Image: NLS Haig - Smashed up German trench on Messines Ridge with dead (cropped)

Description: This is a disturbing image of a destroyed German trench. In the foreground the limp bodies of dead German soldiers lie amidst the rubble. It is difficult to distinguish the soldiers from the chaos around them, but four bodies are clearly visible. One man, wearing a helmet, has been pushed forward by the blast and, although dead, appears to crouch forward. The entire scene is a maelstrom of mud, splintered wood and dead bodies. Original reads: 'OFFICIAL PHOTOGRAPHS TAKEN ON THE BRITISH WESTERN FRONT. Smashed up German trench on Messines Ridge with dead.' Photographs from the Haig "Official Photographs" series
Title: NLS Haig - Smashed up German trench on Messines Ridge with dead (cropped)
Credit: This image is available from the National Library of Scotland under the sequence number or Shelfmark ID D.1520. You can see this image in its original context, along with the rest of the Library's digital collections, in the NLS Digital Gallery
Author: John Warwick Brooke
Permission: This work created by the United Kingdom Government is in the public domain. This is because it is one of the following: It is a photograph taken prior to 1 June 1957; or It was published prior to 1972; or It is an artistic work other than a photograph or engraving (e.g. a painting) which was created prior to 1972. HMSO has declared that the expiry of Crown Copyrights applies worldwide (ref: HMSO Email Reply) More information. See also Copyright and Crown copyright artistic works.
Usage Terms: Public domain
License: Public domain
Attribution Required?: No