Shrapnel Collection

Things That Matter, by Bruce Bairnsfather
Colonel Fitz-Shrapnel receives the following message from G.H.Q Please let us know, as soon as possible, the number of tins of raspberry jam issued to you last Friday

Things that Matter
THINGS THAT MATTER. Colonel Fitz-Shrapnel received the following message from GHQ - Please let us know, as soon as possible, the number of tins of raspberry jam issued to you last Friday

La relique; un mechant bout de metal qui a failli lui tuer son fils, 1916. Creator: Louis Remy Sabattier
La relique; un mechant bout de metal qui a failli lui tuer son fils. 1916. From "Collection de la Guerre IV. L'Illustration Tome CXLVII

WW1 Shrapnel

How shrapnel works, WW1

X-ray - Soldier with Bullet Bound Being Examined 1900
Wounded soldier from the Boer War been examined in a London hospital by means of X-ray. One of the interesting features of the Boer War was the demonstration of the practical utility of the X-rays

Winston Churchill with General Fayolle in France
Winston Churchill (1874-1965), while serving as a Major in the British Army during World War One, with General Fayolle (Marie Emile Fayolle, Marshal of France, 1858-1928)

Scene in Woolwich Arsenal, London showing an armstrong gun being made. This gun was introduced into the British Army in 1859

Shell Bursting, from British Artists at the Front, Continuation of The Western Front, Part Three, Paul Nash
STC255948 Shell Bursting, from British Artists at the Front, Continuation of The Western Front, Part Three, Paul Nash, 1918 (colour litho) by Nash

Are we uprooted? No! by G. L Stampa
Are we uprooted? No! Despite the fact that a three storey house has had a huge explosion near by and shrapnel has pierced through their home

Battle of Kenesaw Mountain - Death of General Polk, from a book pub. 1896 (engraving)
STC394710 Battle of Kenesaw Mountain - Death of General Polk, from a book pub. 1896 (engraving) by Waud, Alfred Rudolph (1828-91) (after); Private Collection; (add.info)

British soldier with bandaged head shows the steel helmet that saved his life
701005 British soldier with bandaged head shows the steel helmet that saved his life from shrapnel during the First Battle of the Somme, June - November 1916 (b/w photo) by English Photographer

Bursting Shell, from British Artists at the Front, Continuation of The Western Front
STC255981 Bursting Shell, from British Artists at the Front, Continuation of The Western Front, 1918 (colour litho) by Nevinson

Horses killed by shrapnel during the French retreat in the face of the German Spring Offensive, near Reims, France
6000127 Horses killed by shrapnel during the French retreat in the face of the German Spring Offensive, near Reims, France, World War I

Three Types of Shells (engraving)
1043265 Three Types of Shells (engraving) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Three Types of Shells)

A War-torn Village (oil on canvas)
EDI187975 A War-torn Village (oil on canvas) by Detaille, Jean-Baptiste Edouard (1848-1912); Private Collection; French, out of copyright

The Vickers-Maxim Quick-Firing Gun ("Pom-Pom") captured at Paardeberg
1599517 The Vickers-Maxim Quick-Firing Gun (" Pom-Pom" ) captured at Paardeberg, showing the Damage done to its Outer Water-Jacket by Our Shrapnel (litho) by Loye

Projectiles (engraving)
5207110 Projectiles (engraving) by American School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Projectiles. Illustration for Farrows Military Encyclopedia by Edwards Farrow)

German shrapnel shells seen here bursting over one of the roads leading into Antwerp. Circa October 1914

Photograph showing a time-fuse from a German shrapnel-shell which burst over British lines. Date: 1915

FALL / WESTIE / 1931
CHAMPION COODEN SHRAPNEL Owned by Williams. Date: 1931

An Infantry Attack on the Somme, (1919). Creator: Unknown
An Infantry Attack on the Somme, (1919). Scene from the First World War, 1914-1919: British troops are seen advancing across the open chalky plain of the Somme [in northern France] towards the German

The Woolly Bear. (1919). Creator: Unknown
The " Woolly Bear". (1919). Scene from the First World War, 1914-1919: A shrapnel shell bursts overhead the first-line trenches

WW1 Machinery in a lead factory - shrapnel production
An array of machinery in a factory manufacturing white lead, used to make artillery shrapnel during WW1 Date: circa 1915

Winston Churchill and his various headgear
An article entitled The colonel and his new " nut" (every apology!) showing a vast array of hats and helmets worn by Winston Churchill

LCC Ambulance Girls, WWI
London County Council ambulance girls pictured with their ambulance wearing new shrapnel helmets. 1918

WW1 - German airmen in combat
WW1 - A drawing from a German artist for a German newspaper who witnessed the airmen in a battle royal in mid-air. The two German officers in a biplane attack the French captive balloon shown below

In Nineteen-Something, by Bairnsfather
In Nineteen-Something General Sir Ian Jelloid at Home Having picked up this cherished possession for a mere song at a sale near Verdun, the General has now let his country seat

Bullet & shrapnel holes in a Farman biplane, WW1
Diagram showing the extensive bullet and shrapnel damage to a much strafed Maurice Farman Long Horn biplane. Every black hole represented a bullet hole though the machine was still able to fly

