Photographers > John Warwick Brooke
(24) D.1059 - Moving a gun into position
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| First World War 'Official Photographs' > Photographers > John Warwick Brooke > (24) D.1059 - Moving a gun into position |
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| Permanent URL | https://digital.nls.uk/74548402 |
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| Description | A team of men struggle to move a gun into position. They are using ropes and sheer brute strength in an attempt to manoeuvre it. As is so clearly illustrated here, moving a piece of heavy artillery across the muddy and uneven terrain of the Front was fraught with difficulties. Big guns were widely used as an offensive weapon by both sides during the war. In particular, Howitzers were favoured by both. They fired at a high trajectory, enabling the shell to travel over obstacles before dropping into position - this was particularly useful for trench warfare. This could not, however, be achieved with a field gun, which fired at a flat trajectory and, as such, hit the first obstacle in its path. [Original reads: 'OFFICIAL PHOTOGRAPHS TAKEN ON THE BRITISH WESTERN FRONT. Moving a gun into position.'] |
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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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