Photographers > John Warwick Brooke
(590) D.975 - Loading a big trench mortar in a front line Boche trench
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| First World War 'Official Photographs' > Photographers > John Warwick Brooke > (590) D.975 - Loading a big trench mortar in a front line Boche trench |
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| Permanent URL | https://digital.nls.uk/74548338 |
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| Description | Men crowd around a trench mortar positioned in a trench. One man appears to be loading a missile into the mortar. The surrounding area is covered with snow. Despite these conditions none of the men are wearing extra clothing. Trench mortars were widely used by both sides during the War. Developed for use in the trenches, they enabled a missile to be fired at a high trajectory towards enemy lines. 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 French village of Gommecourt was the scene of much fighting, particularly during the Somme Offensive of 1916. Despite attempts by the British to capture it, Gommecourt remained in German hands between 1914 and 1917. [Original reads: 'OFFICIAL PHOTOGRAPHS TAKEN ON THE FRONT IN FRANCE. Loading a big trench mortar in a front line Boche trench.'] |
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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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