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Personally, the mark of a good photo is how it makes me feel, and one of the most emotionally stirring images I’ve ever seen was taken by John Warwick Brooke during the Battle of the Somme in 1916.
Brooke was an official photographer with the British Army on the Western Front during WW1, and the image in question depicts the tense moment before a unit of his compatriots leaves the relative safety of their trench to raid the German front line at Thiepval.
The men pictured were from the Scottish 26th Infantry Brigade, and the way the scene is composed portrays the angst they were surely feeling. And unlike many WWI images, which were staged for propaganda, this scene is real.
The most gripping aspect is the immersive angle from which Brooke took the photo. I almost feel as though I'm crouched in the trench with the Scotsmen waiting for the signal to climb out into No Man's Land.
Adding to the strong sense of tension is the lack of color and context. History tells us that this photo was taken during WWI, but all we see is a group of tightly packed men in a claustrophobic space, seemingly waiting for something.
And while from the image alone we can’t be sure of what that something is, the mens’ huddled postures donned by protective metal helmets, and the entanglement of barbed wire just about visible at the end of their trench, hint at something sinister.
This image is a part of a small series Brooke snapped during the moments before the trench raid, with the following shots even showing these men going over the top. Unfortunately, the fates of the subjects have never been uncovered, which only tightens the knot I feel in my stomach when looking at it.
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