Explore Rare WWI Photographs | Zeebrugge Raid, Cambrai Tanks, Army Medics

This page provides an index of links that lead to of World War 1 photographs on this site and associated information.

This page provides a complete guide to the rare World War I photographs that could have got lost or destroyed. The collection brings together images that rarely appear in authorised history books, offering a more personal and often overlooked visual record of the First World War.

To help visitors explore the archive, the links below are arranged into clear sections, beginning with an introduction and bibliography that outline the origins of the collection and the research behind it.

Unseen WWI history, Rescued, Researched and Shared.

Among the most distinctive parts of this archive is a set of photographs of Army Medics in WWI, gathered by my father during years of searching through bazaars and car‑boot sales. These images show wounded soldiers, ambulance teams, stretcher‑bearers and medical staff in uniform — a side of the war that is often overshadowed by battlefield photography.

Further down, you will find a series of articles on Cambrai, featuring photographs of early tanks and the “squaddies” who operated them. These images capture the emergence of mechanised warfare and the human stories behind it.

The largest portion of the collection focuses on the Zeebrugge Raid of 1918, including photographs of the Mole, blockships, coastal gun positions and the naval officers involved in the operation. These rare images provide a vivid look at one of the most daring naval actions of the war.

The page concludes with a photo gallery, bringing together additional images from across the archive. Each photograph has been carefully preserved, researched and presented to ensure that these unique glimpses into the past remain accessible to future generations.

This index will increase with the collection.

An Overview

About this site and Bibliography

Army Medics in WW1

Soldiers with facial injuries outside Manchester Hospital
Field Dressings of the RAMC Medical during WW1
British Military Hospital WW1: Convalescing Servicemen Outdoors
British Red Cross Nurses in a British Hospital before the Outbreak of WW1
RAMC Carrying a wounded Soldier on a Stretcher
RAMC in Front of Bell Tent with Message to Mother
Horse Drawn British Red Cross Ambulance
WW1 RAMC Staff Waiting outside a Dental Surgery

Images of Cambrai

WW1 Squaddies outside a Bell Tent: the Lazy Tribe
German A7V Aldabert Tank in World War One

The Zeebrugge Raid of 1918

The British Naval Raid on the Mole at Zeebrugge, St George’s Day 1918
Strategy of the Zeebrugge Raid: Blockships and Smokescreen
Captain Roger Keyes’ biography in brief
German Naval Officers at Ostend Presiding over a Submarine, 1918

The Zeebrugge Mole

Construction of the Mole off the Zeebrugge Coast
The Mole Seaport at Zeebrugge December 1918
Bomb Damaged Submarine Shelters on the Mole near Zeebrugge
The Zeebrugge Mole Showing Naval Mechanics, 1918

The Zeebrugge Raid Ships

The Mole at Zeebrugge and Scuttled Intrepid Showing Bomb Damage
HMS Vindictive Prior to the Zeebrugge Mole Attack
Scuttled British Naval Vessels Intrepid and Iphigenia on the Mole
Scuttled Naval Ship HMS Intrepid in the Mole after the Zeebrugge Raid 1918
Aerial View of the Mole with Scuttled Naval Ships Intrepid and Iphigenia

German Guns on the Zeebrugge Coast

Gun on the Mole Coastline near Zeebrugge in 1918
German Guns in Camouflaged Bunkers off the Coast of Zeebrugge
Gun Barrel with Firing Mechanism on the Mole Coast near Zeebrugge
Zeebrugge Coastal Gun Emplacement on a Concrete Mount with Shelter
Gun Emplacement on the Mole Coastline near Zeebrugge
Gun Barrel Shredded by Gunfire on the Mole near Zeebrugge

Photo gallery index of the Zeebrugge Raid

Popular Posts

Zeebrugge Mole Explained: Structure, Defences and the St George’s Day 1918 Assault

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The Zeebrugge Mole, a huge crescent‑moon shaped concrete breakwater stretching 1.5 miles into the North Sea, was originally built in 1903 to shield Zeebrugge Harbour from violent western storms. How the Zeebrugge Mole Was Built and Why It Mattered By World War I, however, this immense structure had been transformed by German forces into a heavily fortified naval bastion guarding the entrance to the Bruges Canal. With its towering concrete walls, railway lines, gun batteries, searchlights and a lighthouse watch‑post, the Mole became one of the most formidable defensive positions on the Belgian coast — and the near‑impossible target of Captain Roger Keyes’ daring raid on St George’s Day 1918. How German Forces Transformed the Mole Into a Naval Stronghold In more detail, the aptly-named Mole is a crescent-shaped concrete breakwater viaduct, jutting in a north-easterly direction towards the North Sea. It was originally built to protect Zeebrugge Harbour from the harsh North Sea storms tha...
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A Heavy Gun on the Zeebrugge Mole: A Rare Glimpse Into WWI Coastal Defences

