Every reasonable effort has been made to trace ownership of, and give credit to, copyrighted material.
1 (PIGEON)
Cher Ami
www.atlasobscura.com/places/cher-ami (public domain)
A man in British army uniform attaches a message to a carrier pigeon ready to fly.
National Library of Scotland, photographer David McLellan http://digital.nls.uk/74548774
Used under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
Five horse-drawn mobile pigeon lofts parked around the perimeter of a small field. A soldier feeds the pigeons on the roof.
National Library of Scotland, photographer David McLellan
http://digital.nls.uk/74548776
Used under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
Two soldiers on motorbikes with wicker baskets strapped to their backs to carry pigeons.
National Library of Scotland, photographer David McLellan
http://digital.nls.uk/74548780
Used under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
BOOMER
6 (CAT)
Designed by Freepik.com
Togo, the mascot of the British battleship Dreadnought
Photo credit: © IWM
Licensed from the Imperial War Museums First World War Agency Collection
A soldier in his shirtsleeves leans over a makeshift tub filled with water. Existing in the squalor of the trenches, soldiers rarely if ever had the opportunity to wash or change clothes. Unsuccessful attempts were occasionally made to kill off lice and other parasites by boiling uniforms in large vats of water.
National Library of Scotland, photographer John Warwick Brooke
http://digital.nls.uk/74547804
Used under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
Allied troops occupy a German trench.
National Library of Scotland, photographer John Warwick Brooke
http://digital.nls.uk/74548256
Used under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
Soldiers build a dugout in the supporting reserve lines. Underground dugouts like these were used by officers for planning attacks, while soldiers used them for eating and resting.
National Library of Scotland, photographer John Warwick Brooke
http://digital.nls.uk/74547964
Used under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
Remains of a captured German trench after heavy artillery fire. The entrance to a tunnel gives some idea of the labyrinthine network of tunnels and trenches that formed the front line defenses on the Western Front.
National Library of Scotland, photographer John Warwick Brooke
http://digital.nls.uk/74547954
Used under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
Stripped down to their shirts and braces, two British soldiers use a can of water to catch up on their washing.
National Library of Scotland, photographer John Warwick Brooke
http://digital.nls.uk/74548096
Used under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
COAL DUST
13 (HORSE)
A group of cavalrymen
National Library of Scotland, photographer John Warwick Brooke
http://digital.nls.uk/74546984
Used under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
Gas mask drill for horses
National Library of Scotland
http://digital.nls.uk/74548674
Used under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
Two British soldiers ride a team of packhorses through a deep stream. After it had been repeatedly proven that cavalry attacks had no place on the Western Front, many cavalry horses joined the packhorses and mules that were used to carry supplies.
National Library of Scotland, photographer John Warwick Brooke
http://digital.nls.uk/74548942
Used under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
TOMATO
17 (DOG)
Designed by Freepik.com
A dog with a gas mask. This dog was employed by a sanitary corps in locating wounded soldiers.
Photo by Francis Whiting Halsey
Public Domain: first published in the USA before 1923.
Three men in a trench wearing gas masks.
National Library of Scotland, photographer John Warwick Brooke
http://digital.nls.uk/74547760
Used under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
A dog-handler reads a message brought by a messenger dog, in France during World War One. The message would have been rolled up inside a waterproof container attached to the dog’s collar.
National Library of Scotland, photographer Tom Aitken
http://digital.nls.uk/74549024
Used under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
British messenger dogs with their handler. Messenger dogs were based in sectional kennels near the front lines. On average, each sectional kennel had forty-eight dogs and sixteen handlers, a ratio that indicates how important the dogs’ work was at the front.
National Library of Scotland, photographer Tom Aitken
http://digital.nls.uk/74549184
Used under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
Messenger dogs and their handlers marching to the front. In addition to carrying messages, these dogs probably performed a wide range of important tasks, including sentry duty, acting as decoys, ambulance duties and killing vermin.
