WORLD WAR 1 WINDOWS

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...

This WW1 photograph shows a large number of inpatients in front of a British hospital. The memorial stone on the front, reads ‘Alderman Thomas Turnbull Hospital’, and has the name, ‘Manchester’. I acquired this photograph from a flea-market in my local town and therefore decided to do a little research and use a magnifying glass to pick up detail. Facial injury treatment during World War One The group of about 150 wounded and convalescing servicemen seem to have mostly eye, nose and chin wounds, suggesting the hospital specialised in facial injuries. Apart from rifle and machine gunfire, a large number of injuries were caused by the metal fragments from exploding shells, often causing blindness, deafness and burns to exposed skin. Injuries often required regular cleansing and dressing leading to long periods of convalescence. In the community, some civilians were shocked at how disfigured the inpatients were. World War One Manchester Military Hospital Colonial soldiers in Bri...

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...

Explore a rare WW1 photograph showing wounded servicemen and VAD nurses outside a military hospital, highlighting convalescence, hospital blues and the vital role of Voluntary Aid Detachment nurses. This photo show outdoor recovery practices in WW1 hospitals Photograph of WW1 servicemen with VAD nurses This WW1 photograph, taken outside the hospital grounds, demonstrates the principle that fresh air is good for health. Here we see approximately 30 wounded and convalescing WW1 servicemen with their nurses. A rare jovial air is reflected by the character in the foreground, reclined upon the lawn in debonair fashion, wearing his sling like a fashion accessory. Wounded WW1 Servicemen with VAD Nurses outside a Military Hospital WW1 Military Hospital Photograph Some of the casualties have been brought outdoors on their beds or wheelchairs, having donned their hospital uniforms for the shot. The fabric would have been Oxford blue with white collar and red tie. A large numbe...

Explore a rare 1914 photograph of British Red Cross nurses in a Hampshire hospital, capturing the atmosphere just days before WW1 and the early lives of VAD and trained nurses. Always on the lookout for old photos, this one caught my eye. The sepia tinge seems in keeping with the age of the photo. A Rare Pre‑WW1 Photograph of a Hampshire Hospital This old photo of an English hospital has a Victorian feel. The interior shows wooden rafters, open plan with an air of high discipline judging by the postures of the nurses and the starchy British Cross uniforms. See all the nurses standing neatly in a row. British Red Cross Nurses in a Hampshire Hospital Prior to WW1 At the back of the photograph, a nurse called Gracie writes the date, which is 31 July 1914, although the date displayed on the front gives the date 27 May 1914. Hants, discloses the location being Hampshire, a county on the south coast of England. The Life and Work of British Red Cross Nurses The date on the rea...

A century-old photograph captures a rare and disarming moment on the Western Front: eight World War I privates gathered outside their bell tent. A Rare Glimpse of Humour on the Western Front playfully posing as the self‑styled “Lazy Tribe.” With theatrically applied bandages, a staged limp and a painted‑on black eye, the scene hints at a brief attempt to inject humour into the bleakness of trench life. Yet behind the light‑hearted performance, the expressions of these young men reveal a deeper story—one of exhaustion, camaraderie and the haunting weight of war that no joke could fully disguise. This World War 1 photograph shows eight privates outside of their bell tent. It would appear that these squaddies are made up to look wounded. A contrived feel pervades over the theatrically-applied bandages, a ‘black’ eye and a limp. The Lazy Tribe in front of a Bell Tent during WW1 The Lazy Tribe: A Rare Moment of Humour in a WW1 Bell Tent At such grim times as on the Western front...

A rare World War I photograph captures two medics of the Royal Army Medical Corps standing outside a makeshift dental surgery, quietly waiting as soldiers inside endure the crude and often painful treatments of the era. Dental Treatment for Soldiers During WW1 At a time when dentistry was still developing and proper regulation was decades away, many recruits suffered from poor dental health, and extractions were often the only remedy available. This image offers a stark glimpse into an overlooked aspect of wartime life—one where medical improvisation, limited resources and the relentless demands of the front line shaped the daily reality for both patients and the medics who treated them. In more detail, this rare photograph shows two medics of the Royal Army Corps waiting outside a dentist’s surgery during World War 1. Dental treatment dished out within, would likely have been basic and unpleasant. Medics of the Royal Army Waiting outside A Dental Surgery during WW1 Early 20t...

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...

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 ...

