A British Army wiring party, 1917 (c)

Photograph, World War One, Western Front (1914-1918), 1917 (c).

These soldiers carry coils of barbed wire, tools and corkscrew pickets (metal stakes) for repairing the belts of wire that protected the front-line trenches. All regiments detailed working parties to undertake tasks such as repairs and extensions to the wire and trench systems. Such jobs were often done at night to avoid being picked off by enemy marksmen.

From a collection of 164 official photographs.