British soldiers on the Western Front in an official photograph dated March 5, 1917.
British soldiers in full winter equipment discuss the war. British official photograph taken on the Western front showing two fully equipped British Tommies discussing the war and the trend of events at a spot behind the lines. They are carrying considerable equipment for one man. One could almost start at the left and go around in a circle naming the various articles that constitute his outfit. Helmet, pack, bags, bundles, canteen, rifle, not forgetting the long bristle brush. Despite their cumbersome packs, the men are cheerfully happy. 3/5/17
"I began to be careless about whether I was in the line or out of it; nothing seemed to signify except the day's meals, and those were still substantial despite the lean supplies of the people at home. The price of all luxuries in the shops was rising fast, but still one could manage it; why trouble about getting back to the battalion? This was the general spirit, and we did not lament when the course was lengthened and the year ended with us waving flags in unison in the snow, or attempting the heliograph, or rapping out ludicrous messages to the instructors' satisfaction, or listening to muddled addresses on alternating current."
Edmund Blunden, English writer, recipient of the Military Cross, second lieutenant and adjutant in the Royal Sussex Regiment, fought in the Third Battle of Ypres, one of the most murderous battles of the war. He was sent to a signalling course within sight of the city of Ypres, and was at first unhappy to be separated from his battalion. The heliograph messages using the sun and a mirror — the sun's rays interrupted by moving the mirror or by an intervening shutter mechanism.
Undertones of War by Edmund Blunden, page 233, copyright © the Estate of Edmund Blunden, 1928, publisher: Penguin Books, publication date: November 1928
1917-12-21, 1917, December, heliograph, signalling, Ypres, British soldiers in snow
