Photographers > John Warwick Brooke
(245) D.2102 - Seen through a shell hole
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| First World War 'Official Photographs' > Photographers > John Warwick Brooke > (245) D.2102 - Seen through a shell hole |
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| Permanent URL | https://digital.nls.uk/74547820 |
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| Description | The remains of a ruined church. Devastated by shellfire, all that remains is a figure of Christ. The photographer, most likely John Warwick Brooke, has chosen the statue as the central focus of the photograph, as seen through a shell hole. It is a carefully composed and intentionally thought-provoking, if not contrived, shot. It is possible that this image would have been used as propaganda by the Government and Military, with the intention of offending people's religious sensibilities. Associating the destruction of a place of worship with the German Army, it was hoped, would further fuel a collective hatred of the enemy. [Original reads: 'OFFICIAL PHOTOGRAPHS TAKEN ON THE BRITISH WESTERN FRONT. THE BATTLE OF BROODSEYNDE [Broodseinde]. Seen through a shell hole. What German guns did to Breelen church. Note figure of Christ intact.'] |
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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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