Photographers > John Warwick Brooke
(35) D.1080 - Blown up railway bridge at Chaulnes
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| First World War 'Official Photographs' > Photographers > John Warwick Brooke > (35) D.1080 - Blown up railway bridge at Chaulnes |
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| Permanent URL | https://digital.nls.uk/74548422 |
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| Description | This ruined railway bridge is close to the village of Chaulnes, in the area of the Somme. The extensive damage seen here was most likely caused by shellfire. Although merely speculation, it is possible this bridge was blown up during a retreat. It was fairly common for those retreating to destroy vital transport links, such as roads, railways and bridges, in an attempt to slow down the advancing army. Countless towns and villages along the Western Front suffered a similar fate to Chaulnes. Some of the images that form part of this collection tragically show French villagers returning home after the fighting, only to discover their homes in ruins. Many people tried searching through the rubble in a desperate attempt to retrieve a few personal belongings. [Original reads: 'OFFICIAL PHOTOGRAPHS TAKEN ON THE BRITISH WESTERN FRONT. A blown up railway bridge at Chaulnes.'] |
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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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