War Horse: The Movie & History

I was pleased to see this movie come out. Not too fussed about the actual movie plot itself but more the fact it brought to peoples attention the role horses had in various wars. As recent as WW1 horses played a huge role in the war effort.

Not sure if this is a setup pose with the horse but its from  the American Civil war. I do hope it was not a tactic often used to cover behind the horse.

A great example of the horses ability to pull through artillery through muddy fields in WW1. This is from Ypres where the mud was so deep without wooden planks most of the fields were impassable. Horses were still used by the Cavalry in WW1 where weapons were not as sophisticated or ranged as WW2.

WW1 Propaganda Poster: Funny

I have posted about 20+ WW1 & WW2 posters on this blog, there are plenty more to find and view but they are all pretty much standard like the one above. The funny thing about this is that it states there is 'Room for you' but to me the train looks a little packed. Absolutely no chance others will be getting on that one!

WW2 Easter Egg Bombs

Black American troops getting the bombs ready for Easter with suitable messages. I would guess this is from around 1945. This type of thing where they put "words" on large bombs was rather common. I have seen 3-4 other ones with "Up Yours Hitler".

Potholes on Iwo Jima WW2

February 1945: The booted feet of a dead Japanese soldier, foreground, protrude from beneath a mound of earth on Iwo Jima during the American invasion of the Japanese Volcano Island stronghold in World War II. U.S. Marines can be seen nearby in foxholes. Having watched the "Pacific" mini series this photo looks very familiar. Soldiers dug into craters, holes, side of the hill etc. Dead bodies everywhere.

Deep Snow trenches Stalingrad WW2

You can find lots of photo's of the long battle at Stalingrad but I find its hard to find ones that show the true horror of the cold that killed so many troops. Temperatures on -30c were not uncommon and men had to spend weeks in the open with little rations avoiding tank and bullets raining down on them. 1000's if not 10,000s died due to the cold. How about spending a week in the trench above with leaky boots, worn out uniform and wet gloves?

Battleship USS Arizona sinking WW2

December 7, 1941: The battleship USS Arizona belches smoke as it topples over into the sea during a Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The ship sank with more than 80 percent of its 1,500-man crew. The attack, which left 2,343 Americans dead and 916 missing, broke the backbone of the U.S. Pacific Fleet and forced America out of a policy of isolationism. President Franklin D. Roosevelt announced that it was "a date which will live in infamy" and Congress declared war on Japan the morning after.

WW1 Propaganda Posters: Know your place & Woodys

 I have seen a fair few of similar theme posters in both WW1 & WW2. At least this one  has a nifty catchphrase. How much did your average Joe Bloggs know about anything remotely interesting to the enemy?

The Canadians had alot of posters recruiting people to help out, I found very few however asking for front line soldiers to be recruited. They were generally like the one above, asking for workers to cut wood, send eggs to Europe, save war bonds etc. How many Canadian soldiers participated in the great war?

WW1 Propaganda Posters: The Lusitania &

 Did not realise until I discovered this poster what the Lusitania was, but my guess was a huge boat the Germans sunk in the WW1. Britain using every tactic in the book to boost numbers in the forces at the time. Found a really interesting book about it

Was this due to lack of food and rations? Wanting the resources to go to the troops? Maybe all food was short in WW1 and people being prudent in every aspect of their lives helped the troops keep stocked up on vitals.

The Titanic: 100 Years on.

We are in the 100 year anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. It is only fitting we show some photos from the time. It gives you a good idea of the size of the Titanic with the men above building it.

 A little scaffold was used in the building of the ship! I wonder how many man hours went into this?

Last lifeboat arrived, filled with Titanic survivors. This photograph was taken by a passenger of the Carpathia, the ship that received the Titanic's distress signal and came to rescue the survivors. It shows the last lifeboat successfully launched from the Titanic.

WW1 Propaganda Poster: Tobacco & Jobs!

 

"Help her fill a pipe". Another mind boggling poster where the need for men at the front to have tobacco was a real priority. The nurse helping the poor wounded solider so he can relax with a pipe, genius.

This is a poster created at the end of WW1. It's again pretty shocking to us now but I bet in its day people wouldn't think anything wrong with it. Never employee Germans, do not buy anything remotely German looking!

WW1 Propaganda posters. Crusades and Eggs!

Really like this poster, pushing the image of the Crusades from 100's of years ago! Well in WW1 they still do use horses so its not too far from the truth right? Did America have a poster generation department where they would spend days thinking of the right themes to get those poor sods to sign up to?

Well just as you think you seen most WW1 themed posters I found this one where the War effort requested more eggs. Shiploads of Eggs sent by the Canadians to feed us British during the long war. Looking at the size of the Chicken in the poster I don't think we had  have much problem lol.

One year Old and still having fun.

I have updated the blog with how I feel the site is going and future plans. Nothing too exciting but hey its all about the photo's not me.

Random photo I like from the past is from Ellis Island 1891, opened pretty much to this day all those years ago. It is where all immigrants entered into the good o'ld US of A.

War time at Christmas, Bunkers & Truce

 In 1914 in the middle of WW1 a famous truce was called. The above photo is of the troops from both sides talking on Christmas day. Very few first hand documented accounts of this remain, Leeds University special collections has a fantastic book, letters, collections from this and 1st hand memories of the football they played on the muddy battlefield.

WW2 Bunker, looks like one that is in a residential garden. Kid asleep with all the Christmas decorations around them. I am guessing with the effort of the decorations its a place they spent alot of time! avoiding those raids that were so frequent in the bigger cites across England.

WW1 Propaganda Posters (Part2)

 Having now found a large collection of WW1 posters from around the world its time to start placing them up on the blog. Funny one the first, anti-conscription from Aussie. Maybe they knew what Gallipoli would be like?

 Very nice one above, they did like to use stereotypes back in the day! Joan of Arc used to buy war saving stamps.

This must have been a local Irish hero, slaying 10 Germans for the cause and others can be like him too. Did Michael O'Leary do the rounds at recruitment fairs for years to come? or did they send him back to the Somme?

AirBalloon the USS Akron 1930's

 The USS Akron over San Francisco, California  in the early 1930's. The Akron carried 4 Curtis F9C-2 Sparrowhawk aircraft inside, to be  launched or retrieved by means of a trapeze.  Look closely and you can see a Sparrowhawk approaching the trapeze. Below the lower fin is another Sparrowhawk waiting to hook on to the trapeze.