Art

1. A Street in Arras

Scottish infantrymen resting against the exterior wall of a shell-damaged building. The composition is divided between the view into the coach house, and the scene in the street. The hole blasted into the wall shows the remains of a carriage lying amongst the rubble from the roof. Outside soldiers dressed in kilts sit leaning against the exterior, one figure standing. They are resting, their rifles leaning against the wall beside them.
Image: IWM (Art.IWM ART 1607)

A Street in Arras, 1918, by John Singer Sargent. Scottish infantrymen rest against the exterior wall of a shell-damaged building in Arras.

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Art

2. Oppy Wood

the lower half of the composition has a view inside a trench with duckboard paths leading to a dug-out. Two infantrymen stand to the left of the dug-out entrance, one of them on the firestep looking over the parapet into No Man's Land. There is a wood of shattered trees littered with corrugated iron and planks at ground level to the right of the composition. The sky stretches above in varying shades of blue with a spectacular cloud formation framing a clear space towards the top of the composition.
Image: IWM (Art.IWM ART 2243)
John Nash, 'Oppy Wood, 1917. Evening,' (1918).

Oppy Wood, 1917. Evening, 1918, by John Nash. Two infantrymen stand in a trench next to a dug-out entrance, one of them on the firestep looking over the parapet into no man's land.

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3. The Captive

A German prisoner and his British captor, both wearing respective field uniforms and metal helmets, resting in a communication trench. A mug of drink sits on the surface between them and there is a trench signpost above them. text: (on the signpost) AU LABYRINTH
Image: IWM (Art.IWM ART 1209)

The Captive, 1918, by Colin Gill. A German prisoner and his British captor rest in a communication trench.

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4. Reliefs at Dawn

British soldiers walking through a trench at dawn. They wear full kit, and walk with their backs to the viewer. The heaviness of the scene is reflected in the grey landscape and sky beyond.
Image: IWM (Art.IWM ART 513)

Reliefs at Dawn, 1917, by CRW Nevinson. British soldiers, wearing full kit, walk through a trench at dawn.

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Art

5. An Incident on the Western Front

A view of a dogfight involving five aircraft. In the upper foreground a biplane of the RAF flies towards a stricken German biplane, which is falling towards the ground leaving a trail of smoke in its wake.
Image: IWM (Art.IWM ART 2660)

An Incident on the Western Front, 1918, by Louis Weirter. A dogfight involving five aircraft plays out over the countryside of the Western Front.

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6. An Advanced Dressing Station in France

A dressing station sited by a ruined church. The scene is crowded with casualties, many being brought in by stretcher-bearers. The men have bandaged limbs and some have head wounds. In the sky above there are dark grey clouds, possibly of smoke, in the left half of the composition, and patches of blue on the right.
Image: IWM (Art.IWM ART 1922)
Henry Tonks, 'An Advanced Dressing Station in France' (1918).

An Advanced Dressing Station in France, 1918, by Henry Tonks. Casualties are examined and treated at a dressing station next to a ruined church.

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7. A Howitzer Firing

A scene with four British artillerymen firing a Howitzer gun. They stand beneath a canopy of camoflage netting. To the right a blast of light erupts from the muzzle of the gun, and the men on the left shield their faces from the brightness.
Image: IWM (Art.IWM ART 1152)

A Howitzer Firing, 1918, by Paul Nash. Four British artillerymen, standing beneath a canopy of camouflage netting, fire a Howitzer gun.

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8. The Mascot of the Coldstream Guards

Two tents within a grove of trees, one a makeshift shelter hanging from rope suspended between two trees. A figure lies on the ground resting insdie the tent, his washing hanging to dry in the sun on the same rope as the canvas. There is a stack of supplies to the left, and a small white goat standing against the tent in the sunshine. Beyond the trees there is a deep blue sky.
Image: IWM (Art.IWM ART 3003)

The Mascot of the Coldstream Guards, 1917, by William Orpen. A soldier rests in a tent, his washing hanging to dry in the sun. A small white goat stands outside the tent in the sunshine.

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Art

9. The Guns

a side on view of a huge heavy artillery gun mounted on a railway carriage. The French gun team are busy making adjustments to the barrel's elevation, whilst other French soldiers stand before the railway track. In the background another identical gun is visible, placed in a parallel position.

The Guns, by Henri Lucien Cheffer. A French gun team make adjustments to the elevation of a heavy artillery gun mounted on a railway carriage.

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Art

10. Crashed Aeroplane

a view over fields with a crashed aircraft in the background. In the foreground two labourers gather the crop into bundles. The woman ties the sheaf, while the man works with a long handled scythe. They are both bent over their work, unheeding the scene behind.
Image: IWM (Art.IWM ART 1610)

Crashed Aeroplane, 1918, by John Singer Sargent. Two farmworkers gather crops, paying little attention to the crashed aircraft in the field behind them.

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11. An Observer

a British infantryman on observation duty in a trench on the Western Front. The man stands at a heavily sandbagged parapet looking through a loophole out into No Man's Land. He stands with his back to the viewer, his rifle, with bayonet attached, propped up against the parapet beside him. Three dirt steps lead up to his position, which appears to be elevated to form an observation post. The surrounding walls of the trenches are also piled high with sandbags.
Image: IWM (Art.IWM ART 178)

An Observer, 1915, by Edward Handley-Read. A British infantryman on observation duty in a trench looks out into no man's land.

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12. Ypres Salient, Dawn

A view over the Ypres salient. There are several flooded shell-holes and trenches. The landscape has a devastated and surreal quality, with half recognisable debris littering the ground. In contrast, the upper half of the painting is filled with a clear sky and low covering of cloud.
Image: © IWM (Art.IWM ART 5207)

Ypres Salient, Dawn, February 1918, by Louis John Ginnett. A view over the devastated landscape of the Ypres salient as the sun rises.

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