Photographers
Tom Aitken
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| First World War 'Official Photographs' > Photographers > Tom Aitken > (63) N.495 - To save himself from the flying shrapnel of the two high explosive shells that have burst near, this Tommy has flung himself flat on the ground |
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| Permanent URL | https://digital.nls.uk/74549106 |
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| Description | Soldier trying to escape shrapnel, Western Front, during World War I. This photograph, which is attributed to Tom Aitken, shows a soldier lying on the ground trying to escape injury by shrapnel from the two massive shells, the smoke from which can be seen in the background. He has clearly been caught in the open near what appears to be a camp or village. The quick reaction to the sound of the shells may have saved this soldier's life. After the war, many ex-soldiers found loud noises very frightening, as they were used to reacting to the noise of shells. [Original reads: 'OFFICIAL PHOTOGRAPH TAKEN ON THE BRITISH WESTERN FRONT IN FRANCE. High explosive shells burst in the front area. To save himself from the flying shrapnel of the two high explosive shells that have burst near, this Tommy has flung himself flat on the ground.'] |
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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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