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View Full Version : The unseen photographs that throw new light on the First World War



dromia
05-28-2009, 01:23 PM
Fascinating!

Beware neck end of 300 images to go through!

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/exclusive-the-unseen-photographs-that-throw-new-light-on-the-first-world-war-1688443.html

JDFuchs
05-28-2009, 01:50 PM
I need to see if I can get my aunt to upload my Great grandfathers photos. There is maby 50-100 that we got, mostly front line photos.

JeffinNZ
05-28-2009, 06:38 PM
I had a look but to be honest I found the thought of all those lost lives too upsetting to visit the site long. I know that sounds daft but I still find WW I a very upsetting subject. Must be a colonial thing.

dromia
05-29-2009, 02:38 AM
Yes it is extremely upsetting, I visit the WWW1 battlefields annually, I have an uncle who was killed on the Somme.

I pay my respects to him especially for my father who was his brother and never got to see Alicks grave.

I have been to within 400 yrds of where he was killed. Each year I follow in the footsteps of the battalion during its sojurns in France gleaning their movements from records and letters home.

The message of that tradgedy is "Lest we forget" and I find archives like these help me remember that the immense totality of the killing is made up by the individual tradgedies and heroes who fought for freedom for themselves or others.

missionary5155
05-29-2009, 04:44 AM
Thanks Dromia !
I walked Verdun when I was in Germany 73-74. It is hard to imagine the horrors million suffered through. Pictures can only record the visual.
Mike ...now in Illinois

Ron
05-29-2009, 05:46 AM
My grandfather ended the 1WW as WO1 having joined the 14th Battalion HLI (the Glasgow Tramways Battalion) on the day it was raised. About 10,000 men signed up within 24 hours to form the battalion, mostly employees of the Glasgow Tramway. The manager of the Tramwayhad the task of raising the battalion. I have the History of the 14th Battalion with my grandfathers details written on the fly sheet, his date of joining and his discharge date along with his signature. He was at the Somme and thankfully came home. I have some photos of him taken in France and they take pride of place in our family history.

I had another relative who didn't make it home, he is commemerated at a Commonwealth War Cemetry in Brussells.

waksupi
05-29-2009, 07:00 AM
I'll see if I can post one of my grandfather. He is the one sitting.

TAWILDCATT
05-29-2009, 08:47 AM
my father and his two brothers were marines and served in France in a MG battallion.only talked about the good parts.I think it was 3 batt 5th marines.
I have an IRON cross with blood on it taken by my uncle off the body of the german he shot and a picture he found of the german.such a nice looking youth.
he died of gas effect in 29,my father in 63.and his brother in 64.I have pictures, medals,and papers.some of the pictures are grusome. I have to scan them and save.I intend to leave them to marine museum.:coffee:[smilie=1:

Baron von Trollwhack
05-29-2009, 09:41 AM
I have a picture in my mind as a child of great uncle George as a middle aged man, his face terribly scarred, gassed in WWI on a battlefield I do not recall. I recall too George, Jr. , a former German POW for 3 years, who was a member of a bomber crew flying from England who parachuted and was captured when his plane was shot down. BvT

sundog
05-29-2009, 09:58 AM
My GF is on the right. He arrived in France ahead of the AEF with the first artillery units deployed. They were initially assigned to the French Second Army -- that is until General Pershing arrived and gathered all US forces under his command.

http://home.windstream.net/corkyconnell/ehconnell/with_pal.jpg

In this pic my GF is right front

http://home.windstream.net/corkyconnell/ehconnell/gun_crew.jpg

Echo
05-29-2009, 10:30 AM
My grandfather probably had the shortest military career in history. He thought that he should go in as a commissioned officer, since he had some college and was a manager. It took a long while to wangle it, but he finally was accepted as a 2Lt, and was told to go to the train station (at Matador, Texas) and a ticket would be waiting for him. He did, and got on the train, becoming a soldier.

The train was flagged down about an hour later at Floydada, and he was told to get off. The Armistace had been declared, and his services were no longer needed. Although legally entitled, he never applied for any veteran's benefits.

When one reads of the strategy (?) employed by the Allies in WWI, especially in the early days, one loses some respect for those developing the strategy. No loss of respect for those forced to employ the strategy, though, and tactics.

RayinNH
05-29-2009, 08:07 PM
I've got one of those panoramic photos of my grandfather and his comrades. The information written on it says: Company M, 325th Infantry, 82nd Division. They were involved in the San Mihiel and Argonnes drives.Those that were left arrived back in the U.S. May 14th 1919. He made it back okay but never talked about it that I ever remember...Ray

fatoldfool
05-29-2009, 09:49 PM
I have the panoramic group photo of my grandfathers outfit while in New York. He was a teamster on an artillary supply wagon. When I bite the dust, no one will care anything about the old picture.

waksupi
05-29-2009, 09:53 PM
The grandfather I pictured, never got overseas. He was caught up in the Spanish Flu while in training at Ft. Des Moines. My other grandfather, joined the army when still considerably underage. He ended up in the thick of it, being gassed, and carried three machine gun slugs in him until he died at around age 74. He hated the trenches. He did regret joining the service!

Char-Gar
05-30-2009, 07:21 AM
I have two boxes of of those three dimensional stereo cards/slides showing WWI. Each box looks like two book volumns and contains about 100 cards each. One the back of each card is printed history and situation of the photograph. My Grandfather bought these shortly after the war. He was a WWI vet.

I lost my stereo viewer in the Great Dee-Vorce of 94. I would like to pick up another, if I could get it for a decent price.

WWI was years, of blood, slaughter, mud, disease, gas and suffering of apolytical porportions. It was a terrible event in human history.