Comforts Gallery

Interior of the R101 airship

Amenities of the giant British airship R101, showing the smoking room, a typical two-berth cabin, and passengers looking down on the lights of a city from the starboard promenade deck. The Illustrated London News explains that "a special smoking room has been provided...which is fitted with an aluminium floor to obviate any danger from fire caused by carelessly thrown-down cigarettes and lighted matches." The fireproofing didn't stop the R101 crashing in the early hours of 5th October 1930 on its maiden voyage and bursting into flames, with the eventual loss of 48 of 54 lives on board

© Mary Evans Picture Library 2015 - https://copyrighthub.org/s0/hub1/creation/maryevans/MaryEvansPictureID/10472282

Old man comforting crying woman, 1903

Painting by Louisa Starr Canziani (1845 - 1909) depicting an elderly man comforting a crying young woman after seemingly having read a devastating report in a newspaper about an overseas battle (possibly something Boer War-related?). He is wearing a patriotic ribbon. It is titled after lines from The Battle of Blenheim of After Blenheim, a poem by Robert Southey written in 1796, But things like that, you know, must be after a famous victory. Date: 1903

© Mary Evans Picture Library

WW1 - Christmas Day dinner, British Camp, Salonika

WW1 - Christmas Day dinner and the carving of the turkey scene in an officers mess at a British Army Camp in Salonika (Thessaloniki, Greece). The soldiers commemorate the Christmas season, despite the surroundings of war. The rough-and-ready table service is is largely due to friends in England who did their best to send Christmas gifts and home comforts. Date: 1915

© Illustrated London News Ltd/Mary Evans