Embargoed until 00.01 on Friday 11 November 2011 Armistice: 11.11.11 IWM Makes Previously Unseen Faces of the First World War Available Online On Armistice Day 11.11.11, IWM (Imperial War Museums) will make 100 portraits of people who served in the First World War publicly available through Faces of the First World War on Flickr Commons. The photographs, many of which have not been widely seen before, offer a personal and poignant record of the impact of the First World War. They are taken from a collection of thousands of portraits acquired by IWM when it was founded in 1917 to record everybody s experiences of the Great War. IWM will continue to upload an additional portrait from this collection to Flickr Commons every weekday until August 2014, the 100 th anniversary of the outbreak of the First World War, and would like the public to help find out more about the life stories of the people in the photographs by adding comments, information, links or text to the photos. Is the portrait one of your ancestors, a name on a local war memorial or from a regiment in your area? IWM acquired the portraits between 1917 and 1920, following an international public appeal which was advertised in the press as well as wartime ration books. In some cases, bereaved families donated their only photograph. Some photographs have only a name, rank and unit. Others were accompanied by detailed letters and biographies. Britain and the Commonwealth are represented, as are the range of military ranks and services. Faces of the First World War is part of IWM s preparations to mark the First World War Centenary in 2014-2018 by leading a vibrant, four year programme of cultural activities across the country, including the opening of brand new First World War galleries at IWM London in 2014. Diane Lees, Director General, IWM said: The First World War Centenary is a landmark anniversary for Britain and the world. The war was a turning point in world history. It claimed the lives of over 16 million people across the globe and affected the lives of millions more. Everybody in the world has a connection to the First World War, either through their own family history, links to their local community or because of its long term impact on the world we live in today. Through projects like Faces of the First World War and the wider Centenary programme, IWM will help reconnect people with the First World War and keep the history and personal recollections of the war alive.
Faces of the First World War is at 1914.org/faces To find out more about the First World War Centenary commemorations visit 1914.org See a selection of the first 100 images below. Ends For further press information please contact: Laura McKechan, 020 7416 5311, lmckechan@iwm.org.uk Notes to Editors The first 100 images uploaded to Flickr Commons include: Private Tickle Private Tickle enlisted on 7 September 1914 and was accepted into the army although he was under age. He was killed on 3 July 1916, aged 17, during the Battle of the Somme. His mother's handwritten note on the photograph (taken a few days before his death) describes him as "One of the very best". By Permission of IWM (HU 93549) The Seabrook Brothers, 17 Battalion, Australian Infantry, Australian Imperial Force Three brothers, Private Theo Leslie Seabrook (24), 2 Lieutenant William Keith Seabrook (21) and Private George Ross Seabrook (25) of Fivedock, New South Wales, Australia who were all serving with 17 Battalion, Australian Infantry when they were killed together at Polygon Wood in the Ypres Salient on 20-21 September 1917. By Permission of IWM (HU 93520) 2 Lieutenant Maurice Sharpe, 21 Squadron, Royal Flying Corps Lieutenant Sharpe's aircraft was disabled on 28 October 1916 whilst flying over the front line during the Battle of the Somme. Lt Sharpe was reported missing and no further trace of him was ever found. Lt Sharpe is commemorated on the Arras Flying Services Memorial. By Permission of IWM (HU 93537) Sergeant J Oakley, Royal Horse Guards [No more information is held on Sergeant Oakley] By Permission of IWM (HU 93476)
Captain Keith Andrews Brown, 1 Battalion, The Queen's (Royal West Surrey Regiment) Captain K A Brown enlisted on 5 August 1914 and served with A Company. Aged 22, he died of wounds received at Épéhy on the Somme on 22 September 1918. He is buried at Five Points Cemetery, Lechelle. A few weeks later, Captain Brown's older brother, Captain Clive Andrews Brown of the Royal Engineers, was also killed, aged 28, on 7 November 1918 (just four days before the Armistice) on the Western Front. By Permission of IWM (HU 93348) Stoker Petty Officer Harold Jordan, HMS Strongbow Stoker Petty Officer H Jordan, was aboard HMS Strongbow when it was sunk during an attack on Merchant ship convoy on 17 September 1917. By Permission of IWM (HU 96667) Private Thomas Newton, 15 Battalion, West Yorkshire Regiment (Prince Of Wales's Own) Pte Newton was reported missing on 1 July 1916 at the start of the Battle of the Somme. He is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial. By Permission of IWM (HU 93472) Lance Corporal Douglas G Adams, 1 Battalion, London Regiment (London Rifle Brigade) Lance Corporal Adams served with C Company, 9th Platoon. He was reported missing at Gommecourt on 1 July 1916 at the start of the Battle of the Somme. Aged 20, he was last seen fighting in the third line of German trenches. Lance Corporal Adams is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial. By Permission of IWM (HU 93326) 2 Lieutenant Ernest Bertram Nelson, Indian Army Reserve Of Officers (Attached 1/8 Battalion, Gurkha Rifles) Lt Nelson was an Exhibitioner of Wadham College, Oxford and of Corpus Christi College Cambridge, graduating in 1912. After joining the Officer Training Corps, he served with the Calcutta Light Horse in 1913. In January 1915, Lt Nelson transferred to Queen Victoria's Own Corps of Guides before being attached to the Gurkha Rifles. He served in Mesopotamia in 1916 and participated in the capture of Kut and Baghdad. Lt Nelson was killed in action, aged 26, at Mushaidie on 15 March 1917. He is commemorated on the Basra Memorial in Iraq. By Permission of IWM (HU 93464)