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Imagine standing on the windswept Mole at Zeebrugge in 1918, the smell of smoke still hanging in the air after the British raid. This is what this image encapsulates.  The Role of Heavy Guns in Coastal Defence This striking photograph shows a heavy German coastal gun mounted on its concrete base just off the coast of Zeebrugge, Belgium. The location, is part of the Mole — the long, curved breakwater that protected the harbour. Keeping company, were several reinforced bunkers nestled in the landscape, built to withstand both naval bombardment and aerial attack. The photograph was likely taken by a German naval officer shortly after the British Naval Raid on Zeebrugge on St George’s Day, 1918. Heavy Mounted Gun on the Mole Coastline WWI coastal defences Although the image appears calm, it was likely taken in the tense aftermath of the British Naval Raid on Zeebrugge, carried out on St George’s Day, 23 April 1918. The raid aimed to block the harbour and prevent German U‑boats from us...
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The Rise and Fall of Coventry’s Foleshill Gasworks: A Changing Skyline Through Time

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Coventry’s first gasworks near the city centre was privately owned and had started in 1824. It was a restricted site, with coal having to be delivered by horse and cart, which had been hand-loaded via pan-shovels from a railway siding some distance away. It was found that this privately owned company was unable to meet the city’s demands and later, the supply of gas was taken over by the city council. Foleshill gas storage tank 1995 and the rear view of the new Ricoh Arena 2009. Both photos taken from the same canal towpath. Why Foleshill Became Coventry’s New Gas Hub On the west side of the Coventry Canal in the district of Foleshill, the council purchased and developed a 40 acre site for gas supplies. This included a massive storage tank about 85 yards high and 43 yards in diameter, which could contain up to 5 million cubic feet of gas. Another reason the council had chosen this site was because, being next to the canal, it allowed easy access for narrow-boats ferrying the...
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Early Ford Model T Field Ambulance Training in WW1

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A rare early photograph captures a Ford Model T field ambulance during a World War I training exercise at a Royal Army Medical Corps barracks in Britain. Five medical orderlies stand ready for instruction as they rehearse loading procedures using two comrades posed as casualties. This staged yet revealing scene highlights the rapid evolution of military ambulance services—from slow, uncomfortable horse‑drawn wagons to the first motorised vehicles that transformed battlefield medical care. From Horse‑Drawn Ambulances to Motorised Medical Transport This photographs shows an early Ford Model T Field Ambulance used on a training exercise in a Royal Army Medical Corps barracks in Britain. Five medical orderlies await instructions from their sergeant as they practice loading procedures using two of their comrades on stretchers as make-believe casualties. Horse Drawn Ambulance attended by medical staff during World War 1. Training the Royal Army Medical Corps for Battlefield Casualt...
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The German A7V Tank Adalbert: A Flawed Giant of World War I

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A striking photograph shows the German A7V tank Adalbert—one of the few armoured vehicles fielded by Germany in World War I—being transported on a railway flat car with two crew members aboard.  Originally named Hagen, then König Wilhelm, the tank’s repeated renaming reflected its troubled service history and flawed design. Despite seeing action in several 1918 battles, including Villers‑Bretonneux, the A7V proved slow, unreliable and easily outmatched by the superior British Mark tanks. This image captures a rare glimpse of a machine that symbolised both Germany’s ambitions and the limitations of early armoured warfare. A7V Adalbert: A Rare Photograph of Germany’s Early Tank Design This picture of the German A7V Tank, Adalbert with two of its crew being transported upon a railway flat car. It did not see much success. Its original name was changed twice due to its poor design. The tank saw action in 1918 at Villiers, Bretonneux, Midway between Amiens and St Quentin under its ...
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WW1 Battlefield Medicine: A Royal Army Medical Corps Orderly and His Lifesaving Equipment

