These remarkable photos show British Empire (and American) troops preparing for the First World War, many of whom would later experience the horrors of Passchendaele and the Somme.
The images, when photography was still fairly in its infancy, were taken by Christina Broom, who was Britain's first female Press photographer. She was famous for taking photos of the Suffragettes, the women who, at that time, campaigned for women to have the vote (which they were given in 1918 ).
One photo shows a group of men from the Grenadier Guards sitting behind a hastily-drawn sign proclaiming themselves as the Bermondsey B'hoys (Bermondsey is an area of south London). Many of the British Army batallions during the Great War had similar nicknames as Britain's military chiefs thought it would be a good idea to build battalions consisting of men from the same area, to increase morale. The disadvantage of such a method was, of course, that many communities across Britain had almost all their men of fighting age completely wiped out. The numbers of British soldiers killed in the war represented over 2% of the British population.
Another photo shows Indian soldiers visiting the Royal Mews in 1915.
At the time, Britain was THE superpower of Europe with a gigantic navy. The British Empire suffered 1.2 million deaths in WWI (exceeded only by Russia and France of the allies), 994,138 of them British and the rest from the Dominions.
Broom had her stall at the Royal Mews (the Royal Family's stables in the grounds of Buckingham palace) from 1904 to 1930 and took photos of many subjects including the royal stables, state carriages, uniformed servants and suffragette marches.
The collection is due to be auctioned at Sotheby's in London tomorrow and is expected to fetch up to £35,000.
Images of Great War's lost generation preparing to head off to the Western Front - captured by the UK's first female Press photographer
By Andrew Levy
16th December 2009
Daily Mail
Posing proudly for the camera, they were young soldiers excitedly preparing for the adventure of war.
But as they flung arms around friends and family members in smoke-filled stations or stood to attention in arrow-straight ranks, few could have guessed at the horrors ahead.
Within months, many would lie dead in the mud of Passchendaele, the Somme and other bloody battlefields.
The photos are now part of an archive of 2,000 predominantly military prints that has been hidden from public view for decades.
Enlarge
Off to the front: Grim-faced relatives bid farewell at Waterloo Station to two soldiers from the Household Battalion in 1914
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With his arms protectively around his family, a soldier poses with family members as he prepares to board a train to the front. The moment was captured by Britain's first female press photographer, Christina Broom
Enlarge
On display: Christina Broom outside her stall. Britain's first female Press photographer was entirely self-taught
They were taken by self-taught photographer Christina Broom, who became known as Britain's first female Press photographer.
Although best remembered for her images of Suffragettes, she made her living by cashing in on the postcard boom of the time with a stall in the Royal Mews at Buckingham Palace.
Soldiers were charged tuppence for mementos to send home.
The collection is due to be auctioned at Sotheby's in London tomorrow and is expected to fetch up to £35,000.
One poignant shot shows a group of men from the Grenadier Guards sitting behind a hastily-drawn sign proclaiming themselves as the Bermondsey B'hoys.
Such names arose when military chiefs put together battalions of men from the same community at the beginning of World War I, assuming it would be good for morale.
In fact, it was a notorious mistake that led to some areas losing entire generations of young men.
Another image shows a Royal tea party for wounded soldiers, many with their heads bandaged, held at Buckingham Palace in March 1916.
A photo taken on May 18, 1915, shows a group of Life Guards in a scrum at Waterloo station as they squeeze into the frame before heading off to join the war.
Other images have historical significance. A young Lieutenant HRH The Prince of Wales, Grenadier Guards, is shown years before he became King Edward VIII and, within months, the Duke of Windsor after abdicating to marry American Wallis Simpson.
The future chief of British Secret Intelligence Services and possible inspiration for 'M' of the James Bond books, Stewart Menzies, is also captured in one image.
Born in Chelsea in 1862, the then Christina Livingston married Albert Broom in 1889.
When his family ironmongery business failed and another venture selling stationery and toys floundered around 1903, she borrowed a camera and set about learning a new trade despite having no training.
