2,400 World war one, War Images: PICRYL - Public Domain Media Search Engine Public Domain Search

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King & Queen and H.R.H. The Prince of Wales

King George V, Queen Mary and H.R.H. The Prince of Wales, taken during a visit to the Western Front in France. They are positioned in front of a large brick building with French windows. The King and Queen are ... More

Artillery stripped trees and a signboard pointing the way for pack tra...

The photographer has managed to produce, with careful use of composition and light, this startling and memorable image. The otherworldliness of this ravaged landscape, shrouded in clouds of dust or smoke, leave... More

Few of the American nurses in France

Nurses, stretching from one side of the photograph to the other, are milling around in front of the camera. They are all wearing long white dresses and neat square caps with their hair tied back except for two ... More

Heavy gun in action during World War I

Australian soldiers in action, Western Front, during World War I. This photograph of Australian troops shows four or five teams of horses racing towards a field gun. Each team consists of six horses pulling wha... More

Part of the church at Bethune during World War I

British soldier surveying the ruined church at Bethune, France, during World War I. Standing underneath a doorway, this lone British soldier looks upon the devastation wrought on the church at Bethune, in Picar... More

Natives of Manipur are greatly interested in the workings of a motor

A motorcar is parked to the left of the picture and is sitting with both sides of its bonnet open. There is a British soldier in the car, busy with the controls. Two Manipur soldiers are kneeling in front of th... More

Well advertised!, Flanders during World War I

A uniformed man looking at a price list and advertisement for a canteen. The sign has been made out of wooden slats and is fixed to a brick building. The advertisement on the right states 'STEP INSIDE! / AMERIC... More

Washing day on the banks of the Ypres-Comines Cana

Three soldiers hanging their clothes on a clothes line. Two lines have been strung up between trees or bushes. The three men are all in their shirtsleeves and are still wearing their steel helmets. The steel he... More

Transport going over a wooden road built round a mine crater

Two carts, each pulled by a team of six horses, are travelling along a hastily constructed road. The road has been built to allow passage through a heavily cratered area. For every two horses, there is one unif... More

Mascot of the Royal Scots, Flanders

A young soldier of the Royal Scots Regiment holding a black goat kid. As the French farmers were forced to flee their homes many animals were inevitably abandoned. Some undoubtedly ended up in the cooking pot, ... More

Building a road to their camp, Flanders

According to the original caption these men are building a road. On the right of the photograph, a group of men are breaking up rocks using pickaxes. The rocks are then being loaded onto carts. Most of the men ... More

Prime Minister of New Zealand examining a British machine

William Massey, Prime Minister of New Zealand, being shown a British biplane. Standing next to him, smoking a cigar, is Sir Joseph Ward, Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand. They are surrounded by a small grou... More

Ever resourceful Tommy, Flanders

Soldier collecting snow to melt for water, Western Front. In this photograph, a British soldier is shown filling a small mess tin with snow. The original caption explains that he was about to melt the snow to g... More

Athie Church partially destroyed by the Huns, Flanders

Athie Church after it had been bombed or shelled. All that appears to be left of the roof are the rafters. There is a large pile of rubble at the entrance to the church. Daylight can be seen through the door su... More

Machine-gun position which is holding the Germans

British machine-gun position, France, during World War I. There were at least 16 permanent appointments of official war photographers made after 1916. These positions were created in 1916 to gather propaganda i... More

Carrying a wounded man down to an ambulance, Flanders

A soldier in a tin hat is carrying a wounded sergeant on his back down a steep muddy bank helped by a corporal wearing a tin hat with MGC on it. Three other soldiers watch and a Red Cross man waits on the road ... More

Railway trucks under which a communication trench is dug, Flanders

Communications trench, Western Front, during World War I. A well-constructed communications trench. It has been dug to a depth of around two metres and the sides lined with horizontal poles, which are held in p... More

Germans destroy the beautiful Chatrau [sic] of Caulincourt and blew it...

Unblocking the Somme. On the left of the picture is the raised, man-made wall of the river with soldiers standing on top. The river cuts across the image with two soldiers standing in it. The men are dwarfed by... More

Transport bringing up ammunition, Flanders

Team of horses transporting ammunition at night, France. This image shows a horse-drawn carriage moving along a road at night. There are four horses with two men controlling them, and one man sitting on the car... More

Trees that the Boche felled accross the road at Peronne

A road alongside the river has been blocked by felling the trees across it. A party of British soldiers are beginning clearing operations. One with an axe is chopping off some of the branches while others put ... More

One Tommy helps another out of the entrance to his dug-out or home

This photograph shows one soldier pulling another through a small hole, apparently from the cellar of a ruined house. The caption describes this as the entrance to a dugout. The conditions in this cellar may ha... More

Never ending flow of duck-boards which help to make the going easy ove...

