, possibly a working party or labour battalion, crossing what is left of a bridge. Some of the men are carrying shovels and pickaxes. The bridge, despite looking on the point of collapse, is still standing. ... More
French & British soldiers who have been wounded in the same battle tre...
A motley line of soldiers are sitting on a rickety bench. They are sporting an assortment of bandages and are being tended by two nurses and another soldier. They are sitting in front of an assortment of tents,... More
Cavalry reconnaissance party during World War I
This image has an other-worldly atmosphere to it. It is believed to have been the work of the official war photographer John Warwick Brooke. The soldiers and their horses are standing in the middle of jagged pi... More
What it looks like in the front line 50 yards from Regina trench
Soldiers in a trench. One man is looking through a periscope, towards the enemy lines. The other soldiers are leaning against the trench wall, having a rest. A close look at the surrounding area shows that it i... More
Searching newly captured German prisoners
Prisoners of war being searched, Western Front, during World War I. This photograph shows two British soldiers searching the personal possessions of a group of five German prisoners. One of the Germans is searc... More
En route to the front line, Flanders
Four carriages loaded with goods and soldiers are travelling round curving rail tracks. The soldiers are precariously balanced on top of the goods. There is snow on the ground and they are all wearing heavy coa... More
Drawing rations at the front, Flanders
Rations station at the Front, France. A large group of men are gathered around a crude trestle table. Some of them have boxes in which to carry the rations. There are two men with sheaves of paper and a third w... More
Engineers making camoflage at the front, Flanders
A team of engineers making strips of camouflage. Lengths of netting have been placed over makeshift posts, and the men are carefully attaching pieces of cloth or fibre. There are six men working on the strip in... More
Some men in a shell hole 5 kilometres beyond the old German front line
Six men are sitting in a mud crater in a field. Two of them are standing in a deeper, round pit. Across the middle of the hollow a temporary roof has been erected and there are more men under this...Scenes such... More
Two typical Canadians during World War I
Two older men in the middle of the photograph are facing the camera. They are both wearing 'mountie-style' hats and sport bushy moustaches. The man sitting on the end of a log is smoking a cigarette. He is wear... More
H.M. conversing with a war correspondent
King George V (second from the right) conversing with a man holding a notepad. There are two further men standing beside them - all are in uniform. According to the original caption, the man talking to the King... More
H.M. talking to an infantryman during World War I
King George V talking to an infantryman. They are standing in a field filled with crops. The King is in military uniform and is leaning on a cane. The soldier is standing with his back to the camera. He is wear... More
Dinner amidst the ruins, Flanders
The group of soldiers in the middle of this scene are trying to cook and eat dinner amongst the ruins. They are perched on top of a pile of rubble. One soldier is balancing on top of a block whilst trying to ea... More
Battle of Flanders during World War I
Flanders battlefield. It is a depressing scene of destruction and devastation. In the distance a house, with extensive damage to the roof, remains standing. Also in the distance other buildings that have not fa... More
Horses waiting to fetch ammunition, Flanders
The ruins of a cottage or outhouses have various horses stabled in them or lined up through them. The ruins have been there long enough that there are saplings growing in them! One of the soldiers with the hors... More
Reading the news in the trenches 1000 yards from the Bosch present pos...
Soldiers in a trench, all wearing steel helmets. Four of them crowd round a newspaper. Their rifles and kit have been put to the left side of the trench, and are hanging from the walls of the trench. The ground... More
Queen accepts a present during World War I
Queen Mary being presented with a gift. She is being looked after by a small group of army officials. In the background there is a large brick building, possibly a factory. Queen Mary and her lady-in-waiting ar... More
Little French girl braves the shells to sell her wares to our Tommies ...