Enlarge
Bermondsey B'hoys: A group of men from the Grenadier Guards sit behind a hastily-drawn sign
Better late than never: The war was three years old when this U.S. contingent arrived at Wellington Barracks, in London, in 1917 before heading out to the front
Enlarge
Larking around: The war had already been underway for nearly a year when these men gathered at Waterloo station to head off to the front
It soon became clear she had a natural talent and, after developing her relationship with the military by taking photos of the Scots Guards and sending them to regimental chiefs, she was appointed official photographer to the Household Division.
British Empire deaths in World War I (as a percentage of the population of each nation killed)
Great Britain: 2.19%
New Zealand: 1.64%
Australia: 1.38%
Canada: 0.93%
Newfoundland: 0.6%
South Africa: 0.16%
India: 0.01%
She had her stall at the Royal Mews from 1904 to 1930 and took photos of many subjects including the royal stables, state carriages, uniformed servants and suffragette marches.
Although never employed by a newspaper, many of her images were used by Fleet Street.
Sotheby's manuscripts specialist Gabriel Heaton said: 'Christina was totally untrained which is why her photos are clearly not artistic.
But her style is completely her own which gives them much more immediacy than other photos from the time. They are completely unpretentious.
'She took photos of troops because they were heading out to the front and she knew she could sell them. It was making a living.
'She was in the right place at the right time to capture the thousands of young men heading off to war - an incredible record of a lost generation.'
Enlarge
War hero: GH Fleming, top, was decorated with the Distinguished Conduct Medal for his coolness under fire while at Ypres where he was wounded. Bottom, officers from the 2nd Battalion Irish Guards pose for the camera in 1915
Mrs Broom died in 1939 after a chronic illness and her archive was passed to her daughter and assistant, Winifred.
When Winifred died, the family line ended and the collection passed into the hands of a private collector, who has added to it over several decades.
Mr Heaton added: 'There are collections at some museums but they are not massive compilations of vintage photos.
'There has never been a collection of her work on this scale.'
Enlarge
With masks to protect their faces, two soldiers practice their skills with the bayonet
Enlarge
Proud service: Indian officers return from the front and visit the Royal Mews in 1915
Enlarge
Tense wait: Grenadier guards waiting for their orders to ship out in 1914
dailymail.co.uk
The images, when photography was still fairly in its infancy, were taken by Christina Broom, who was Britain's first female Press photographer. She was famous for taking photos of the Suffragettes, the women who, at that time, campaigned for women to have the vote (which they were given in 1918 ).
One photo shows a group of men from the Grenadier Guards sitting behind a hastily-drawn sign proclaiming themselves as the Bermondsey B'hoys (Bermondsey is an area of south London). Many of the British Army batallions during the Great War had similar nicknames as Britain's military chiefs thought it would be a good idea to build battalions consisting of men from the same area, to increase morale. The disadvantage of such a method was, of course, that many communities across Britain had almost all their men of fighting age completely wiped out. The numbers of British soldiers killed in the war represented over 2% of the British population.
Another photo shows Indian soldiers visiting the Royal Mews in 1915.
At the time, Britain was THE superpower of Europe with a gigantic navy. The British Empire suffered 1.2 million deaths in WWI (exceeded only by Russia and France of the allies), 994,138 of them British and the rest from the Dominions.
Broom had her stall at the Royal Mews (the Royal Family's stables in the grounds of Buckingham palace) from 1904 to 1930 and took photos of many subjects including the royal stables, state carriages, uniformed servants and suffragette marches.
The collection is due to be auctioned at Sotheby's in London tomorrow and is expected to fetch up to £35,000.
Images of Great War's lost generation preparing to head off to the Western Front - captured by the UK's first female Press photographer
By Andrew Levy
16th December 2009
Daily Mail
Posing proudly for the camera, they were young soldiers excitedly preparing for the adventure of war.
But as they flung arms around friends and family members in smoke-filled stations or stood to attention in arrow-straight ranks, few could have guessed at the horrors ahead.
Within months, many would lie dead in the mud of Passchendaele, the Somme and other bloody battlefields.
The photos are now part of an archive of 2,000 predominantly military prints that has been hidden from public view for decades.