Major James Logie Harcus, 20th Battalion, 5th Infantry Brigade, Australian Imperial Forces Major Harcus was born in Orkney, Scotland in 1881 and was a fluent speaker of Gaelic. He emigrated to Australia in 1907 and qualified as a barrister in 1912. During this time, he also served as an officer in the reserves of the New South Wales Scottish Rifles. On outbreak of the First World War, Major Harcus volunteered for active service and was part of the Australian force which took control of German colonies in Papua New Guinea in September 1914. In 1915, he sailed with his battalion to the Middle East and participated in the landings at Suvla Bay on 22 August. Major Harcus was killed in action, aged 34, at Tel el Kebir, on 11 December 1915. He is buried at Walker's Ridge cemetery, Gallipoli. By Permission of IWM (HU 96640) Captain Frederick Henry Naylor, Imperial Camel Corps Captain Frederick Henry Naylor was from Melbourne, Australia. He served in the 1st Battalion, Imperial Camel Corps. He was Mentioned in Despatches. He was killed in action at Gaza on 19 April 1917 aged 39. He is commemorated at the Jerusalem Memorial. By Permission of IWM (HU 96696) Private Robert Jolly, Duke Of Wellington's Regiment Private Jolly was reported missing on 3 May 1917. [No more information is held on Private Jolly] By Permission of IWM (HU 96646) 2 Lieutenant John Homfray Addenbrooke, North Staffordshire Regiment (Attached 11 Battalion Manchester Regiment) Lt Addenbrooke, 20, was killed by a German sniper near Beaumont Hamel on 3 November 1916 during the closing stages of the Battle of the Somme. He is buried at Hamel Military Cemetery, Beaumont-Hamel. Photograph presented by his mother, Mrs Addenbrooke of Bath By Permission of IWM (HU 93328) Sergeant George Tinsley Thompson, 3rd (Auckland) Mounted Rifles, New Zealand Mounted Rifle Brigade, Australian And New Zealand Army Corps Mounted Division Sergeant George Tinsley Thompson served with the 3rd (Auckland) Mounted Rifles, New Zealand Mounted Rifle Brigade, Australian and New Zealand Army Corps Mounted Division. His service number was 13/144. He was killed in action at Gallipoli in on 7 August 1915 aged 24. By Permission of IWM (HU 96734)
Private Thwaite Williamson, 2/10 Battalion, The King's (Liverpool Regiment) Pte Williamson was born in 1877 near Ullswater in the Lake District and was a keen mountaineer. Although offered a commission, he refused, preferring to continue to serve in the ranks of A Company. Williamson was killed in action, aged 41, near Armentieres on 23 April 1917. He is buried in Erquinghem-Lys Churchyard Extension. By Permission of IWM (HU 93583) Captain Percy Ernest Bass, Cambridgeshire Regiment Captain Bass served with 1st Battalion on the Western Front and is believed to have survived the War. [No more information is held Captain Bass] By Permission of IWM (HU 96618) First World War Centenary 2014-2018 marks the centenary of the First World War, a landmark anniversary for Britain and the world. IWM will mark the centenary by leading a vibrant, four year programme of cultural activities across the country, including the opening of brand new First World War galleries at IWM London in 2014 and a major special exhibition at IWM North. For more information visit iwm.org.uk Centenary Wall More than 16 million people died in the First World War and IWM is asking the public to remember them by lighting a light on the Centenary Wall. Their lights and names will appear on the wall in the galleries at IWM London. By signing up, users will be marking their commitment to remembering the First World War and joining the centenary now. Soon IWM will be asking them to help uncover millions of life stories, transcribe thousands of letters and diaries and tag some of IWM s one million First World War photographs. The wall was designed by London based brand and design agency, Brand42, brand42.co.uk Light your light from 11.11.11 at 1914.org/wall IWM IWM (Imperial War Museums) tells the story of people who have lived, fought and died in conflicts involving Britain and the Commonwealth since the First World War. Our unique Collections, made up of the everyday and the exceptional, reveal stories of people, places, ideas and events. Using these, we tell vivid personal stories and create powerful physical experiences across our five museums that reflect the realities of war as both a destructive and creative force. We challenge people to look at conflict from different perspectives, enriching their understanding of the causes, course and consequences of war and its impact on people s lives. IWM s five branches are IWM London, IWM s flagship branch with six floors of exhibitions and displays; IWM North, housed in an iconic award-winning building designed by Daniel Libeskind; IWM Duxford, a world renowned aviation museum and Britain's best preserved wartime airfield; Churchill War Rooms, housed in Churchill s secret headquarters below Whitehall; and the Second World War cruiser HMS Belfast.