A young French girl trying to sell what looks like bars of chocolate to a small group of soldiers. She is carrying her supplies in a small wooden crate. The three men in front of her, all in uniform and wearing... More
Soldiers cheer the King of Belgium as he leaves, Flanders
The King of Belgium, Albert I (1875-1934), waves goodbye to a group of soldiers. He is standing next to a motorcar. The soldiers, in return, are waving and saluting the king. The ground is churned up and extrem... More
Spanish Officers in a captured German Trench, Flanders
Spanish officers visiting the Western Front, France, during World War I. Four men stand amidst the chaos of a captured German trench. The ground is muddy, churned up and littered with the debris of war. The man... More
Staff and Clerical staff of General Sir Arthur Sloggett, Flanders
This group photograph shows the staff of General Sir Arthur Sloggett (1857-1929) outside a large villa. Sir Arthur Sloggett was the Director General of the Medical Services for the British Forces in the Western... More
German prisoners taken in the new push lined for examination near Mess...
German prisoners of war, Messines, Belgium, 1917. Long rows of German soldiers are lined up diagonally across the picture. They are being watched from a high guard post behind them. Soldiers are lying watching ... More
Cigarette firms send the different batteries cigarettes and the Sergea...
Soldiers standing next to a large gun. The ground around their feet is littered with sandbags and shells. To the left of the men there is a wall of sandbags and the entrance to a dugout. One man appears to be h... More
Cooks of the K.O.Y.L.I. preparing a meal for the men in the trenches
Two members of the K.O.Y.L.I. preparing a meal, near Wieltje, Belgium, during World War I. This image shows two men preparing food on a makeshift table. They are standing outside, in front of a ruined building ... More
Crucifix knocked over by a shell - figure remained intact, Flanders
In the background the landscape and the road are visible. The foreground is dominated by a concrete base housing a snapped-off post. On the ground, symbolically, lies the intact crucifix...It is difficult not t... More
H.R.H. the Duke of Connaught arriving at a school of Instruction in Fr...
A vintage car is travelling along a dirt track road with pleasant scenery in the background. The car is being driven by a chauffeur and the Duke is visible in the back seat...Royal visits were seen as conveying... More
Portuguese field limbers during World War I
Two donkeys harnessed to a double-axled carriage have halted on a road in the foreground of the picture. They are wearing a lot of heavy gear. There are two soldiers sitting on the front of the carriage. Their ... More
General Sir Gerbert Plumer, K.C.M.G., K.C.B., General Sir E.H.H. Allen...
Three army commanders, Messines, 1917. They are all wearing hats and long overcoats. None of the men are looking at the camera. It is an un-posed and relaxed photograph. ..[Original reads: 'OFFICIAL PHOTOGRAPH ... More
French soldier and his wife returned to one of the captured villges i...
Couple searching for money. This is a close-up shot of a woman who is facing the camera and a man with his back to the camera talking to her. She is tightly bundled up while he is wearing his army coat and helm... More
German field gun in Mametz Wood, Flanders
An abandoned field gun in Mametz Wood, France, during World War I. This image shows an abandoned field gun in Mametz Wood, France. According to the photograph's original caption it is a German gun. It is surrou... More
Note the gun in the air through going over a bank
Royal Horse Artillery in action, France, during World War I. This photograph shows a field gun being pulled into position by a horse team of the Royal Horse Artillery. They are going so fast that the two back w... More
Fresh meat going up to the troops, Flanders
Mule-drawn carts taking meat to the Front. There are two men guiding the mules. They are making their way passed some farm buildings. The road is dry and dusty. On the edge of the building on the left is a noti... More
King of Belgium with General Allenby
Three men have just walked round a parked car while four men wait on the opposite pavement to greet them. The car is parked in a lane, in front of a row of cottages. On the opposite side of the lane is a fence ... More
