Photographers > Tom Aitken
(45) N.453 - Grande Place in Bethune showing the clock tower in the foreground and the church tower in the background
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| First World War 'Official Photographs' > Photographers > Tom Aitken > (45) N.453 - Grande Place in Bethune showing the clock tower in the foreground and the church tower in the background |
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| Permanent URL | https://digital.nls.uk/74549070 |
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| Description | Bethune town centre with its clock tower and shell-damaged buildings, France, during World War I. The shell damage that was caused to the Picardie town of Bethune, during the fighting that took place as part of the German Spring Offensive in April 1918. In addition to the obvious damage on the roofs of the buildings, many of the shutters and windows have also been hit by artillery shells and gunfire. Structural debris can be seen lying on the ground. As Bethune was the main railway base for the Allies, it was vital that the Allies held on to the town. An offensive on the town took place as part of the German Spring Offensive in April 1918, and this massive attack almost succeeded. However, a last-minute flanking movement by a British force saved the day, although the town suffered terrible bomb damage during the fighting. [Original reads: 'OFFICIAL PHOTOGRAPH TAKEN ON THE BRITISH WESTERN FRONT IN FRANCE. The Grande Place in Bethune showing the clock tower in the foreground and the church tower in the background.'] |
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| Description | Tom Aitken was a newspaper photographer from Glasgow who was assigned in December 1917 as a war photographer along with David McLellan and Armando Consolé. McLellan's work also features in the National Library of Scotland’s Haig Papers. War photographers held a hybrid position during World War I, being part of yet not ultimately responsible to the military. |
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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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