Soldiers walking across a duckboard path, through a relatively un-muddy field. They are all carrying panels of duckboard, probably to lay another path or extend the one they are on. All the soldiers are wearing... More

Wash and brush up in the swamps of the Somme

Soldiers have been photographed washing at the edge of a flooded field or marsh in the Somme. The mud up to the thighs on their trousers shows how wet the conditions were in the trenches. These men are cheerful... More

V.A.D. at work in France, Flanders

V.A.D. nurse bandaging a soldier's hand, France. There are rows of trestle benches set up in a big wood-clad room. At the back of the photograph is a shelving unit containing pharmaceutical bottles and scales. ... More

V.A.D. dressing station, Flanders

Looking into a wooden-clad room. There are tables and trestle seats down either side of the room and a stove in the middle. There is a soldier having his hand bandaged by a nurse on the right. There is another ... More

Tommies watching the shelling near Wancourt, Flanders

Three soldiers are on a muddy ridge, one standing and looking through binoculars and two sitting down. One soldier is standing at the base of the mound. They are looking over the trenches into the distance wher... More

Heavy armoured cars ready to go up 15/9/16

Four tanks and their crews. Judging by the collection of fuel cans, holes in the ground, shovels, canvas sheets and the tent, it would appear that this is a tank camp. The combination of heat and fumes meant th... More

H.M. walking through Peronne during World War I

King George V and his entourage walking through a street in Peronne, France. The King is walking at the front of the group, with a uniformed man on either side. All of the men, including the King, are in unifor... More

Cavalry during World War I

Photographs depicting cavalry...digital.nls.uk/75206933 ( http://digital.nls.uk/75206933 )

H.M. the King. H.M. the Queen. H.R.H. the P. of W., Monsieur Poincare,...

From left to right this image shows the President of France, Monsieur Poincare; his wife Madame Poincare; the Prince of Wales; the British Ambassador to France, Sir Francis Bertie; Sir Douglas Haig; George V an... More

Handley-Pages setting out to bomb the Germans

Handley-Page bombers on a mission, Western Front, during World War I. This photograph is attributed to Tom Aitken. The photographer had clearly been taken in one of the bombers as this photograph has been shot ... More

Tommy inspecting the grave of one of our fallen heroes

A British soldier kneeling next to a grave. The grave is marked by a small white cross adorned with flowers. The name on the cross is 'KNOWLES.' After the war, each country established its own War Graves Commis... More

Howitzer firing, Flanders during World War I

Howitzer gun firing, Messines, Belgium, 1917. This image shows a Howitzer gun being fired. The scene is shrouded in smoke or mist and there is a shell lying in the foreground. The British-designed Howitzer was ... More

French and British transport, Flanders

French and British transport units pass each other on a crowded road. The French, easily identified by their paler uniforms and ridged steel helmets, are on the left. On the right, a British transport cart is b... More

Member of the first Aid nursing Yeomanry oiling her car

A young woman in a coat or overall and with her hair hidden by a scarf, is refilling oil in her car engine. The car was made by D. Napier and son, the leading British manufacturer before the war. In 1905, Napie... More

Portuguese entering a gas trench

At the bottom right corner of the photograph is the entrance to a trench. It doesn't look very deep and is supported by sandbags up its sides. The background is dominated by the side of a steep hill. This is gr... More

View in Delville Wood during World War I

The splintered remains of Delville Wood, France. The photograph has no particular context- no landmarks or distinguishable features. It is taken up a slightly rising slope which continues until the horizon. The... More

Up in the air in a Handley-Page, showing another Handley-Page making f...

