World War I photograph, Western Front, France (33)

Black and white photograph of two soldiers in a trench.   A rather pristine looking trench with two British soldiers examining equipment, probably a training trench behind the lines. Note the 'bunks' either side of the trench supported by sandbags and the petrol can which was often used to carry water from the standpipe. Tommy on the left is cleaning what looks like a machine gun sight. Trenches were deep and very narrow in places. It was not uncommon for them to cave in either through vibrations from shells or just water saturation.   This photograph is one of a collection of 71 taken or collected by Frederic Gerald Gibbs (1888 - 1940). Gibbs was a professional photographer in Annan who joined the Royal Engineers in 1916. He was sent to the Western Front and spent two years there until he was injured just a few days before the end of the war. He survived and brought home these images which were found by his daughter after his death.