Tag: World War I

One hundred years ago, on 1 January 1916, the Chemist and Druggist trade magazine presented the annual opportunity for manufacturers, wholesalers and importers to woo their retail pharmacist customers with new year greetings. Browse through the New Year’s issue and… Continue reading

A fresh-faced young woman stares out from the pages of an old pantomime programme. Her cheeks are lightly rouged and her auburn hair is gathered into a flowing pigtail falling over her left shoulder. If there is something rather too… Continue reading

For troops at the battlefront during World War I, letters and postcards were the only form of communication with home. Writing to their families and loved ones held particular significance at Christmas. It appears that some army divisions produced their… Continue reading

From the heroic image of the doughty captive fictionalised in the film the Great Escape to the sufferings on the River Kwai, the British POW is an instantly recognisable World War II type. The experience of captivity in World War… Continue reading

The Library has recently subscribed to the database Trench Journals and Unit Magazines of the First World War – an incredibly valuable resource revealing the unique culture that developed in the trenches. Of particular relevance to the Library collections are… Continue reading

Christmas cards come in myriad forms, from the reverently pious through the cloyingly schmaltzy to the frankly naff. Humour, where it appears, is usually gently playful (Santa stuck in a chimney, Rudolf held up by celestial traffic lights) or achingly… Continue reading

Christmas on the front lines during World War I was a time when military personnel were most likely to get home-sick. While entertainment was provided throughout the year to keep spirits up, Christmas was when the troops most needed cheer.… Continue reading

As we commemorate the 100th anniversary of the start of World War I, an exhibition catalogue in the Library’s collections takes us back to 1968 and the 50th anniversary of Armistice Day: the official end of the War on 11… Continue reading

“The spade will be as indispensable to a soldier as his rifle” predicted Ivan Bloch in 1899. This proved to be an accurate prediction for the static and trench bound nature of World War I. With machine gun fire faster… Continue reading

Facing the entrance to the Wellcome Library are two large paintings by Frederick Cayley Robinson (1862-1927), from his series Acts of Mercy. This pair, painted in 1916 and 1920, both under the influence of World War I, were formerly facing… Continue reading