archiwalia arch

Soldier cleaning a rifle, Western Front. A soldier sitting cleaning the mud off his rifle with a cloth. There is a tin in front of him which may have contained grease for oiling the gun. His growth of beard suggests he may have been continuously in the trenches for several days. Soldiers were expected to be cleanshaven, although moustaches were allowed. This soldier is wearing a motley of clothing to keep warm. The cuff of a jumper can be seen under his jacket. He is also wearing one of the goatskin waistcoats issued in 1915, which were described as warm but very smelly! [Original reads: 'Before shaving Tommy cleans his rifle after coming out of the trenches.'] THE HEROES of World War One have been brought into the twenty-first century thanks to a series of stunning colourised images to mark the 100th anniversary of the end of the war. Striking pictures show men hauling a howitzer out of the mud at Beaucourt sur Ancre, four British soldiers using a fallen tree-trunk as a temporary bridge over the River Ancre and six soldiers looking out of a dugout on the Western Front. Other vivid colour photographs show soldiers digging a trench viewed between strands of barbed wire, officers showing a map to their men at the Somme in France and infantry waiting in a trench for their turn to advance. The original black and white photos were expertly colourised by electrician Royston Leonard (56) from Cardiff, Wales. Royston Leonard / mediadrumimages.com