Civilian Collection

Instruction booklet, Knitting for the RAF, WW2
Cover design, instruction booklet, Knitting for the RAF, World War Two, price one shilling. circa 1940

British trooper meets French woman on the road to Lille, WW1
A poignant scene captured by the Sphere magazines special artist, Fortunino Matania showing a British trooper riding through a devastated French landscape and stopping to speak to a French woman

Flying for the Summer Week-end by C. E. Turner
Illustration from 1928 by C.E. Turner reflecting the growing rise of civilian flying in the 1920s. The caption reads, ...only last month there was a house-party at which the ten guests

Air Raid Drills at the Windmill Theatre
At the Windmill Theatre, London, the showgirls are given a crash course in fire-fighting and first aid. 1940

Coastguards and civilians of Leysdown, Isle of Sheppey
Commemorative postcard, Heroes All! Five brave coastguards and two civilians of Leysdown, Isle of Sheppey, Kent, who rescued 20 members of the 2nd Walworth Boy Scouts Troop who got into difficulties

Leningrad Symphony
Dimitri Shostakovich and Yevgeny Mravinsky with the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra. Together they would premier eight of the composers fifeteen symphonies

Troop train taking Union soldiers to the front
Union troops transported to the front by rail, US Civil War. Hand-colored woodcut of a 19th-century illustration

The Mine in the chutter Munzil exploded by the enemy at the first attack of General
NAM310751 The Mine in the chutter Munzil exploded by the enemy at the first attack of General Havelock, Lucknow (b/w photo) by Beato, Felice (Felix) (1825-c.1908); National Army Museum

WW1 Recruitment Poster -- Whos Absent?
Whos Absent? - Is It You? Chromolithograph recruitment poster, published by the Parliamentary Recruiting Committee. Printed by Andrew Reid and Company Limited, 50 Grey Street, Newcastle-upon-Tyne

Britains Brabazon I passenger aircraft by G. H. Davis
A Leviathan of the skies: Britains Brabazon I airliner, designed to carry 72 long-distance passengers. A mammoth aerial express able to cover the England-Australia route in 48 hours

WWI: OSTEND, c1914. British Royal Marines marching through Ostend, Belgium. Photograph, c1914

Come Lad, Slip Across and Help, recruiting poster from World War I, pub. by The
" Come Lad, Slip Across and Help", recruiting poster from World War I, pub. by The Parliamentary Recruiting Committee, London, 1915 (colour litho)

Qe2 Liner in Dock
The Liner Queen Elizabeth II (QE2) in dock at Southampton Date: 2005

Bomb damage. The scene in a street in East Ham, East London, typical of so many after an air raid

An air raid warden setting a blackout time clock indicator at an Air Raid Precautions post on the outskirts of London
WORLD WAR II: AIR RAIDS. An air raid warden setting a blackout time clock indicator at an Air Raid Precautions post on the outskirts of London, England, following the outbreak of World War II, 1939

WORLD WAR II: BOMB SHELTER. A woman kneeling beside a girl in a bunk bed in a bomb shelter located in a subway tunnel beneath London, England, 1940-45, during World War II

Mr R. J. White, leader of an Isle of Wight ARP rescue party
Mr R.J. White, leader of an Isle of Wight ARP rescue party, has invented three pieces of apparatus to improve the manipulation of stretchers to prevent further injury to the patient

Barrage Balloon
1st August 1918: A barrage balloon tethered at Queens Club, London, in the background the tents used for housing the balloons. (Photo by A. R. Coster/Topical Press Agency/Getty Images)

Lyudmila pavlichenko, famous 26 year old russian guerrilla sniper who has killed 309 germans, for which she was made a senior lieutenant and given the order of lenin, a former historian

Boeing 247 airliner, 1930s
Boeing 247 airliner. Passengers in the 1930s boarding a United Airlines and National Air Transport aircraft that is also being used as a US Mail flight (AM17 Express, shown on the tail of the plane)

The Door-God - Civil, 1922. Creator: Unknown
The Door-God - Civil, 1922. Menshen are divine guardians of doors and gates in Chinese folk religions, used to protect against evil or encourage the entrance of positive energies at thresholds

Worton, Wiltshire - WWII - Civilian Fire Fighters and their trailer fire engine! Date: circa 1941

Civilian ladies questioned by Union officer, Civil War
Union officer entering a civilian home, US Civil War. Hand-colored halftonereproduction of a 19th-century illustration

Policeman and policewoman with gas masks
A policeman and a policewoman wearing civilian gas masks outside Harrow Road Police Station (X Division) before the outbreak of World War Two. The respirator is contained in the canvas bag

U-Boat - Deutschland - crossing the Atlantic Ocean
U-Boat Deutschland - the first submarine to cross the Atlantic Ocean - pictured arriving in Baltimore with Civilian Captain Paul Konig in July 1916

German bomb damage in Colchester
A photograph of Quartermaster-Sergeant Radjohn and his wife and baby son among the wreckage in their back-yard caused by a German bomb in February 1915

Indian NCOs of the Guides cavalry, 1879 (b / w photo)
5920371 Indian NCOs of the Guides cavalry, 1879 (b/w photo) by Burke, John (fl.1878-79); National Army Museum, London; (add.info.: Indian NCOs of the Guides cavalry, 1879)

Finsbury Rifles Dart Club, North London
Group photo, Finsbury Rifles Dart Club outside their headquarters and drill hall, 17 Penton Street, Islington, North London. Date: 1930

