WW2 Trench life: Well and truly dug in!

Seen plenty of Trench photo's from across WW1 & WW2 but I really like this one. You can see from the dug out alcoves that this has been a home for soilders for a good period of time. Well dug out shelters to avoid not only gunfire but the weather conditions. Also it looks very dry, not the usual mud bath that we normally see across European trenches.  The soliders seem relaxed, most of the gear laid out across the floor and trench walls. Again this would make me believe it was not a front line trench but prehaps a secondry one a few hundred yards from the action.

WW1 Women in work: War Correspondents, Bomb Factory

 Women War Correspondents working in the European Theatre of Operations.

An interior view of a workshop in the Belgian Munition Works, also known as the Pelabon Works.

WW1 Propaganda Posters: Travel the World, Eat more cottage cheese

Times change and in the early 1900's only the very fortunate, middle class and rich actually went on holidays. So a key plus for recruiting so called 'normal' infantry was the chance for them to travel around the world. Although most would end up in a small part of Europe in a wet trench.

Changing peoples diet was essential in maintaining resources going to the front line and keeping up the War effort. Explaining that eating less meat and viable alternatives such as cottage cheese can provide the protein needed.

WW1 Propaganda: German cage, Australians Arise.

As a change I have selected a German WW1 propaganda poster. It shows the British Lion caged, crying and weak. This would give the impression to the Germans that we were there for the taking, swept under Germans power.

Australia played a huge part in WW1 & WW2, both in political influence and sending huge amounts of troops to fight. We can see by the poster that the fear of being 'Germanised' would have been key to recruiting for battle.

1800's Photos: Logging, trains and spiked suits.

 Logging North America late 1800s. As we can see two horses are meant to pull a whole lot of wood and men on a slay across icy/winter ground. Not sure about how safe the load looks! I am sure they knew what they were doing.

In the late 1800s railway across North America was a huge savior for the logging industry, allowing their products to be sent all across the country.

It seems a rather bizarre suit at first, what on earth could be its purpose of this in the 1800s? It was made of leather and had huge spikes attached. Hunters specifically hunters where bears roamed would wear these to protect themselves and warn off any bears having a swipe at them. The spikes would make sure they did not do it again.

WW1 Recruitment photos collection

I have often posted pictures of posters used in WW1 that were used to recruit for the forces. But I have found very few interesting images of people actually getting recruited. Hopefully this gives people some sense of the mass scale in which men signed up for WW1, the huge vacuum left of men of a certain age after the war.

This looks likes the recruitment stall is taking place in a city square, with large statue behind it. Gramophone most probably playing music or Propaganda.   Maybe the crowd are gathered for the photo or just that it might be the start of the War and this is the first drive to enlist men? The military man sat down seems to have a non British uniform on, looks North American.

A somewhat less grande recruitment setting but it seems to be drawing in the men to enlist. We can see from the mens facial expressions they look a little worried.

One step down the recruitment chain would be to get the men the correct uniform, turn up for medicals and getting the rest of their kit. 

Two of the new recruits must be still in the teens, I am guessing they had no idea what hell would await them in the battlefields...

WW1 Propaganda: The Start of the Great War.

I like this one, if your man does not sign up for WW1 is he right for you? likely to neglect you  as he did his country?  Very much the duty of ALL men to sign up and fight the enemy.

This poster gives the real impression that signing up can be a man real prospects in life. Unskilled or not there was a place for you.

There were a number of WW1 posters referring to "Remember Belgium". At the start of WW1 Germany invaded Belgium with such brutality to civilians it was used as a tool across Europe to sign people up against the enemy for a number of years following the event.

WW1 Centenary: 1914-2014

So we are here, the 100 year anniversary of World War One. It will be marked across the UK with a number of events. I found a very decent site here that gives information and calendar of them. I hope to have a number of WW1 themed posts over the year and give a real insight into life at the time.

Old Festive movies: Alastair Sim & Crew

Miracle on 34th Street originally came out in 1947. Oddly in UK saw it named "The Big heart". It shows how great the story is that it seems timeless, even today I can watch one of the various versions and still enjoy it. It was initially given a morally objectionable rating as there was a divorced mother in the story. Oh how times change.

