British soldiers putting up an observation balloon, 1917 (c)

Photograph, World War One, Middle East (1914-1918), Palestine, 1917 (c).

Observation balloons were used extensively during World War One for aerial reconnaissance and artillery flash-spotting. Placing observers on balloons behind the front lines and at height allowed the Army to locate targets at greater range than they could on the ground

From a collection of photographs taken by Corporal Joseph Egerton, Shropshire Yeomanry in Sinai and Palestine.