Page three, transport in the air, on and under the sea, and by road and rail

Almost all of my World War One material is by H. D. Girdwood, an English company, who sold their views under the trade name 'Realistic Travels'. Most of their views are of a higher quality than WWI views by Underwood although, due to the high gloss, they do not scan very well. They will therefore almost all be of far higher quality than they appear on the screen.
Please click  here  for a high quality scan which gives a true indication of the quality.
Underwood photographers were not present on the battlefield sites between 1916 when the Kaiser said he could not guarantee the safety of war photographers, and the end of hostilities in 1918. Girdwood's views therefore have more immediacy and action. They were issued in sets of between 50 and 500 views so the numbering sequence is pretty muddled. Customers could also pick out the views they required and so a box or collection may have non-sequential  numbering. They come on Underwood-type mounts or on lighter mounts with curved or beveled edges. These are interchangeable and most views appear on both types of mount.
Our valued American customers may ask why there are practically no US troops in these views. The reason is simple; despite Holywood rewriting history, most of these views were taken between 1915 and 1917 when the USA was a neutral country.
 
 

These are ALL condition 8, 9 or 10 and priced at $8 each unless otherwise mentioned. Air views are substatially more difficult to obtain and some are therefore more expensive.


'An important sector of the Hindenburg defences, as seen at 8,000 feet, showing series of elaborate trenches'.
Order #5311.
 


'Over the German lines showing deep trenches, mine craters, and shell-pitted ground'.
Order #5312.
 


'Zeppelin shot down near Colchester, even with the back broken towers above a nearby farmhouse'.
Order #5314.
Price $12.
 


Keystone 'Observation baloons (sic) near Coblenz, Germany'. Descriptive text.
Order #5318.
Price $18.
 


'Observation balloon brought down in flames by a lucky shot from an intrepid airman'.
Order #5320.
Price $12.
 


'Spotting the Turks; motor-winch pays out the cable for an observation balloon about to ascend'.
Order #5321.
Price $25.
 


'The trail of smoke from the burning remnants of an enemy observation balloon'.
Order #5322.
 


'An intrepid observer meets with a mishap and makes a hurried descent'.
Order #5323.
Price $12.
 


'A squadron of giant planes on a moon-light raid to bomb objectives beyond the Rhine'.
Order #5324.
Price $18.
 


'On the eve of a great battle, squadron of aviators reconnoitre, map, and direct artillery fire'.
Order #5325.
Price $25.
 


'Maintaining our supremacy in the air; a battle squadron in fighting formation'.
Order #5326.
Price $18.
 


'An unlucky hit through the tank brought down this British machine, but the aviators landed safely'.
Order #5328.
Price $18.


'Auxiliary Cruiser "Konig" sunk by Germans in a futile attempt to block Dar-es-Salaam harbour'.
Order #5335.
 


'An exciting chase! Destroyer speeds on trail of a murderous U-boat preying on our shipping'.
Condition 7 (surface marks)
Order #5336.
Price $6.
 


Keystone 'The "Indomitable" - The English Battleship which sunk the German "Bluccher (sic) on Sunday, January 24, 1915'. Descriptive text.
Order #5337.
Price $12.


'Under the shadow of the Table Mountain; loyal South Africans off to the aid of the Motherland'.
Order #5340.
 


'Transport with the "Old Comtemptibles" from India meets a man-of-war in the Mediterranean'.
Order #5341.
 


'British destroyers at Scapa Flow guarding the surrendered German battleships'.
Order #5342.
 


'Triumph of our Navy. Surrendered battleships and cruisers of the German fleet at Scapa Flow'.
Order #5343.
 


'Battleship Kaiserin of the German High Seas Fleet surrendered at Scapa Flow'.
Order #5344.
 


'German battle cruiser "Derminger" which hauled down its flag at sunset to Admiral Beatty'.
Order #5345.
 


'German battle cruiser "Derminger" which hauled down its flag at sunset to Admiral Beatty'.
Order #5346.
 


'Decks cleared for action on H.M.S. Chatham at the Dardanelles'.
Order #5347.
 


'Man the guns! Ready for the enemy on H.M.S. Arno'.
Order #5348.
 


'Landing troops and supplies at Salonica, under cover of the big guns of our Navy'.
Order #5349.
 


'The silent work of the Navy. Transports on their way to distant parts of our far-flung battle line'.
Order #5350.
 


'Glorious Vindictive whose gallant exploits at Zeebrugge will live for ever in the annals of our Navy'.
Order #5351.
 


'The Glorious Vindictive whose gallant exploit will live for ever in the annals of our Navy'.
Order #5352.
 


'12-inch gun on a minster German submarine, ruthless pests that sank our shipping without trace'.
Order #5353.
 


'Trapped German submarine driven inshore and blown clean out of the water'.
Order #5354.
 


'A dauntless trawler which met its doom by striking a floating mine in the Dardanelles'. Almost certainly a doctored version of the previous view.
 


'Fleet of murderous "U" boats, the greatest menace that ever faced our Empire, surrender at Harwich'.
Order #5355.
Price $12.
 


'Conning tower on one of the huge mine-laying German U Boats'.
Order #5356.
 


'Saw-like wire cutters on prow of "U" boats, devised as way of escape from our ensaring submarine nets'.
Order #5357.
 


'Captured German submarine of the "Deutschland" type'.
Order #5358.
 


'Signal bell on the Mole, Zeebrugge, immortalized by the historic raid of St George's Eve, 1918'.
Order #5360.
 
 


'Men of a cavalry ammunition park in a Flanders lane awaiting orders'.
Condition. Bottom of image very slightly lifting.
Order #5363.
 


'Troops and supplies being rushed from railhead to the firing line'.
Order #5364.
Price $12.
 


'Huge park of motor lorries waiting at railhead to load up supplies'.
Order #5365.
Price $12.
 


'A London motorbus carrying Indian soldiers in France'.
Condition. Slight creasing of images.
Order #9301.
 


'British Expeditionary Force disembarking stores at a French port'.
Order #9302.
 


'El-Kantara, the great base for Egypt and Palestine, seen from a transport in the Suez Canal'.
Order #9304.
 


'Wit. Rifles back from Windhoek entrain at Cape Town for depot to re-volunteer for East Africa'.
Order #9306.
 
 

 To page one - Troops on the move

 To page two - Troops at rest

 To page four - Guns and gunners

 To page five - In the trenches, over the top, fixed defenses, communications, materiel

 To page six - Battle scenes

 To page seven - Battlefield landscapes, prisoners

 To page eight - Miscellaneous and war damage

 To page nine - The wounded, the fallen, war graves

 To page ten - Officers, victory parades

  Back to stock page