Enlarge
Off to the front: Grim-faced relatives bid farewell at Waterloo Station to two soldiers from the Household Battalion in 1914
Enlarge
With his arms protectively around his family, a soldier poses with family members as he prepares to board a train to the front. The moment was captured by Britain's first female press photographer, Christina Broom
Enlarge
On display: Christina Broom outside her stall. Britain's first female Press photographer was entirely self-taught
They were taken by self-taught photographer Christina Broom, who became known as Britain's first female Press photographer.
Although best remembered for her images of Suffragettes, she made her living by cashing in on the postcard boom of the time with a stall in the Royal Mews at Buckingham Palace.
Soldiers were charged tuppence for mementos to send home.
The collection is due to be auctioned at Sotheby's in London tomorrow and is expected to fetch up to £35,000.
One poignant shot shows a group of men from the Grenadier Guards sitting behind a hastily-drawn sign proclaiming themselves as the Bermondsey B'hoys.
Such names arose when military chiefs put together battalions of men from the same community at the beginning of World War I, assuming it would be good for morale.
In fact, it was a notorious mistake that led to some areas losing entire generations of young men.
Another image shows a Royal tea party for wounded soldiers, many with their heads bandaged, held at Buckingham Palace in March 1916.
A photo taken on May 18, 1915, shows a group of Life Guards in a scrum at Waterloo station as they squeeze into the frame before heading off to join the war.
Other images have historical significance. A young Lieutenant HRH The Prince of Wales, Grenadier Guards, is shown years before he became King Edward VIII and, within months, the Duke of Windsor after abdicating to marry American Wallis Simpson.
The future chief of British Secret Intelligence Services and possible inspiration for 'M' of the James Bond books, Stewart Menzies, is also captured in one image.
Born in Chelsea in 1862, the then Christina Livingston married Albert Broom in 1889.
When his family ironmongery business failed and another venture selling stationery and toys floundered around 1903, she borrowed a camera and set about learning a new trade despite having no training.
Enlarge
Bermondsey B'hoys: A group of men from the Grenadier Guards sit behind a hastily-drawn sign
Better late than never: The war was three years old when this U.S. contingent arrived at Wellington Barracks, in London, in 1917 before heading out to the front
Enlarge
Larking around: The war had already been underway for nearly a year when these men gathered at Waterloo station to head off to the front
It soon became clear she had a natural talent and, after developing her relationship with the military by taking photos of the Scots Guards and sending them to regimental chiefs, she was appointed official photographer to the Household Division.
British Empire deaths in World War I (as a percentage of the population of each nation killed)
Great Britain: 2.19%
New Zealand: 1.64%
Australia: 1.38%
Canada: 0.93%
Newfoundland: 0.6%
South Africa: 0.16%
India: 0.01%
She had her stall at the Royal Mews from 1904 to 1930 and took photos of many subjects including the royal stables, state carriages, uniformed servants and suffragette marches.
Although never employed by a newspaper, many of her images were used by Fleet Street.
Sotheby's manuscripts specialist Gabriel Heaton said: 'Christina was totally untrained which is why her photos are clearly not artistic.
But her style is completely her own which gives them much more immediacy than other photos from the time. They are completely unpretentious.
'She took photos of troops because they were heading out to the front and she knew she could sell them. It was making a living.
'She was in the right place at the right time to capture the thousands of young men heading off to war - an incredible record of a lost generation.'
Enlarge
War hero: GH Fleming, top, was decorated with the Distinguished Conduct Medal for his coolness under fire while at Ypres where he was wounded. Bottom, officers from the 2nd Battalion Irish Guards pose for the camera in 1915
Mrs Broom died in 1939 after a chronic illness and her archive was passed to her daughter and assistant, Winifred.
When Winifred died, the family line ended and the collection passed into the hands of a private collector, who has added to it over several decades.
Mr Heaton added: 'There are collections at some museums but they are not massive compilations of vintage photos.
'There has never been a collection of her work on this scale.'
Enlarge
With masks to protect their faces, two soldiers practice their skills with the bayonet
Enlarge
Proud service: Indian officers return from the front and visit the Royal Mews in 1915
Enlarge
Tense wait: Grenadier guards waiting for their orders to ship out in 1914
dailymail.co.uk
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