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Jul 24, 2018 β€’ 10 tweets β€’ 6 min read Twitter logo Read on Twitter
Thomas Keith Aitken was back in the Bois de Reims #onthisday in 1918, photographing the Battle of Tardenois. He took (at least) 16 photographs, and below are some highlights πŸ‘‡πŸΌπŸ‘‡πŸΌ #warphotos #thread
Photograph is: Men of the 2nd Battalion, King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry (62nd Division) examining a captured German Maxim 08/15 (Spandau) machine gun with French and Italian officers. Β© IWM (Q 11107)
War photographers like Aitken frequently demonstrated Allied success in the photographs by showing us equipment taken from the Germans. Here are men of the 62nd btn again with a Maxim 08/15, Β© IWM (Q 11104).
Aitken also visually demonstrates success by photographing not only guns (in the first image) captured from the Germans, but also POWs (in the second). Β© IWM (Q 11103 & Q11106) #warphotos #FWW
Aitken's photographs from the Bois de Reims #onthisday give us both subtle and explicit views of German death on the battlefield. Β© IWM (Q 11091) shows us a soldier looking at a German grave.
In stark contrast to the relatively neat and tidy grave with its stahlhelms perched on top, Aitken shows us an unburied German soldier. We have a good view of his face (extremely so compared to how he would have photographed British dead). Β© IWM (Q 11494)
Aitken gets close to the Allied soldiers too. He shows them at rest in the woods, and I'm going to go ahead and pretend he enjoyed photographing in the dappled light of the trees. Β© IWM (Q 11100,01 & 11095)
In this shot, Aitken stands where there are physical barriers between him and the subject. It makes us feel like we're peeping, but it's also the only angle from which we see the faces of the man sleeping & the one reading the paper. Β© IWM (Q 11097)
After showing us captured guns & POWs, German dead, and resting soldiers, Aitken shows us wounded British/French/Italians. But they're smiling and most seem able to stand/walk. Β© IWM (Q 11114)
Roland Barthes, in his attempt to figure out what photography really is, decided to start with just a few photos. Above is the same approach. Happy Tuesday! #warphotos #FWW

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More from @CarlaJeanStokes

Aug 19, 2018
Today marks the 76th anniversary of the Dieppe Raid. It's a great example in why it's important to cite your photography sources whenever possible. Wanna know why? Thread πŸ‘‡πŸΌπŸ‘‡πŸΌ
Photograph is: Personnel landing craft draw away from a motor torpedo boat to start their run-in to the beaches during the raid on Dieppe, unattributed, August 1942, LAC MIKAN 3194301 #Dieppe
In 1939, the Canadian Army didn't have a plan for how it would hire photographers. January 1940, the Public Relations Office (PR) is set up in London. They are able to begin hiring photographers.
Read 24 tweets
Aug 16, 2018
I mentioned before that Rider-Rider shows us quite a few captured POWs during #Amiens, but he also shows us captured guns. LAC MIKAN 3397896 & 7887.
For the gear heads in the group: 7.7cm FK 96 n.a. field gun, colloquially referred to as a "whizz-bang" b/c of the sound of the shell in the air & detonating, and a 15 cm sFH 02 heavy howitzer since claimed by the 13th Battalion (Royal Highlanders of Canada).
I pulled that right off of LAC because I'm not an arms expert. If the info is wrong, don't @ me. Email LAC and tell them to update their records πŸ€“πŸ˜‚
Read 4 tweets
Aug 8, 2018
Aug 8 marks the 100th anniversary of the beginning of the Battle of #Amiens. This battle ushered in the #HundredDays offensive and saw some of the most decisive victories of the war #thread πŸ‘‡πŸΌπŸ‘‡πŸΌπŸ‘‡πŸΌ
Photograph is: "Scene at Field Ambulance Dressing Station," by William Rider-Rider, August, 1918. LAC MIKAN 3397054 #Amiens100
The Hundred Days also saw the culmination of William Rider-Rider’s career as Canada’s third and final official photographer. (seen here in: [Portrait of William Rider-Rider, ca. 1917, unattributed, @I_W_M Β© Q 113992).
Read 18 tweets
Aug 1, 2018
William Rider-Rider documents wounded arriving at a Canadian Field Dressing Station during the Battle of Amiens. August 8-12, 1918 LAC MIKAN 3397055 #warphotos #FWW πŸ‘‡πŸΌπŸ‘‡πŸΌ
Rider-Rider's photographs from July 1918 represent a regression to the static behind-the-lines documentary photographs Harry Knobel had taken in 1916. They show us subjects like distinguished visits, the dentist and men getting haircuts.
Completely reminiscent of Harry Knobel's photographs showing us camp cooks and soldiers at rest billets.
Read 4 tweets
Jul 23, 2018
Thomas Keith Aitken was also out making photographs on 23 July 1918 - #thread πŸ‘‡πŸΌπŸ‘‡πŸΌπŸ‘‡πŸΌ
Battle of Tardenois. British (62nd Division) and French soldiers in action in Bois de Reims, Β© IWM (Q 11110) #warphotos #FWW
Battle of Tardenois. French troops and a soldier of the British 62nd Division escorting German prisoners who are bringing back British and French wounded. Bois du Reims, Β© IWM (Q 11099)
Read 6 tweets

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