yeovil at War

OFficial War PICTURES

"Official War Pictures" produced by the Daily Mail as postcards

 

During the Great War, a series of "Official War Pictures", also known as the "Daily Mail Battle Pictures" were reproduced as morale-boosting postcards by the Daily Mail newspaper. These were sent from Yeovil to the Front by loved ones, and also from the Front to loved ones back home in Yeovil.

The collection numbered 176 cards in total, issued in 22 series of eight cards each, and was based on photographs taken by a small number official photographers based on the Western Front. Many of the photographs feature the various battles that made up the Somme Campaign of 1916.

The cards were produced in three finishes; colour, silver-tone and photogravure. Most images were produced only in one format, however some were produced in two formats and a few were published in all three. 

 Below are a few examples from my collection

 


From my collection

Series 11, No 86
The King at the Front. At the grave of a fallen hero.
No description on the reverse.

 


From my collection

Series 13, No 102
Queen of the Belgians as Photographer
The reverse reads "While King George reviewed the Belgian troops, the Queen of the Belgians was busy with her camera - her children and the Prince of Wales being present."

 


From my collection

Series 14, No 108
King George greets wounded officer
The reverse reads "On the British Front, the King spent hours in the casualty clearing stations. He is seen greeting two wounded officers whose beds are alid out in the open air."

 


From my collection

Series 15, No 114
The Black Watch Returning to Camp
The reverse reads "One of the battalions of the Black Watch Regiment, to whose bravery the Germans always pay homage, returning from the trenches headed by its pipers."