A spent 240 mm trench mortar projectile, La Boisselle, July 1916

Photograph by Lieutenant Patrick Koekkoek, World War One, Western Front (1914-1918), 1916.

A British officer poses with part of a 240 mm trench mortar shell. Large calibre weapons like this were used to bombard strongly protected targets such as dug-outs, covered sheLieutenanters, command posts and pill-boxes.

One of 188 photographs taken by Lieutenant Patrick Robert Koekkoek, Special Bde, Royal Engineers.