After the strafing, Flanders during World War I
This photograph is of Thilloy, near Bapaume. It is a scene of total destruction and devastation. It is very difficult to imagine that this was once a village. Not one building has escaped damage. The road is ex... More
Hauling out a captured German gun, Flanders
Soldiers struggling to manoeuvre a captured German gun. One group pushes from the rear, whilst the other group pull using two ropes attached to the wheels. Moving such a heavy piece of weaponry across rough ter... More
This goat is the battery's mascot, Flanders
A young gunner sitting directly in front of the camera. He is in uniform and has the letters 'R.G.A.' on his lapel. Next to him a small goat is eating out of a metal container. The surrounding area is rough and... More
Big guns on their way to the front, Flanders
Big guns moving along a dusty tree-lined road. Three guns are visible, each attached to a vehicle with caterpillar tracks. There is a soldier standing alongside the second gun, looking at the camera. On the veh... More
Bringing in the wounded, Flanders
Two soldiers carrying a wounded soldier on a stretcher, France. This is a rather disorientating picture as a lot of different backgrounds are portrayed. The soldiers are walking through what appears to be a fie... More
Cavalry officer negotiates a mined road
A cavalry officer casually smoking a pipe as his horse picks its way down the steep slope of a mine crater. A great degree of horsemanship must have been needed to control horses in the extreme noise and diffic... More
Cheering soldiers, Flanders during World War I
Looking down on several hundred soldiers who are smiling, cheering and waving. Many are waving their helmets in the air on the ends of their rifles. It is probable that this was taken when the Armistice was ann... More
Queen interested in an aeroplane
Queen Mary inspecting a biplane, France, during World War I. Queen Mary (1867-1953) is standing in front of a biplane talking with two officers whilst looking at it. In the background stands more officers and e... More
Main street of Bapaume immediately after the town had fallen
Destruction at Bapaume, France, during World War I. A curving street has been flattened except for three houses on the curve. They remain pretty much intact- a juxtaposition to the rubble littering the street. ... More
Store of our big mortars in a captured trench, Flanders
Mortars in a trench. The mortars consist of cast-iron spheres with a long solid tail unit. These appear quite large, and are of the 'toffee apple' type , originally designed by Vickers. They are quite different... More
British Cavalrymen sheltering behind their horses from the snow and wi...
Members of the British Cavalry during World War I. Members of the British Cavalry huddle together, next to their horses. The horses and men keep close to one another in an attempt to keep warm, and shelter from... More
Straight from the ship into the train - oats for our horses
Oats being loaded into a train, Western Front, during World War I. This image shows men unloading sacks from a crane into a train wagon. The original caption identifies these sacks as containing oat supplies fo... More
Ruined church of Hervilly, Flanders
Part of the outside walls of the church are still intact but the inside is deep in rubble. Some of the larger chunks of rubble are intricately decorated. In the middle of the church a statue of the Virgin Mary ... More
Troops and supplies on their way to the battlefield, Flanders
Supply trains crossing bombed-out terrain, Menin, Belgium, 1917. The road cuts diagonally across the image from the bottom right corner. Either side of the road there are high embankments of loose earth. These ... More
Food at last! - Public domain scan / drawing
Boche prisoners drawing rations. The mud in this picture is the immediately striking feature of the scene. Both the prisoners and their guards are having to struggle through shin-deep, sticky, wet mud. The pri... More
Interned shortly before marching off
Released internees, Germany, probably 1918. Male civilians well-wrapped in coats and hats, standing in front of a large building. The caption identifies these men as internees, so it is probable that this could... More
Stretcher bearer attending to a badly wounded sergeant of the Argyll a...
