Photographers > Tom Aitken
(46) N.455 - Looking down the Rue Sadi-Carnet at Bethune
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| First World War 'Official Photographs' > Photographers > Tom Aitken > (46) N.455 - Looking down the Rue Sadi-Carnet at Bethune |
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| Permanent URL | https://digital.nls.uk/74549072 |
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| Description | Two British soldiers walking through the shell-damaged streets of Bethune, France, during World War I. With shell-damaged buildings all around them, these two British soldiers make their way through the Picardie town of Bethune. In some cases whole houses have been destroyed by artillery fire, with the debris from the explosions either piled up or scattered over the cobbled streets. The signs and lettering above the windows at ground floor level suggest that this was once a busy shopping area. As Bethune was the main railway post for the Allies and also controlled the junction for two major canals, it was crucial that the Allies held on to the town. The Germans attacked Bethune for the first time in January 1915, but were eventually forced back with heavy losses. Another assault on the coal-mining 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. [Original reads: 'OFFICIAL PHOTOGRAPH TAKEN ON THE BRITISH WESTERN FRONT IN FRANCE. Looking down the Rue Sadi-Carnet at Bethune.'] |
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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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