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. Size differences are due to scanner settings.
'Disaster on the dunes, the Huns blow up the bridges and
isolate our hard-pressed battalions'.
Order
#10386.
'Columns
of earth from explosion of a British mine under a German position'.
Order
#10387.
'Columns
of earth from explosion of a British mine under a German position'. Same
view as last from further away.
Order
#10388.
'Trapped
German submarine driven inshore and blown clean out of the water'.
Order
#10389.
'Advance
guard of the South African Infantry firing on the retreating Germans'.
Order
#10390.
'Our
fearless men fighting against great odds, mine the bridges and retire across
the Crozat Canal'.
Order
#10391.
'On the
run! In hot pursuit we cross the Canal du Nord by improvised bridges, raked
by shell-fire'.
Order
#10392.
'On the
run! In hot pursuit we cross the Canal du Nord by improvised bridges raked
by shell-fire'.
Order
#10393.
'On the
run! In hot pursuit we cross the Canal du Nord by improvised bridges raked
by shell-fire'.
Order
#10394.
'The
most terrifying of all bombardments; the merciless gas-shells'.
Order
#10395.
'In the
thick of a gas attack; our lads ready for the enemy'.
Order
#10396.
'Gas
alarm! Ready with respirators to repel a Hun attack under cover of
the deadly cloud at Loos'.
Order
#10397.
'Gas
alarm! Ready with respirators to repel a Hun attack under cover of
the deadly cloud at Loos'. Slight variant.
Order
#10398.
'South
Africans prepare to defend an important wood against gas attack'.
Order
#10399.
'Through
gas and smoke, our troops advance to the final assault of Passchendaele
Ridge'.
Order
#10400.
'Following
close on our gas attack, we capture a Hun trench (photo from a captured
prisoner)'.
Order
#10401.
'Clouds
of smoke mask the movement of our troops from hostile planes venturing
over our lines'.
Order
#10402.
'Smoke-bomb
dropped by our airmen to indicate the range to the artillery'.
Order
#10403.
'One
of our mines fired at St Eloy, Ypres - violent struggles for the craters
lasted several weeks'.
Order
#10404.
'The
bursting of our high-explosive shells, which nothing could withstand, shatter
the Hun defences'.
Order
#10405.
'In touch
with Von Vorbeck's column, drawing fire of enemy hidden in jungle, to ascertain
his strength'.
Order
#10406.
'Our
fearless men, fighting against great odds, mine the bridges and retire
across the Crozat Canal'.
Order
#10407.
'At the
bayonet's point our lads rush and capture a German machine-gunner in his
lair at Croisilles'.
Order
#10408.
'Under
great difficulties our troops carry supplies over destroyed bridges on
the Yser Canal'.
Order
#10409.
'After
the bitter struggle for the stricken village of Ghelvelt, lost and retaken
several times'.
Order
#10410.
'Advance
guard of the South African Infantry firing on the retreating Germans'.
Order
#10411.
Price
$6.
'Mounted
brigade under Gen. Van Deventer executing a far-flung encircling movement'.
Order
#10412.
'Short
of ammunition but still they press on, the true bull-dog rush of our troops
at Gallipoli'.
Order
#10414.
'At dawn,
in a determined rush, we carry the fortified Hun entrenchments in Trones
Wood by assault'.
Order
#10415.
'Advancing
across shell-swept "No Mans Land" in an assault on the Hun lines'.
Order
#10416.
'Manchesters
advancing with Maxim gun to a threatened point'.
Condition
7 (surface marks).
Order
#10417.
Price
$6.
'Our
impetuous infantry storm and seize the successive entrenchments of the
Wotan Line near Queant'.
Condition
7 (surface marks).
Order
#10418.
Price
$6.
'Holding
the line near Dickebush before the final assault on Messines Ridge, June
7th 1917'.
Order
#10419.
'Holding
the line near Dickebush before the final assault on Messines Ridge, June
7th 1917'.
Order
#10420.
'With
dogged courage we overcome stiff resistance and break the Hun lines from
Epehy to Bellicourt'.
Order
#10421.
'With
dogged courage we overcome stiff resistance and break the Hun lines from
Epehy to Bellicourt'. Taken seconds after the previous view.
Order
#10422.
'The
sergeant calls for volunteers to bring in a fallen comrade from "no man's
land" before Bourbon Wood'.
Order
#10423.
'Our
dauntless men pierce the Hun lines at Bullecourt and bomb the Jerry out
of their blockhouses'.
Order
#10424.
'Bombing
the Germans out of their deep dugouts at Martinpuich during our advance
on the Somme'.
Order
#10425.
'In the
firing line at Passchendaele, we repulse repeated Bosche counter attacks
of great violence'.
