SawYeOurFlashes Posted 14 February , 2020 Share Posted 14 February , 2020 Hello everyone, I’m curious about the postwar condition and rehabilitation of the major battlefields (Ypres, Arras, the Somme, Verdun, etc). Does anyone have some photographs — or could point me in the direction of a good collection — that show what these landscapes looked like in the years immediately following the war? I’m thinking roughly between 1919-1930. Cursory searches online haven’t yielded much from thus far. Any help or advice would be extremely appreciated! - Stephen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Michelle Young Posted 14 February , 2020 Admin Share Posted 14 February , 2020 Welcome to the forum. Some interesting photos on this thread Michelle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SawYeOurFlashes Posted 14 February , 2020 Author Share Posted 14 February , 2020 (edited) 24 minutes ago, Michelle Young said: Welcome to the forum. Some interesting photos on this thread Michelle Thanks so much for this, Michelle! I was particularly struck by the photo in this post: The N.D.de Lorette today is much more forested. Yet 20 years after the war it still seemed denuded. Edited 14 February , 2020 by SawYeOurFlashes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobertBr Posted 14 February , 2020 Share Posted 14 February , 2020 Stephen Stephen In 1919 (?) a French photograhper made a video of the old front lines from an aircraft. I cannot rmember the link to it, but suggest you try YouTube. Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SawYeOurFlashes Posted 14 February , 2020 Author Share Posted 14 February , 2020 41 minutes ago, RobertBr said: Stephen Stephen In 1919 (?) a French photograhper made a video of the old front lines from an aircraft. I cannot rmember the link to it, but suggest you try YouTube. Bob I believe this is what you’re referring to: This is incredible footage, thanks for recommending it! The devastation around Ypres in 1919 is extremely apparent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris11 Posted 14 February , 2020 Share Posted 14 February , 2020 Have you tried looking on Flickr? It may take some searching, but I have found Flickr a useful source of unusual photos, especially as so many photos are posted by people who have found them in attics, sheds and junk shops, but have no particular interest in the theme. I came across some photos of almost the exact spot where my grandfather had been posted, after the battle, and these had been taken by Australian medical corps clearing up after the battle. You could either persistently search under variations of names in the "search photos" facility, or look through one of the many Great War groups, one for example has over 18,000 photos in it. I just had a quick look and came up with this. I know it's not exactly what you're looking for, but it shows what can be found. Good luck. Chris. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TEW Posted 14 February , 2020 Share Posted 14 February , 2020 I have a few 1919 photos including Bullecourt on photobucket. They should be titled as 'Bullecourt' so using their search box should find them. TEW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug504 Posted 15 February , 2020 Share Posted 15 February , 2020 There’s a large collection of “post war scenes of the Western Front”, in the IWM photograph collection. These can be viewed at, https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/search?query=Post+war+western+front&pageSize=30&style=list&filters[webCategory][Photographs]=on&filters[periodString][First+World+War]=on There is a huge variety, from ruined villages to former battlefields. Also worth a look if you’re interested in battlefield clearance is the Ivan Bawtree collection detailing the work of the Graves Registration Units, https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/search?query=Graves+registration+&pageSize=30&style=list&filters[webCategory][Photographs]=on&filters[periodString][First+World+War]=on The ultimate book on the subject is After The Ruins by Hugh Clout, it is however academic in style rather than “readable” and it is very expensive, although an abridged version can be found in Google books, https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=nSprHxTuXdAC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false The Modern Conflict Department of Ghent University details the work of some of their projects on the continuing environmental and landscape effects of the Great War https://www.conflictarchaeology.ugent.be/en/ Doug. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Michelle Young Posted 15 February , 2020 Admin Share Posted 15 February , 2020 The CWGC also have lots of photos in their archive which can be found online. Michelle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobertBr Posted 15 February , 2020 Share Posted 15 February , 2020 21 hours ago, SawYeOurFlashes said: I believe this is what you’re referring to: I do not thinks so. I believe he was flying south covering Arras and the Somme. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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