Airspeed Consul
30th September 1946: An Airspeed Consul civilian passenger plane on show at the display of planes for the businessman at White Waltham Airfield, near Maidenhead

Statue of Li Hongzhang, Xujiahui, China
Statue of Li Hongzhang (1823-1901), at Xujiahui (Zikawei, Siccawei, Siccawi) in the Xuhui District of Shanghai. Li Hongzhang (also Li Hung-chang)

With the Army, Derby recruit measured for uniform, WW1
A Derby recruit in civilian clothes is measured up for his uniform during the First World War. Date: 1916

Food being unloaded in the Channel Islands; Second World War
Photograph showing the unloading of crates of food in St. Peter Port, Guernsey, 1945. After nearly five years of German occupation the civilian population of the islands had very little food

Leningrad Library
Reading in the library despite constant bombing - during the siege, bombs landed about every 3 minutes. The sign reads Please keep quiet

Leningrad Blood Donor
A blood donor during the siege

Leningrad Cabbages
Picking cabbages from the vegetable patches in front of St Isaacs Cathedral

British Tommies Welcomed
A British tommy is given a warm welcome by civilian French women

View of the castle, remodelled from 1565 (photo)
XAM90830 View of the castle, remodelled from 1565 (photo); Schloss Ambras, Innsbruck, Austria.

Agustina Raimunda Maria Saragossa i Domenech firing a cannon
2910907 Agustina Raimunda Maria Saragossa i Domenech firing a cannon; (add.info.: 1813 Engraving depicting Agustina Raimunda Maria Saragossa i Domenech (1786-1857)

French peasants being taken to Germany, 1914 (lantern slide)
5925390 French peasants being taken to Germany, 1914 (lantern slide) by Newton & Co. (1858-1953); National Army Museum, London; (add.info.: French peasants being taken to Germany, 1914)

Male and female Mandarins (magistrates) in summer dress, imperial court of China
FLO4590223 Male and female Mandarins (magistrates) in summer dress, imperial court of China. Embroidered square on their tunic reveals their rank and type: bird for civil, animal for military

Agustina de Aragon
2910905 Agustina de Aragon; (add.info.: 1814 Portrait of Agustina de Aragon (1786-1857) Spanish heroine who defended Spain during the Spanish War of Independence

Civilians using their daily trades, in this case bridge building, during WWI, from The Pageant of the Century, pub.1934
3502706 Civilians using their daily trades, in this case bridge building, during WWI, from The Pageant of the Century, pub.1934; (add.info.: Civilians using their daily trades)

French fireman and civilian overcome by fumes during a fire, 1899
3480877 French fireman and civilian overcome by fumes during a fire, 1899; (add.info.: Illustration showing French fireman and civilian overcome by fumes during a fire)

German soldiers using women and children as a battle screen during WWI (litho)
3252904 German soldiers using women and children as a battle screen during WWI (litho); Private Collection; (add.info.: German soldiers using women and children as a battle screen during WWI)

Album "Duce": Benito Mussolini inspects the colonial troops in Libya (b/w photo)
1253698 Album "Duce": Benito Mussolini inspects the colonial troops in Libya (b/w photo) by Ottolenghi, Silvio (1886-1953); (add.info.: Ottolenghi)

The Grand Canal in Venice in the stretch from the mint (Zecca) to Palazzo delle Prigioni
3572360 The Grand Canal in Venice in the stretch from the mint (Zecca) to Palazzo delle Prigioni. In the foreground the lagoon with a gondola and two gondoliers; (add.info)

A Mandarin (magistrate) of the Fifth Class going to court in full dress, Qing Dynasty China
FLO4590480 A Mandarin (magistrate) of the Fifth Class going to court in full dress, Qing Dynasty China. Dress with an embroidered square indicating his rank

Returning French Refugees, 1918 or 1919. Creator: Bain News Service
Returning French Refugees, 1918 or 1919. Refugees returning to France after World War I.

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"Civilian: Stories of Resilience and Courage Through the Ages" In times of war, an instruction booklet became a lifeline for civilians navigating uncertainty and danger. Knitting for the RAF: How ordinary citizens contributed to the war effort in World War II with their needles and yarn. A chance encounter on the road to Lille brought together a British trooper and a French woman, reminding us that humanity transcends borders even in wartime. "Flying for the Summer Week-end" by C. E. Turner captures the fleeting moments of joy amidst chaos during World War II. Air Raid Drills at Windmill Theatre: The resilience of both performers and audience members as they faced constant threats from above during World War II. Coastguards and civilians of Leysdown, Isle of Sheppey united against adversity, standing strong against enemy attacks during World War II. The haunting melodies of Shostakovich's Leningrad Symphony echoed through besieged streets, offering solace to civilians enduring unimaginable hardships during WWII. "Who's Absent?" - A poignant recruitment poster from WWI highlighting those who sacrificed everything while urging others to join their ranks. British Royal Marines marching through Ostend captured in a photograph that immortalizes their bravery in the face of unknown dangers during WWI. "Come Lad, Slip Across and Help" - A stirring recruiting poster from WWI calling upon young men to step forward and defend their nation with courage and honor. An air raid warden diligently sets blackout time clock indicator at an ARP post near London; ordinary citizens stepping up to protect their communities during WWII. A touching image frozen in time: A woman comforting her daughter inside a bomb shelter beneath London; proof that love can thrive even amidst destruction. 13.