National Library of Scotland, photographer Tom Aitken
http://digital.nls.uk/74549026
Used under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
LEO
23 (BIG CAT SILHOUETTE)
Akira/FreeVector.com, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
A soldier in a shallow trench with his pet dog.
National Library of Scotland, photographer John Warwick Brooke
http://digital.nls.uk/74547656
Used under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
A man and a monkey stand next to a captured German trench mortar.
National Library of Scotland, photographer John Warwick Brooke
http://digital.nls.uk/74546686
Used under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
R.A.F. Squadron’s fox mascot in France during World War One.
National Library of Scotland, photographer David McLellan
http://digital.nls.uk/74548676
Used under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
A triumphant dog sits atop a gun surrounded by gunners. Proudly perched on top of what looks like a howitzer, this pet dog was the regimental mascot of the artillery gunners also gathered around the gun.
National Library of Scotland, photographer Tom Aitken
http://digital.nls.uk/74549082
Used under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
CHARLIE
28 (DONKEY)
A line of mules carries ammunition for field artillery. Each animal has a pair of panniers, loaded with eight rounds of what appear to be eight-kilogram (18 lb.) shells for a field gun.
National Library of Scotland
http://digital.nls.uk/74549588
Used under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
A soldier and his mule at the Western Front.
National Library of Scotland
http://digital.nls.uk/74549584
Used under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
A mule stuck in a shell hole. This photograph shows French soldiers trying to pull an exhausted mule out of the mud of a shell hole. A second mule has been rescued and is standing to the left.
National Library of Scotland
http://digital.nls.uk/74549306
Used under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
Vickers machine gun crew
National Library of Scotland
http://digital.nls.uk/74549554
Used under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
A long line of soldiers and pack mules moves across a war-torn landscape.
National Library of Scotland, photographer John Warwick Brooke
http://digital.nls.uk/74547898
Used under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
BISCOTTE
34 (DOG)
Designed by Freepik.com
A bandaged dog that worked in the front line trenches, in France, during World War One. With bandages on all four paws, this dog—called Paddy—carried out a range of hazardous duties in a front line trench, despite the shellfire and poison gas.
National Library of Scotland, photographer Tom Aitken
http://digital.nls.uk/74549018
Used under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
Dog rescues the wounded
Wellcome Library, London
Collection: Wellcome Images “image_innopac_id” L0009138
Copyrighted work available under Creative Commons Attribution only licence CC BY 4.0
Soldiers returning to trenches after a raid.
National Library of Scotland, photographer John Warwick Brooke
http://digital.nls.uk/74547530
Used under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
LOUISE
38 (PACKHORSE)
Mulpo_com/VectorOpenStock.com
A group of soldiers and horses
National Library of Scotland, photographer David McLellan
http://digital.nls.uk/74548672
Used under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
Packhorses transporting ammunition.
This image is available from Library and Archives Canada under the reproduction reference number PA-001231 and under the MIKAN ID number 3194763
Public Domain
Soldiers struggle to pull a big gun through mud. The gun has been placed on a track created for a light railway. A makeshift tread has been fitted to the wheels of the gun in an attempt to aid its movement through the mud.
National Library of Scotland, photographer Ernest Brooks
http://digital.nls.uk/74546544
Used under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
Two soldiers lifting a section of duckboard onto a packhorse.
National Library of Scotland, photographer John Warwick Brooke
http://digital.nls.uk/74547250
Used under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
A Canadian battalion goes “over the top” during World War One.
National Library of Scotland, photographer John Warwick Brooke
http://digital.nls.uk/74545832
Used under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
EPILOGUE
An example of a permission slip: Pat Grasshopper’s pass to leave the reserve, Sarcee Indian Agency (Tsuu T’ina), southern Alberta.
Credit: Glenbow Archives, M-1837-22b
Thomas McNab: First Nations soldier, George Gordon Reserve, Saskatchewan
Thank you to George Gordon First Nation Chief and Council for permission to use this photo.