Stretcher-bearer treating a wounded soldier, Menin, Belgium, during World War I. This image shows a stretcher-bearer leaning over a wounded man. According to the original caption the wounded man is a sergeant w... More
Tommy salutes French troops passing through a town, Flanders
Four British soldiers, standing at a crossroads, wave or salute as members of the French Cavalry pass by. The cavalrymen in the foreground lead a convoy of motorcars and horse-drawn vehicles. A young girl stand... More
R.H.A. going through the river at a gallop
Royal Horse Artillery in a river, France. At least two gun teams of the Royal Horse Artillery are galloping in the water along a shallow river bed. The landscape appears very wooded so the river may have provid... More
Race in progress during World War I
A swimming race in progress, during World War I. Flags have been placed in the water as markers. There are soldiers the whole length of the left river bank watching. On the right bank there appears to be a smal... More
Men of a labour battalion taking lunch at the Leicester Lounge
Men belonging to a labour battalion, resting outside a building. A banner has been pinned up across the front of the building which states 'THE LEICESTER LOUNGE / 46 COY NEST.' The building is on a cobbled stre... More
German communication trench near Beaumont Hamel, Flanders
Trench near Beaumont-Hamel, France, during World War I. According to the photograph's original caption it is a German communication trench near Beaumont-Hamel, France...[Original reads: 'OFFICIAL PHOTOGRAPHS T... More
Tommies having dinner amidst the wreckage after crossing the Somme
British soldiers standing amidst the wreckage of a bombed-out building. The ground is strewn with rubble. One man rests his foot on a large piece of corrugated iron. They have paused for a rest and, despite the... More
Cathedral and Cloth Hall, Ypres, as they appeared at the end of 1916
John Warwick Brooke photographed the devastation of the medieval centre of Ypres. Part of the tower of the Cathedral of St Martin can be seen slightly to the right of centre. To the left, the square tower is th... More
Pillow fight, Flanders during World War I
A pillow fight is taking place at a sports day, organised by the Black Watch Regiment. The two men taking part are balancing on a narrow wooden bar. In fact, one is in the process of falling off. Both men are l... More
Bringing up the ammunition, Flanders
This rather bleak photograph is believed to have been the work of the war photographer, John Warwick Brooke. The soldiers in this image all have their collars turned up and their heads tucked in. They are worki... More
Alert outpost watching for enemy movements, Flanders
Outpost lookout, France, during World War I. Two soldiers are crouched in a small outpost, keeping watch across what looks like a canal. The outpost itself uses the natural protection of several trees and it is... More
Portioning out the meat at a road-side dump, Flanders
Sharing out meat, Western Front, during World War I. Two soldiers in the foreground cutting up meat, which appears to be beef. One is using a cleaver and the other a knife, to cut the carcases into large joints... More
Scene on the ground, Flanders during World War I
Dancers at a divisional sports day, France, during World War I. The photograph is taken in a grassy field which is bound on the far side of the picture by some very dense trees. They are huge trees and are crea... More
Sergeant cooking his dinner, Flanders
A sergeant cooking in a small mess tin on top of a brazier made of a square tin with holes in it. The brazier is set up on a couple of empty food cans, one of which is labelled 'beans'. Other cooking pans and s... More
Member of the A.I.L.L during World War I
One soldier is in focus in the front of the picture. He still wears his helmet and his hand is bandaged and strapped up. He is standing in front of a fence. Other soldiers can be seen in the background...Despit... More
Unveiling the memorial to the 1st Australian Division
The unveiling of the memorial to the 1st Australian Division. Hundreds of Australian soldiers are gathered here for the ceremony, in honour of their country's dead. For such a formal and sombre occasion, the mu... More
Divisional General and one of the Sisters from the neighbouring hospit...
Divisional General and local nurses at a sports day, France. The picture is taken in a grassy field with a thinning of trees hiding a hill in the background. In the field, groups of horses and flat carriages ar... More
British machine which was blown over during the recent gale
Aeroplane blown over during a storm. An aeroplane is lying upside down with considerable visible damage to the nose, wings and struts. Two air crewmen are standing on wooden ladders mending the underneath of th... More
British Intelligence sergeant questioning a stranger in the deserted s...
British Intelligence Corps officer quizzing a stranger, in France, during World War I. A sergeant from the British Intelligence Corps checking the identity details of a man in a French town - possibly the town ... More
General view of Queant where the Hindenburg and Wotan lines join
This photograph has been taken on the outskirts of the French village of Quant. The photographer has chosen to take the shot through a barbed wire fence, adding to the bleak atmosphere. The barbed wire fence ha... More
Roof of a much shelled church on the Western Front
Destroyed church, France. This picture has been taken from floor level looking up at the roof from behind a pile of rubble. The interior of the church is a ruin. Much of the integral structure remains, but the ... More
German engine on one of their railways that got caught in our shell fi...