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Explore the role of the Royal Army Medical Corps in WW1 through a rare photograph showing a medical orderly with early battlefield dressings, sphagnum moss bandages and Great War medical practices. I came across this photograph on a stand in a flea market not far from where I live. How the Royal Army Medical Corps treated wounds in WW1 This world war one photograph shows a stoic Royal Army Medical Corp with medicinal gear in readiness for what the Great War had in store. The absorbency of the field dressings became paramount, as heavy blood loss was common on the battlefield. A medial orderly in front of bell tents Medical Practices in the Great War Here, this RAMC serviceman carries a kit, likely comprising antiseptic wound dressings of muslin and wool, which would be used as an immediate application to a wound until the stretcher bearers arrived. For very heavy blood loss, bog moss from Scotland was used for high absorbency and antiseptic properties. Sphagnum, as it wa...
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WW1 Photograph of Gun Emplacement on the Mole Coastline near Zeebrugge

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The Zeebrugge Mole was one of the most heavily fortified structures on the Belgian coastline during World War I, and this rare photograph of a heavy gun emplacement provides a detailed view of one of its powerful gun mechanisms. A Detailed Look at a German Gun Emplacement on the Zeebrugge Mole Used during the 1918 Zeebrugge Raid, this heavy coastal gun shown in the photograph reveals the intricate engineering behind Germany’s coastal defences — from the reinforced gun shield and breech mechanisms to the precise aiming and firing apparatus. German inscriptions, partially legible on the metalwork, hint at the gun’s operational capabilities, including illumination settings and elevation adjustments. Once the smokescreen lifted during the raid, weapons like this played a devastating role in targeting British vessels approaching the Mole. A heavy gun emplacement located on the Mole Coastline Close‑Up View of the Gun Shield, Breech and Firing Mechanism A close up view shows in detail the gun...
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Gun Barrel with Firing Mechanism on the Mole Coast near Zeebrugge

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This detailed photograph shows the gun barrel, firing mechanism and mounting bolts used by German servicemen in the 1918 Zeebrugge Raid. The Mole coast off Zeebrugge can be seen in the background. The image below shows the German Gun Emplacement used in the Zeebrugge Raid. Image bottom shows a detailed view of the firing mechanism. Background on the Zeebrugge Raid To bring context to the photograph shown, I shall provide a little background. On St George's Day 1918, the German occupied ports of Zeebrugge and Ostend were stormed by the British Forces. To this point, the German flotilla and taken siege over the English Channel, sinking allied ships. England was starving and British condemnation gathered, for these sinkings seemed to be indiscriminate, particularly after the sinking of the Cunard liner, Lusitania on 7 May 1915. Sentinels on the Bruges Coast Prime minister, David Lloyd George agreed on a system where the Grand Fleet would shadow merchant ships across perilous w...
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Zeebrugge Coastal Gun Emplacement on a Concrete Mount with Shelter

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Take a look at this rare photograph. This striking view captures a German coastal gun emplacement placed on the Zeebrugge Mole around 1918, during the Zeebrugge Raid. The image offers a rare, ground‑level view from within the shelter, looking outward toward the coast. Coastal defence photographs from this angle are rare, making this image a valuable piece of visual evidence from the final year of the First World War. German Gun Emplacement Looking out from the Mole Coast Inside the Gun Shelter: A View from Below The photograph shows the gun resting staunchly on its concrete mounting block, a feature of German coastal fortifications designed to absorb recoil and stabilise artillery. From this sheltered position, the weapon would have been protected from the elements and partially shielded from enemy fire. To the right of the frame, a set of concrete steps leads up to the strongroom door — a reinforced storage space where ammunition, tools and essential equipment were kept. These strongr...
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The Zeebrugge Raid of 1918: The Daring British Assault on the Zeebrugge Mole

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The Zeebrugge Raid of 1918 was a British naval operation during the First World War aimed at blocking the German‑held port of Zeebrugge in Belgium. By scuttling old ships at the harbour entrance and attacking the heavily defended Mole, the Royal Navy attempted to disrupt German U‑boat activity in the North Sea. The Zeebrugge Raid of 1918: The Daring British Assault on the Zeebrugge Mole On the second half of 1914, the forces of the German army had pushed into Belgium, taking over the town of Zeebrugge. A two mile crescent-shaped outcrop called the Mole had been constructed in order to hamper the British Naval Intelligence from incursions. Along with nearby Ostend, Zeebrugge with its Mole coastline, provided shelter for German destroyers and torpedo boats. Naturally the British Forces needed to breach the Mole in order to eradicate the U-boat threat. Aftermath and Legacy of the Zeebrugge Raid Map of Zeebrugge and the Mole However, the Mole was defended by a dozen or ...
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