Handley-Page bombers on a mission, Western Front, during World War I. This photograph, which appears to have been taken from the cabin of a Handley-Page bomber, is attributed to Tom Aitken. It shows another Han... More

Clearing away mud on the Somme, Flanders

Two soldiers standing knee deep in liquid mud in a trench on the Somme. They have bowl-shaped shovels with long handles, which they are using to try and scoop away some of the mud. It must have been backbreaki... More

Active service stable during World War I

A rather primitive form of outdoor stable with a soldier grooming a horse. With no stable roof to protect the horses from adverse weather, it is likely that the horses were not in a good physical state, as illu... More

Member of the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry cleaning ... car, Flanders

A member of the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry and her van, during World War I. This photograph unfortunately has no further information about the situation or the lady pictured. It would be interesting to know wha... More

Where the flour is made into dough, Flanders

This photograph shows a large wooden warehouse set up for making dough for bread for the army. Large wooden troughs set on trestles were used for mixing the dough. All ingredients such as water would have been ... More

Race for French children is never forgotten by Tommy

Young children taking part in a race, at a Black Watch sports day. The winner has touched the finishing line, with the rest of the runners in hot pursuit! These children were very likely from a nearby village o... More

Wounded Tommy showing his helmet with a piece blown out

Soldiers who have had their wounds dressed are sitting along a bank, drinking tea. One of them, who has a bandaged head, is being shown his damaged steel helmet by one of the First Aid workers. The photographe... More

Havoc caused by our guns at Serre, Flanders

The devastated remains of a factory. The damage was most likely caused by shellfire. Unfortunately the original caption does not tell us exactly what this building once housed. It does, however, admit that the ... More

Snap at a seaside resort during World War I

British soldier building sandcastles with a little boy, in France, during World War I. This shows a 'Tommy' playing at building sandcastles with a little boy on a beach in northern France. The boy is dressed in... More

British cavalry passing the ruins of Albert cathedral, France, during ...

British cavalry passing the ruins of Albert cathedral, France, during World War I. World War I provided endless striking subjects for a photographer as skilled as Tom Aitken. There is something very funereal ab... More

H.M. watching the Australian sports

King George V is standing in the foreground, watching as soldiers take part in a sports day event. The men taking part are in full uniform and are carrying full packs. The exercise shown here is possibly part o... More

All is quiet on our front during World War I

Wooden duckboards snake across a field behind a sandbag and barbed wire wall. The entrance to a dugout is just visible on the edge of the photo. Groups of soldiers are standing in the outcrops with aimed rifles... More

Cross roads blown up by the Germans near Tincourt, Flanders

A large water-filled crater where, according to the existing caption, there was once a crossroads. Next to the crater a group of soldiers stand and look at the devastation caused...Scenes such as this were comm... More

Men of the K.O.Y.L.I. playing cards, Flanders

Soldiers are playing a relaxing game of cards. Positioned in a circle round the cards, they are stretched out on the ground. A small pile of money has been placed in the middle. One soldier looks over his shoul... More

German light engine smashed up by our gun fire, Flanders

A wrecked German steam-engine lying across rail tracks. Graffiti has been written on it, including the name, 'C J Griffin', the motto, 'Never Budge' and the sarcastic joke, 'Lancs Reg Leave Train'. The Lancashi... More

Station Square, Arras during World War I

Destroyed buildings at Arras, France, during World War I. The picture is of what was once a terrace of town houses. Although the structure of the houses still remains much of the cladding has been blown away. T... More

Royal visits during World War I

Photographs of royal visits to the Western Front. Royal visits were seen as an important way of boosting morale...digital.nls.uk/75201717 ( http://digital.nls.uk/75201717 )

I would like to borrow your coat old chap, Flanders

Two soldiers, one wearing a huge fur jacket, during World War I. This ray of humour and friendship in an otherwise bleak and depressing landscape is unfortunately unatrributable to any one war photographer. The... More

Women at Boulogne station, France, probably December 1918

Women, accompanied by French and British officers, waiting at a gateway on the station platform at Boulogne. Most of the women are in uniform but two, standing slightly apart from the others and clearly accompa... More

Muddy wheels of an ammunition cart, Flanders

Four soldiers sitting on the axles of a gun- or ammunition-limber. The wheels of the limber are heavily covered in thick mud and it is possible that it had just been pulled out of the mud after being stuck. Mud... More

Messenger dogs with their keepers going across country up to the front...

Messenger dogs and their handlers marching to the Front, in France, during World War I. Straining at the leash, these messenger dogs and their keepers are apparently on their way to the front line trenches. In ... More

Picture was taken within a 100 yards of the enemy

The photographer, thought to be John Warwick Brooke, took this photograph very near to the enemy, during an attack, but the atmosphere is calm. A French armoured car is ready to give covering fire for British t... More

Dragons ready for the dragon fight

Troops watching Chinese dragon ceremonies, Western Front, France, during World War I. This shows some members of the Chinese Labour Corps carrying two huge paper dragons with large decorated heads and long snak... More

