'Tenderly carrying a "blighty" case to an aid post through the maze of trenches at Passchendale [sic]', 1917 (c)

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

The Third Battle of Ypres (or Passchendaele) was launched on 31 July 1917. The operation aimed to drive a hole in the enemy lines, advance to the Belgian coast and capture the ports, thus removing the German submarine menace. Foul weather and strong German resistance, including the use of mustard gas, saw the offensive grind to a halt in a shell-churned and water-logged wasteland. By the time the Canadians had captured the town of Passchendaele on 6 November the British had advanced eight kilometres (five miles). Commonwealth losses approached 300,000. German casualties were 260,000. The battle of attrition almost broke the resolve of both armies.

The word 'blighty' is a slang term for Great Britain. The word derives from an Urdu word meaning 'foreign', and was used in India in the 1800s as a term for an English or British visitor. It was used by British soldiers in South Africa during the Boer War (1899-1902) in reference to their homeland. Its use amongst troops continued during World War One (1914-1918). To 'catch a blighty one' was slang for receiving a non-fatal wound that would result in evacuation home.

From a collection of 101 stereoscopic photographs entitled 'The Great War'.