A rare and seemingly spontaneous World War I photograph captures Royal Army Medical Corps stretcher bearers carrying a wounded soldier toward a waiting horse‑drawn ambulance as members of the public look on. Stretcher Bearers Transporting a Wounded Soldier Taken in a moment of urgency and realism, the image reflects the daily challenges faced by the RAMC, whose role was vital yet often overshadowed by the chaos of the battlefield. With medical treatment still in its infancy and transport limited to slow, uncomfortable ambulances, stretcher bearers became the lifeline between the trenches and the nearest hospital—offering the only hope of survival for many injured servicemen. This World War One Photograph appears to be taken in an instant by a passer-by. With members of the public looking on, the Royal Army Medical Corp is caught by the photographer as they carry a wounded soldier towards a horse drawn ambulance lined up at a nearby station. Stretcher Bearers of  the RAMC ...

A poignant 1914 photograph captures three members of the Royal Army Medical Corps standing proudly outside a bell tent, accompanied by a handwritten message from a son to his mother. A Rare 1914 Photograph of the Royal Army Medical Corps Taken at the Stanhope RAMC Barracks in Aldershot, the image reflects the early days of the Corps, whose members travelled with infantry units and faced the harsh realities of battlefield medicine. More than just a military portrait, the photograph preserves a deeply personal moment—one young man reassuring his family that he had returned safely, just as the First World War was beginning to reshape countless lives. This photograph of members of The Royal Army Medical Corps was taken at the start of World War 1 and bears a touching message from a son to his mother. Founded in 1873, the RAMC  travelled  with infantrymen and dealt with war wounds on the field and within military hospitals. Members of the RAMC Standing in Front of...

T he Zeebrugge Raid of St George’s Day 1918 remains one of the most daring and tragic naval operations of World War I. Windows on the Zeebrugge Raid 1918: With Rare Photographs of the Mole offers an in-depth  account of this pivotal assault, revealing newly uncovered photos of the Mole, the scuttled blockships Intrepid, Iphigenia and Thetis, and German naval officers stationed in Bruges. Through 11,000 words and dozens of rare photographs sourced from craft fairs and flea markets, this book sheds new light on the fate of HMS Vindictive, the Daffodil and the Iris, and the 227 Allied men who lost their lives in under an hour. Read this invaluable book on the storming of Zeebrugge that occurred on St George’s Day 1918. The dramatic story of the Flanders flotilla versus the British Grand Fleet is a must read. Windows on the Zeebrugge Raid 1918: With Rare Photographs of the Mole I researched the raiding of Zeebrugge after acquiring rare photographs of the Zeebrugge Mole, the scut...

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...

In1918, Britain was struggling under the assault of German U‑boats launched from the Bruges Canal via the fortified harbours of Ostend and Zeebrugge. The Zeebrugge Raid Strategy: How Britain Tried to Block the Bruges Canal in 1918 The Flanders flotilla had already sunk more than 2,500 Allied ships, and the Zeebrugge Mole — a massive breakwater turned German stronghold — provided the perfect sanctuary for their operations. To break this stranglehold, Captain Roger Keyes devised a daring plan: storm the Mole, scuttle three retired vessels as blockships, and seal the canal entrance. Supported by HMS Vindictive and two Mersey ferries, the raid became one of the most ambitious naval operations of World War I. In World War I, Captain Roger Keyes was chosen to storm the Bruges canal in Belgium that provided exits to the open seas via Ostend and Zeebrugge. The German flotilla has used the Zeebrugge Mole as a convenient sanctuary from which to launch U-boats and sink allied ships passing throu...

ROGER JOHN BROWNLOW KEYES was already an experienced admiral prior to the Zeebrugge Raid. Born in the Punjab in 1872, he was only 13 years old when he began his Royal Navy career as a cadet. He steadily worked his way up, becoming lieutenant of HMS Turquoise at the tender age of 21. Admiral Roger Keyes: The Fearless Commander Behind the Zeebrugge Raid Roger Keyes Public domain photo (The Seafarers) Arthur Corbett Smith Fourth born to Sir Charles Patton Keyes, this British-Indian officer’s son declared from an early age he wanted to go the family way and serve the British Empire. And to this end, he became a confident and audacious naval officer who feared no challenge or opposition as he travelled throughout Europe, Africa and Asia.  Key Missions: Zanzibar, Boxer Rebellion and the Dardanelles Chief missions include the suppression of the Slave Trade from Zanzibar, key involvement in the Dardanelles Campaign, commander of the Dover Patrol on the South coast of England, th...

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...