Order
#10426.
'Our
troops charge forward into Bernafay Wood and clear the Bosche out of their
entrenchments'.
Order
#10427.
'Our
troops charge forward into Bernafay Wood and clear the Bosche out of their
entrenchments'.
Order
#10428.
'North
Country troops bomb Hun machine-gunners out of their lair in Polygon Wood,
September 1917'.
Condition.
Marks at bottom.
Order
#10429.
Price
$6.
'Our
troops occupy Houthouist Forest the combined British and Belgian attack
having ousted the enemy'.
Condition.
Fault on l/h image.
Order
#10430.
Price
$6.
'Gurkha
bombing party bombing up a German trench'.
Condition.
Small circular fault on r/h image.
Order
#10431.
'Our
gallant infantry charging the German positions, East Africa'.
Order
#10432.
'A last
drop of water to a dying comrade amid the clash of battle'.
Condition.
Bottom right corner of mount damaged; image slightly creased.
Order
#10433.
Price
$5.
'A stiff
bit of fighting on the Ngura hillsides, East Africa'.
Order
#10434.
'"Over
the top", Leicesters charging a German position'.
Condition.
Mount slightly creased in center.
Order
#10435.
'Machine-gun
section of the Manchesters changing firing position'.
Order
#10436.
'The
famous Gurkhas with their deadly ????, Neuve Chapelle'.
Order
#10437.
'The
Leicesters' fine charge baffle the Kaiser's bid to wipe out the Old Contemptables
at Ypres'.
Condition
7 (light crease).
Order
#10438.
Price
$6.
'With
scarcely time to consolidate their new position, the Leicesters meet a
counter-attack'.
Order
#10439.
'Gurkha
battalion repairing trenches damaged by German bombardment'.
Order
#10440.
'Fearless
Colonials coming up to consolidate trench taken in a surprise attack by
the first line'.
Order
#10441.
'The
parapet of captured trenches hastily reversed and strengthened to withstand
counter-attack'.
Order
#10442.
'The
parapet of captured trenches hastily reversed and strengthened to withstand
counter-attack'.
Order
#10443.
'Dislodging
the enemy house by house in obstinate fighting at Langemarck, 3rd Battle
of Ypres'.
Order
#10444.
'Capture
of a Hun blockhouse in the Hindenburg line at Croiselles, wrecked by our
artillery preparation'.
Order
#10445.
'Capture
of a Hun blockhouse in the Hindenburg line at Croiselles, wrecked by our
artillery preparation'.
Order
#10446.
'Clearing
the remaining Germans out of trenches by hand grenades'.
Order
#10447.
'British
infantry driving out the remaining Germans with bombs'.
Order
#10448.
'Cautiously
working their way across the shell-swept plains of Picardy in the great
Somme push'.
Order
#10449.
'Unexpectedly
our "cleaners up" come to grips with a party of Germans isolated in a captured
village'.
Order
#10450.
'An enemy
block-house seized at Poelecapville and quickly converted into a machine-gun
nest'.
Order
#10451.
'Amid
the havoc of war our troops carry on, passing the smoking ruin of Monchy
on the way up the line'.
Condition
6.
Order
#10452.
Price
$5.
'Our
galland fighters charging over pontoon bridge constructed in four hours'.
Order
#10453.
'Our
cavalry pursues the defeated enemy therough the ruined villages and completes
his final rout'.
Order
#10454.
'With
spirit unconquerable, soldiers of King Albert defend the line of the Yser
against the Germans'.
Order
#10455.
'The
Germans retaliate - a Hun high explosive shell bursting near one of our
dumps hidden in a wood'. See next view.
Order
#10456.
'Column
of earth from explosion of a British mine under a German position'. Indicates
that any caption would do for an anonymous explosion.
Order
#10457.
'Highlanders
skirmishing through a ruined village linked up with our trenches'.
Order
#10458.
Keystone
'"On all sides round a great furnace flamed" - German attack, North Compiegne,
France'. Descriptive text.
Order
#10459.
Keystone
'French reserves watching their comrades going into "The Valley of the
Shadow"'. Long descriptive text.
Order
#10460.
'In the
firing line with the King's bravest, in Mesopotamia'.
Condition.
Brown fault on r/h image.
Order
#10461.
Price
$5.
'Our
magnificent infantry in the firing line in East Africa'.
Order
#10462.
To page one - Troops on the move
To page four - Guns and gunners
To page five - In the trenches, over the top, fixed defenses, communications, materiel
To page seven - Battlefield landscapes, prisoners
To page eight - Miscellaneous and war damage
To page nine - The wounded, the fallen, war graves
