Photographers > John Warwick Brooke
(517) D.751 - Howitzer about to be fired
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| First World War 'Official Photographs' > Photographers > John Warwick Brooke > (517) D.751 - Howitzer about to be fired |
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| Permanent URL | https://digital.nls.uk/74548054 |
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| Description | According to this photograph’s original caption, this howitzer is about to be fired. A group of artillerymen is standing in the snow waiting for the gun to fire its shell. At first, the howitzer was not a popular weapon with the Allies. After they witnessed the devastating effect that it could unleash, however, the howitzer soon became a vital weapon in the armoury of the Allies. The word 'howitzer' is derived from a German/Czech word meaning 'a sling.'] Howitzers were short, squat guns that were used for shelling at steep angles - that is, more than 45 degrees. The higher trajectory of a howitzer shell meant that it passed over intervening obstacles in order to drop on top of the intended target. The Germans used howitzers such as 'Big Bertha' to devastating effect in August 1914, when they reduced the Belgian fortress towns of Lieges and Namur to rubble. [Original reads: 'BRITISH OFFICIAL PHOTOGRAPH FROM THE WESTERN FRONT. A howitzer about to be fired. (snow scene).'] |
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| Description | John Warwick Brooke, of the Topical Press Agency, was the second British official war photographer to go to the Western Front in 1916. The demands placed on he and his colleague, Ernest Brooks, were heavy. They had to take as many photographs as possible, with as much variety as possible, a difficult task for two men covering an army of over two million. Despite this, Warwick Brooke managed to take what would become some of the most memorable images of World War I. As an officially appointed photographer, Warwick Brooke was assigned to the Western Front to follow the progress of the British Army. During his time there, between 1916 and 1918, Warwick Brooke is estimated to have taken over 4,000 photographs. |
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| Description | Photographs by named photographers. |
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| Description | Black-and-white photographs mainly of the Western Front during the First World War. Official British war photographers took many of them for propaganda purposes. Unless otherwise stated, titles are the photographs' original captions. From the papers of Field Marshal (Earl) Haig (1861-1928). The Haig Papers also contain Douglas Haig’s diaries. |
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| Shelfmark | Acc.3155 |
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