Preparing a 15-inch howitzer during the bombardment of Beaumont Hamel on the Somme, 1 July 1916

Lantern slide, World War One, Western Front (1914-1918), 1916.

Prior to their attack of 1 July 1916, the British fired over 1. 5 million shells during a seven-day preliminary barrage. The bombardment was supposed to cut the enemy wire, destroy emplacements and knock-out German gun batteries.

Unfortunately, many of the shells failed to explode. Two thirds of those that did contained shrapnel, which threw out steel balls when they exploded. These were devastating against troops in the open, but largely ineffective against wire or concrete dugouts and the men sheltering in them. As a result the German defences were not destroyed and in many places the wire remained uncut.

From a box of 50 lantern slides.