Diving competition during World War I

A man jumping off a makeshift diving board into a river. This diving event is part of a larger swimming competition, organised by the Cavalry. On the opposite river bank there are a number of spectators, both s... More

Gunner writing a letter home, Flanders

A man sits on some rough wooden planks, next to a pile of sandbags, and smokes a pipe as he concentrates on writing. In the background another man, also busy writing, has noticed the photographer and pauses to ... More

Locomotive abandoned in front of Thiepval

This photograph is from a French postcard printed in Paris. It shows the ruined village of Thiepval, in the northern Somme area. Two soldiers, possibly French, are looking at an abandoned engine which may have ... More

Balmorals entertainment troupe of a Scottish division, Flanders

Five men, dressed in clown costumes, are standing in a half circle around a chair. There is another man sitting on the chair this time in a dress and high-healed shoes. They are in a fenced enclosure in what ap... More

Effect of shell fire, Flanders during World War I

Signal box in ruins, Western Front, during World War I. Two soldiers digging out the rubble of a railway signal box. As the original caption notes, the levers and chains of the mechanism remain intact. It would... More

Huge stack of provisions being loaded into trains, Flanders

Loading food supplies on a train, Western Front, during World War I. This photograph shows men loading crates of food into a train. One man is standing on a huge stack of crates, sliding boxes down a makeshift ... More

Gas sentry writes a field postcard to his folks at home

A soldier on sentry duty beside a ruined building is leaning against the wall writing a card. There is a notice saying 'Gas Alert' nailed on the wall of the building. Clearly there is no immediate danger of gas... More

Funeral of Major General Ugo Bagnani, Italian Army who died on the 7th...

A walkway lined with uniformed troops is being traversed by pall-bearers and a coffin. The coffin is draped with a flag and most of the troops have bowed heads. The snowy churchyard and two elderly civilians ar... More

Gunners round a captured German gun, Flanders

Gunners sitting behind a captured big gun. They are all aware of the photographer, most likely John Warwick Brooke, and are looking towards him. The men are in uniform and most are wearing steel helmets. Often ... More

French armoured car supporting our men in a combined attack

This photograph shows a French armoured car in a road. The French gunner is in position, while his companion is on the watch for enemy movement. Two other French soldiers stand behind the car and a group of Bri... More

View of Quant where we broke the Hindenburg Line, Flanders

The village of Quant, France: the road that runs through the village is bordered on both sides by ruined buildings. Any walls that remain standing are being supported by wooden logs. Most of the damage, however... More

Presentation of the Military Medal by General Plumer to nurses for the...

General Plumer presenting medals, France, during World War I. This image shows General Plumer pinning the Military Medal to a nurse's cape. There are a further three nurses standing in line awaiting this honour... More

General view of Montauban, Flanders

It is unclear whether this is actually Montauban itself, or whether the sign which states 'Montauban' is merely indicating that the village is close by. The road seen here is bordered by grass verges littered w... More

German trophies from Vimy Ridge and Messines

Numerous and various pieces of German memorabilia, such as signs, helmets, weapons and ammunition, have all been artistically pinned to a wall above a fire and surround. ..It was common for advancing armies to ... More

Making a new railway track, Flanders

Laying new railway lines, France. Individual gangs of men are laying new railway sleepers alongside four existing lines. A man is crossing the line to pick up more sleepers from a large pile on the right of the... More

Fine cut by a Maori, New Zealand

A Maori lumberman stands next to a newly felled tree. He is posing for the camera with his axe resting on the tree stump. In this snow-covered woodland, the only protection he has against the cold is a woollen ... More

Refugees on the road back during World War I

This photograph shows a long line of refugees extending far back along the road to the left. They are accompanied by French troops. There are few men among the civilians. In German-occupied areas some men were ... More

Free coffee and biscuits any time day or night, Flanders

Soldiers standing by a roadside. They are outside a makeshift coffee stall, and most of the men in the photograph are drinking out of metal cups. The group also includes three men sitting on their horses. Anoth... More

R.H.A. going into action at the gallop

This photograph shows gun teams of the Royal Horse Artillery going into action. The field gun is pulled by a team of three pairs of horses, with one rider to each pair. An officer rides in front. Another team a... More

Wet weather cannot damp Tommy's sense of humour perhaps, Flanders

Close-up of a sign posted in a camp. A line of straggly trees frame the horizon, and the field stretched out in front of them is a muddy bog. To the left behind the sign is a large mound, the contents of which ... More

Scene on a canal, Flanders during World War I

Three soldiers are sitting astride a fallen tree overhanging a canal. They are wrapping barbed wire around it, probably to stop it being used as cover. The man on the left has the shoulder badge 'RE', of the Ro... More

Mine blown by the Germans under a roadway through a newly captured vil...