 It's a Wonderful Life is a 1946 film that again I love watching every year. A cracking story and family movie that at its time had a huge production budget of $3.3 million, only breaking even at the theaters. Not initially critically acclaimed it seems bizarre that this was not a huge hit! Over time of course this has changed into a classic!

We have all watched A Christmas Carol but my favorite version is Scrooge a 1951 film adaptation of Charles Dickens's story. Alastair Sim is so ideal for his role as  Ebenezer Scrooge. Maybe until my kids are a little older the muppets version will have to do!

Central Park & Paris 1900s

 Central Park early 1900s. Bowler hat, cap seems attire of the day. Must have been a fantastic space in those days to walk or even ride around.

Paris early 1900s with flooding in the center of the city. Is the boat in the middle generally being used to help people about and get them to dry land? Semi flood defense walls protect the onlookers but I would like to hold my breath it keeping them dry. Maybe this was 1910 and the great flood?

A trip to Niagara Falls & Walls of Books

What makes a 63 year old women go over Niagara Falls in a barrel? Well Annie Edson Taylor made history as the first person to live after going down the falls in a barrel, a few days after making sure her cat survived it.

A man browsing for books in Cincinnati’s main library. Demolished in 1955. Looks at the amount of books compressed into such a small space. You can still find older Libraries that look like this, many untouched for 50 years.

Lifeguard 1920s & the Snowball fight from hell

 1920's lifeguard. Looks American to me, not sure on the hat, military? I like the fact he looks very tanned! Not sure they had sun cream/protection back in the day. I see the rope in the water to prevent people from going too far out to sea. They still do that in some Yorkshire coastal beaches.

Princeton students after a freshman vs. sophomores snowball fight in 1893. Was this taken as evidence that the fight took place against the students wishes? looks like that's the case. I have seen happier people in my time that's for sure. It must have been some snowball fight, boxes suffer less facial damage than these three students. The velvet looking clothes look rather fetching too..

1940's Self Tanning & the importance of Malaria drugs

Suntan vending machine, 1949. I have never seen this machine before, I am surprised it ever existed. I always thought it was cool to be pale in the 40s and 50s and the self tanning phenomenon was a modern thing. Based on the size of it and the likelihood it was very expensive I am guessing it never really took off, maybe people mistook it for a gas machine.

Advertisement for Atabrine, an anti-malaria drug. Papua, New Guinea during WWII. I assume the person/organization who wanted to get the message across thought this would do the trick. New Guinue one believes was horrendous for bugs/viruses of this sort and soldiers going in had no real clue of the ramifications of catching these. My Grandad contracted Malaria in WWII, it would come and go throughout his life, many times he would be bed ridden from it.

Xmas past: Toy sellers, Prince Albert, banning Xmas trees

 Vendor of Christmas toys, 6th Ave, New York. Early 1900s. Not sure what the toys actually are? maybe handmade soft toys.

 The  Christmas tree was introduced in England by Prince Albert, who in 1839 bought a tree from his native Germany as a courtship gift to Princess Victoria. Soon Christmas trees became popular in the entire country.

In the 1900s, over-harvesting of evergreens began to alarm conservationists and 1901, President Theodore Roosevelt tried to ban Christmas trees from holiday celebrations.

Around the same time, the first Christmas tree farm was started in New Jersey and the first artificial trees appeared in the United States, manufactured by the Addis British company, makers of toilet bowl brushes. In 1950, the aluminum tree was patented.

Iconic Gangster movie images

 

We all like a good gangster movie, for the last 100 years or so there have been some cracking movies that let us delve into the underworld. Edward G. Robinson above was one of the first actors to embrace this genre of movie.

Gangs of New York gave us a slice of like for immigrant gangs in early New York history. No one can forget the meat cleavers for weapons in alot of the fight scenes.

 

Take away the very famous God Father trilogy of films and Scarface an often underrated and overlooked gangster move is Once upon a time in America. Set around the time of prohibition it follows a young gang making its way in New York. De'Niro, Sergio Leone, James Woods, Joe Pesci along with Ennio Morricone providing the music what more would you wish for?!

A modern gangster film that was both popular and a critical success was the Untouchables. An excellent cast provided us with yet another prohibition themed gangster movie.