Soldiers sitting on a beaten up and battered railway engine. According to the existing caption it is a German engine. Written on the side of the engine is 'LEAVE TRAIN' and 'ANY MORE FOR BLIGHTY.' One of the so... More
Scene in one of the wards during World War I
The interior of a hospital ward. The ward is light and airy, with whitewashed walls and a generous number of windows letting in daylight. Rather flimsy looking hospital beds line both sides of the room. There a... More
Tommies washing in a shell hole, Blangy, Flanders
British soldiers are washing themselves with the water from a shell hole. This water-filled hole has probably provided the men with a rare opportunity to clean up. The water itself is very murky, and the surrou... More
Snow at the front, Flanders during World War I
Snow in the reserve trenches, Western Front, during World War I. The sheer misery of the trenches in the winter is well illustrated by this photograph of troops walking along a reserve trench. The men, huddled ... More
Portuguese at a Gas School, Flanders
Portuguese soldiers queuing to enter a gas shed. There is a shed to the left of the photograph which has been positioned at the bottom of a small hill. This hill is covered in rough grass and there is a bush gr... More
Queen visits an aerodrome during World War I
A row of biplanes are lined up at right-angles to a hangar and a man stands to attention at the side of each one of them. Queen Mary (1867-1953) is walking at the front of the picture with two officers. More of... More
Tug of War, Flanders during World War I
Facing the photographer are three rows of men. In the middle are the uniformed tug-of-war team. Down either side are deep lines of men all watching and straining to see the action. Officers march up and down ea... More
Nursing staff on the ward, Flanders
Four nurses stand by their beds while a gentleman pushes a cart up the aisle as far as the table in the middle. The ward is full of traction equipment and trolleys. Some of the patients are just visible...Field... More
Scene in Feuchy during World War I
There are horses tied to the railings of what was once gardens, giving the scene both life and scale. This house looks like it might have been rather grand before the shelling. The cottage in the background app... More
Outside a German fortress in a wood, Flanders
Destruction after the Battle of Messines Ridge, Belgium, 1917. In the centre of the picture is a squat, stone building, which rubble has fallen on top of. This building is surrounded by more rubble and branches... More
British tank going forward to clear some undergrowth, Flanders
A British tank moving across some undergrowth. The tank looks overwhelmed by the depth of the surrounding greenery. Tanks were effective at clearing away any obstacles before an advance, such as undergrowth and... More
Old-time headgear found by Tommies in a ruined village
Three British soldiers happily pose for the camera. They are sitting on a bank of loose earth, in front of small trees or bushes. Two of the men are wearing hats which, according to the original caption, have b... More
Worcesters returning from the trenches through the rain, Flanders
A large number of troops are standing in a long line, along a temporary roadway. Most of the men are wearing steel helmets and all of them are fully armed and equipped. Their uniforms are caked in mud, and they... More
Gunners rolling up shells for a move forward, Flanders
Gunners transporting shells. Most of the men are in their shirtsleeves and wearing steel helmets. The shells have been placed on an open-ended trolley, which is being pushed along a light railway track. In the ... More
Searching prisoners after capture, Flanders
German prisoners being searched. Three of the prisoners are standing with their arms stretched out as they are inspected, the rest are standing in a huddle. The prisoners are showing no resistance, and the sold... More
Shell hole canteen, Flanders during World War I
The canteen has been set up in a brick building. The entrance to it is through a large shell hole in the wall of the building. In the canteen, there is a man standing behind a counter. Two soldiers, with their ... More
French and British soldiers resting, Flanders
British and French soldiers pausing for a cigarette in a trench or crater. The ground is very hilly and uneven. Most of the men are wearing steel helmets and some of them are holding rifles with bayonets...Scen... More
Middlesex returning from the trenches in the pouring rain, Flanders
Soldiers and trucks on a muddy road, during World War I. This image shows a very wet and muddy road, bordered by high banks of earth. On the left-hand side of the road there is a convoy of trucks stretching int... More