7th NFs St Georges Day in the trenches
7th NFs St. Georges Day in the trenches. The Red and White roses stuck in the shrapnel proof Helmet. What price me for a fine Tart

How to get tasty bits by means of a shrapnel proof helmet. 386202 Acting Sergeant Herbert Gibson, Mm, 1St Northumbrian Field Ambulance, Royal Army Medical Corps. Born September 1889

The Shrapnel-proof Helmet
THE SHRAPNEL-PROOF HELMET. What it feels like during plenty of shelling. What it feels like on the march. 386202 Acting Sergeant Herbert Gibson, Mm, 1St Northumbrian Field Ambulance

A Shrapnel-Proof Helmet & its Uses
A SHRAPNEL-PROOF HELMET & ITS USES. Trying to entice the farmers hen to lay an egg for his breakfast. 386202 Acting Sergeant Herbert Gibson, Mm, 1St Northumbrian Field Ambulance

With the British navy off the Dardanelles, WW1
With the British navy off the Dardanelles during the First World War. Top: HMS Agamemnon and the arrival of a big transport. Middle: a British battleship under fire from enemy shrapnel

The aeroplane in warfare by G. H. Davis
The aeroplane in warfare: aeroplanes used for finding the range of the enemys entrenchments. Left: a fire bomb, attached to a parachute, dropped from a Taube monoplane

Sketches in Ostend, Belgium, after WW1 bombing
Sketches in Ostend, Belgium, after bombing during a Zeppelin raid in the early stages of the First World War. Showing scenes at the railway station, in the fish market

Workman in a factory operating machinery - lead works
Workman in a factory operating machinery. The factory produced lead shrapnel for the use in high explosive artillery shells during WW1. Date: circa 1915

Two women in a factory operating machinery. A barrel of green paint is part of the process. The Factoru produced (among other things) lead shrapnel for use in explosive artillery shells (WW1)

WW1 - Group of manual workers in a factory - Shrapnel
WW1 - A large group of female manual workers in a factory producing lead shrapnel for use in high explosive artillery shells. Date: circa 1915

Workman in a factory - lead works - ww1
A workman in a factory, having a break from his work. The factory produced lead shrapnel for us in artillery shells - WW1 era Date: circa 1915

WW1 - Manufacture of artillery shell shrapnel
A group of female manual workers in a factory, standing close to vats containing molten lead, using in the manufacturing of shrapnel for WW1 artillery shells. Date: circa 1915

Manufacturing equipment - Lead Shrapnel - WW1 Date: circa 1915

Lead Shrapnel manufacturing - Women - WW1
A group of manual workers, mostly women, inside a factory producing lead shrapnel for artllery shells - WW1. Date: circa 1915

Sir Michael A. S. Biddulph, Vanity Fair, Spy
SIR MICHAEL ANTHONY SHRAPNEL BIDDULPH (1823-1904) Artist. Caption: The Regalia Date: 1823-1904

Projectiles
Vintage engraving of a bullet, Shrapnel and Segment Shells

WWI: MUNITIONS PLANT, c1917. Millions of shrapnel pieces lying in bins at the Bethlehem Steel Works in Pennsylvania, ready to be loaded into shells for use by the American armies overseas during

WORLD WAR I: GALLIPOLI. Turkish fort destroyed by naval fire from the H.M.S. Queen Elizabeth on 28 March 1915, off Cape Helles at the start of the Gallipoli Campaign of World War I. Photograph

American soldiers ducking shrapnel at Bataan, Philippine Islands, February 1942
WORLD WAR II: BATaN, 1942. American soldiers ducking shrapnel at Bataan, Philippine Islands, February 1942

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"Shrapnel: Things That Matter in the Chaos of War" In Bruce Bairnsfather's iconic book, "Things That Matter, " shrapnel takes center stage as a powerful symbol of the devastating impact of World War I. As one flips through its pages, vivid images emerge – from Winston Churchill conferring with General Fayolle in France to scenes at Woolwich Arsenal where cutting-edge armstrong guns were crafted. But amidst these grandiose depictions lie subtle reminders of the true horrors faced by soldiers on the frontlines. An X-ray captures a soldier being examined, his body bound by shrapnel-inflicted wounds. This haunting image serves as a reminder of how this lethal ammunition worked during WW1 – exploding mid-air and releasing countless metal fragments that tore through flesh and bone. The production process behind shrapnel is revealed in another snapshot - machinery whirring away in a lead factory dedicated to its manufacturing. These factories became instrumental in supplying armies with this deadly weapon, forever changing the face of warfare. Yet amid all the destruction caused by shrapnel, there are glimpses of heroism and resilience depicted throughout history. In vibrant lithographs titled "Heroes of Italy" and "Like a Cataclysm, " artists capture moments when brave individuals rose above adversity to protect their homeland. As we delve deeper into Bairnsfather's work, we encounter Paul Nash's poignant color lithograph entitled "Shell Bursting. " It portrays an explosive moment on the Western Front, reminding us that even though shrouded in chaos and destruction, art can still find beauty within tragedy. Finally, G. L Stampa's thought-provoking piece titled "Are we uprooted? No. " challenges our perception of war-ravaged landscapes. It urges us to reflect upon what truly matters amidst devastation – human resilience and determination to rebuild shattered lives.