Photo Album World War I Tank Corps Photos British Expeditionary Force France

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Photo Album World War I Tank Corps Photos British Expeditionary Force France :
$5000.00

[Photo Album of Exceptional Images of World War I Featuring the First Use of Tanks in Warfare]

Title: [Photo Album of Exceptional Images of World War I Featuring the First Use of Tanks in Warfare]
Publication: France: 1916-1918

Description: 9” x 12”. Rivet bound, quarter leather over buckram with stiff card leaves. 104 pages with 108 photographs adhesive mounted. All but four measure 6” x 8” and all are captioned. Album very good with moderate wear and a few leaves which are partially detached; photos near fine or better.

This is an extraordinary album documenting the British Expeditionary Force in France in World War I. It focuses on operations in the Somme and Flanders and is filled with gritty and vivid images of battles and their aftermaths.

This professionally produced album has exceptionally well composed images with detailed captions written in a neat hand. Internal evidence suggests the album was created by a member of the Tank Corps: there are several images of tanks, one of which is dated September 15, 1916 with the caption “one of the first tanks.” It's well documented that the first use of tanks in combat was on that date at the Battle of Flers-Courcelette. One photo shows a soldier with the mascot (a dog) for the tank corps and an amazing action shot reads “tank covering infantry advance with smoke screen.”

The first 48 photographs were taken in the Somme region of France dating from July 1916 to March 1917. There are images of destruction and stark landscapes in Fricourt, Mametz, Montauban, Trones Wood, Guillemont, Delville Wood, Dernancourt, High Wood, Longueval, Bernafay Wood, Flers, Theipval Chateau, Martinpuich, Combles, Pozieres.

Many photos show soldiers in trenches cooking, digging, taking positions, resting and clearing debris. We see soldiers clearing roads, howitzers on the move and being fired in Carnoy, a destroyed church in the city of Albert, and several other piles of rubble that used to be churches as well. One shot shows prisoners of war marching along a trench, another shows a nissen hut camp along the Somme Front, and a third has the caption “joining up shell-holes to form trench.”

The second half of the album covers March 1917 to April 1918. There are images of destruction in Ligny-Thilloy and several show utterly devastated areas around Bapaume, Peronne, Arras, and Cloth Hall. Several show the BEF in Bethune, one photo shows Howitzers in action at Neuville Vitasse, and there are several other action shots involving heavy artillery. Many photos show the Flanders area including one showing men milling about the Flanders battlefield and a several include the caption “Flanders Battlefield.”

Remarkable and captivating images featuring the first use of tanks in warfare. Very good.

Seller ID: 9248

Subject: Tanks, World War I

This item is offered by Langdon Manor Books, LLC, antiquarian booksellers. Please do not hesitate to contact us for additional information and/or photos and we will respond promptly. We package our items carefully, ship daily, and have a no hassle returns policy--your satisfaction is guaranteed. We are members of the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America (ABAA), the International League of Antiquarian Booksllers (ILAB) and the Independent Online Booksellers Association (IOBA) and adhere to their rules of ethics.

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