Photographers > Ernest Brooks
(236) C.1823 - Reading the news in the trenches 1000 yards from the Bosch present positions
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| First World War 'Official Photographs' > Photographers > Ernest Brooks > (236) C.1823 - Reading the news in the trenches 1000 yards from the Bosch present positions |
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| Permanent URL | https://digital.nls.uk/74545964 |
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| Description | 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 surrounding the trench is very rough and covered in debris. There are three grenades lying to the side of the trench. The derogatory term for a German, 'Boche' or 'Bosch', originates from the French slang 'alboche', which was two words, 'Allemand' (German) and 'caboche' (pate, head) put together. The Battle of Messines Ridge took place in June 1917 and was won by the British under the command of General Plumer. [Original reads: 'GREAT BATTLE OF MESSINES RIDGE 'Reading the news in the trenches 1000 yards from the Bosch present positions'.'] |
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| Description | Ernest Brooks was the first British official war photographer to be assigned to the Western Front in 1916. Previously a 'Daily Mirror' photographer, he was given the honorary rank of Second Lieutenant. His remit was to take as many photographs as possible, with as much variety as possible. Using his inconspicuous hand-held camera Brooks was free to wander, sometimes capturing his subjects unawares. Many of the images taken by Brooks were used to fuel the propaganda machine at home and abroad. Despite this Brooks, who was very aware of composition and light, produced some very artistic and thought-provoking images. |
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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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