The devastation caused by an exploded mine. Perched on the edge of a vast crater are the ruined remains of a church. A few soldiers pick through the debris. Apart from a few buildings that have survived the exp... More

Happy Tommies at the entrance of the shelters they have erected whilst...

This photograph shows a line of men from the Duke of Wellington's Regiment (West Riding), standing in reserve trenches. They have rigged up tarpaulins and branches to make a shelter over the trench, and look ve... More

British tanks going forward to check the German advance, Flanders

The advantages of caterpillar tracks on tanks can be clearly seen here. These four tanks are travelling through a churned up and boggy mess with relative ease. The soldiers travelling on them also look relaxed.... More

Portuguese at the Instructional School

Troops marching in formation down the curve of a short slope to meet their colleagues at the bottom. These troops are lined up in neat rows in the flat basin at the bottom of the hill. In front of the rows a wa... More

H.M. and the King of the Belgians leaving the latter's house

King George V, on the left, and King Albert I of Belgium walking along a brick pathway. The path is bordered by what appears to be sand and sea grass. According to the photograph's original caption, they are ju... More

Cleaning up German trenches at St. Pierre Divion, Flanders

In the foreground a group of British soldiers are sorting through equipment abandoned in the trenches by the Germans when St Pierre Divion was captured. One soldier has three rifles slung on his shoulder, anoth... More

British officers' club in France, Flanders

British officers in France. Officers standing on a lawn outside a grand house. It is a fairly informal and relaxed scene. They are milling around and chatting. In the background there is a small group of servan... More

Anti-aircraft gun in action in the ruins, Flanders

Soldiers appear to have installed an anti-aircraft gun in position beside a large, ruined building. The gun, which is set on an angled mounting, is installed on a flatbed lorry chassis. There are blocks on the ... More

Nissen hut makes a splendid hospital ward

Inside a Nissen hut converted into a hospital ward. The bowed ceiling is lined with wood and a long rug runs the length of the hut, possibly laid for the benefit of the Queen's visit. Beds line both sides, with... More

Group of our boys on the battlefield, just behind the line

British soldiers posing for the camera. Most of them are sitting on the snow-covered ground. They are all fully armed and equipped. ..Scenes such as this were commonly used as propaganda, intended to boost mora... More

Funeral of Mr. Basset, distinguished dramatist and war correspondent, ...

Funeral of Monsieur Basset, playwright and journalist, on the Western Front, June or July 1917. On the way to the cemetery. A row of six horses, walking in pairs, with soldiers riding the three nearest to the ... More

Dinner time on the Ancre, Flanders

Soldiers, apparently near the Front, getting fed from mobile army kitchens. In the background men are lining up for their ration, while in the foreground others are sitting or standing and eating soup or stew f... More

Stripped gunners at work loading a big gun, Flanders

This photograph shows a heavy gun in position, partly camouflaged by trees and netting. Two of the crew are using a small hoist to lift one of the shells onto the gun platform, ready to load. By the end of the ... More

Convalescent British soldiers in France having a rest in a recreation ...

This photograph shows a lot of convalescent soldiers sitting at long tables which extend the length of the recreation hut. They are reading and writing letters. There have been attempts, presumably by the Red C... More

Long white line, Flanders during World War I

A long of line of trucks cross the picture diagonally into the distance. They are driving alongside a high verge on one side which is water-logged at the bottom. On the other side is an open field with grass bo... More

Signal station - using daylight lamp, Flanders

Signal station using a daylight lamp to send messages, during World War I. The signal station shown in this photograph would probably have used an encrypted form of Morse code to transmit messages. The soldier ... More

Distant view of Mametz showing battered German trenches in foreground

German trenches near Mametz, France, during World War I. The picture is dominated by a snaking trench and its surrounding barricades. The trench is a scene of chaos. In the distance the rest of the battlefield ... More

Fixing fuses on Stokes Mortars, Flanders

Eight men, watched by an officer, are setting fuses into Stokes mortar bombs. The man in the centre of the group is displaying one of the mortar bombs and a crate open at his feet is packed with three more. Cra... More

Canadian Corps heavy artillery in action

A Canadian field gun crew bombarding enemy lines. The force of the explosion as the shells are fired is indicated by the cloud of dust surrounding the guns and the recoiling posture of two of the gunners. The s... More

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