Photographers > Ernest Brooks
(245) C.1860 - Loading of sleepers
Thumbnail gallery: Grid view | List view
Universal Viewer | 
Mirador | Large image
Images and transcriptions on this page, including medium image downloads, may be used under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence unless otherwise stated. 
| First World War 'Official Photographs' > Photographers > Ernest Brooks > (245) C.1860 - Loading of sleepers |
|---|
| Permanent URL | https://digital.nls.uk/74546864 |
|---|---|
| Description | A truck has been reversed off the road up against a large stack of logs. Duckboards have been laid down so that the truck can safely negotiate the terrain. The truck is labelled 39426 and has 'load exceed 3 tons' written up the side. It also has a more informal name daubed across the front. Two soldiers are lifting the logs from the pile while a third secures them on to the truck. Two soldiers stand at the front of the truck chatting to each other. The stack of rough-hewn trunks in the background towers over the scene. Sawmills were often set up close to the front line so that the timber could be made into lumber ready for use. This meant that the supply of wood would be steady and sufficient. It was also more efficient this way as all the resources were close together and then the finished product could be transported to where was necessary. [Original reads: 'BRITISH OFFICIAL PHOTOGRAPHS FROM THE WESTERN FRONT. Canadian Forestry - Loading of sleepers.'] |
More information
|
|
| 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. |
|---|---|
|
More information
|
|
| Description | Photographs by named photographers. |
|---|
| 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. |
|---|---|
| Shelfmark | Acc.3155 |
|
More information
|
|