Sandbags Collection (page 9)

WW2 Christmas card, Civil Defence scene with policeman. Date: circa 1942

WW2 birthday card, air raid shelter
WW2 birthday card with an air raid shelter (ARP, Civil Defence). Date: circa 1942

WW2 Christmas card, air raid shelter scene
WW2 Christmas card, scene of celebration in an air raid shelter (ARP, Civil Defence). Date: circa 1942

Valuable Fragments from Flanders, by Bairnsfather
Valuable Frangments from Flanders It All Comes to this in Time " This interesting fragment found near Ypres (known to the ancients as Wipers)

Illustrated War News - Canadians on the Western Front
Front cover of The Illustrated War News featuring a photograph of Canadian soldiers having their lunch in a trench on the Western Front. Date: 1916

Surprise at dawn on the Western Front
South-east of Ypres, a German trench-building party is surprised by British gunfire. The trench builders had been working under cover of the night mist

Street scene in Verdun after German bombardment, WW1
Appearance of the town of Verdun after a heavy bombardment by German guns in 1916 in order to force French positions. The town was evacuated by civilians

Sphere cover - His Xmas letter from the trenches, Matania
Front cover of The Sphere featuring an illustration by Fortunino Matania of a British soldier writing a letter home to his family at Christmas

Italian Infantry advance
An illustration by Edouardo Matania showing the method of approach to enemy positions adopted by Italian Infantry when under heavy shrapnel fire

Soldiers in a wood near Ypres, Belgium, WW1
Soldiers in a wood near Ypres, Belgium, marching along Regent Street. In the famous Plug Street wood, a relief party is marching back to the trenches. Date: 1915

Army personnel relaxing in barracks, WW1
Army personnel relaxing in barracks. Date: 1915

Fire alam post, Cooks Road, Vauxhall, WW2
Fire alarm post (FA41) protected by sandbags outside the AFS station in Cooks Road, Vauxhall, with an LFB fire engine on the left, around the start of the Second World War. Date: 1939

Blitz in London -- training exercise, WW2
Blitz in London -- training exercise. Date: 1940s

Auxiliary Ambulance Girl - Wartime London - 1940s. circa 1942

Cartoon, Coiffure in the Trenches, WW1
Cartoon, Coiffure in the Trenches. Keep yer ead still, or I ll ave yer blinkin ear off. By Captain Bruce Bairnsfather, 1st Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment (1888-1959)

Protecting Architectural Treasures, France, WW1
Amiens cathedrals entrance protected by vast walls of sand bags during the First World War. All Frances cathedrals near the Western Front were similarly protected. Date: 1915

Teasing the Turk, WW1
An Irishman in a trench during the Dardanelles teases the Turkish enemy with a pith helment on his rifle, peeping over the parapet. Date: 1915

British communication trench, Western Front, WW1
A built-up communication trench made of sandbags, on the Western Front in France during World War One. Date: circa 1916

British troops carrying sandbags, Western Front, WW1
British troops carrying sandbags up to the front, on the Western Front in France (Somme) during World War One. Date: circa 1916

Pigeon loft on Western Front, France, WW1
A pigeon loft near the front lines on the Western Front in France during World War One. The pigeons were used for sending messages. Date: circa 1916

Allied soldier on lookout duty, Western Front, WW1
An Allied soldier from a South African regiment on lookout duty on the Western Front in France during World War One. Date: circa 1916

British lookout soldier in trench, Western Front, WW1
A British soldier on lookout duties in a trench on the Western Front in France during World War One. Date: circa 1916

Battlefield near La Boisselle, Western Front, WW1
A battlefield and trench near the village of La Boisselle on the Western Front in France (Somme) during World War One. Date: circa 1916

King George V visiting Western Front, WW1
King George V visiting the Western Front during World War One, seen here viewing a gun emplacement. Date: circa 1916

British war correspondents in trench, Western Front, WW1
British war correspondents in a trench, watching an aerial combat, on the Western Front in France during World War One. Date: circa 1916

British troops get ready to attack, Western Front, WW1
British troops getting ready to attack on the Western Front during World War One. Date: circa 1916

British troops on training exercise, Western Front, WW1
British troops on a training exercise, advancing for the attack, on the Western Front during World War One. Date: circa 1916

British soldier in trench with signal rockets, WW1
A British soldier in a trench on the Western Front in France during World War One, with rockets used for signalling. Date: circa 1916

Mr Balfour on visit to Western Front, WW1
Arthur James Balfour on a visit to the Western Front during World War One. He served as British Foreign Secretary from 1916 to 1919. Date: circa 1916

Belgian troops defending Antwerp, WW1
Three scenes showing Belgian troops defending Antwerp in the early days of the First World War. Top: soldiers preparing to fire from a railway engine near Malines

Repulsing a frontal attack, WWI by Cyrus Cuneo
British soldiers, armed with rifles and bayonets, scrambling over the top during an enemy attack. Date: 1916

British officers outside dugout, Western Front, WW1
A group of British officers outside a dugout in the snow on the Western Front during World War One. Date: circa 1916

British soldiers asleep in dugout bunks, WW1
British soldiers asleep in dugout bunks on the Western Front during World War One. Date: circa 1916

Evacuating hospital patients in World War Two
Evacuating hospital patients from Westminster Hospital under the threat of air raids in World War Two. In accordance with the government evacuation scheme at the start of the war

Valley of the Somme near Clery, France, WW1
French soldiers in the valley of the Somme, near Clery, northern France, during the First World War. Date: September 1916

Scene at a sports day prizegiving, with British and Australian flags on display

Sandbags and barbed wire, India. Date: 1918

King and Queen tour Dominion offices, 1939
King George VI and Queen Elizabeth (later the Queen Mother) leave New Zealand House via its sandbagged entrance, during a tour of Dominion offices

Lighting the fuse of a battery of four crapouillots 1915
French infantry bombardiers about to fire their home-made trench mortars under the watchful eye of the captain of the company. 1915

British troops taking a chance and making a dash across space controlled by enemy fire
KW268302 British troops taking a chance and making a dash across space controlled by enemy fire (litho) by English School, (20th century); Private Collection; Ken Welsh; English, out of copyright

Barricade during the Commune of Paris in Rue de Rivoli, 1871 (b / w photo)
XIR215495 Barricade during the Commune of Paris in Rue de Rivoli, 1871 (b/w photo) by French Photographer, (19th century); Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris

Barricade during the Commune of Paris, at the corner of Rue de Rivoli and Place de la Concorde
XIR215494 Barricade during the Commune of Paris, at the corner of Rue de Rivoli and Place de la Concorde, 1871 (b/w photo) by French Photographer, (19th century); Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris

WW1 - French / Serbian Artillery position in Serbia Date: circa 1915

Nurses from Great Ormond Street Hospital examine bomb
Nurses from The Great Ormond Street Childrens Hospital examine fragments from the bomb which struck the building but (thankfully) caused no loss of life - September, 1940

WW2 -DCA American Anti-Aircraft gun - Cathedral Notre Dame
WW2 - Liberation of Paris - DCA American Anti-Aircraft gun - positioned close to the Cathedral of Notre Dame, Paris, France. Date: 1945

Trenches at Nieuport, Belgium
WWI trench system at the small Belgian port of Nieuport, on the Yser, photographed shortly after the conclusion of the war. Date: circa 1920

WWI - Balkan Front - Fortified artillery post with French and Serbian gunners / artillerymen. Date: 1915

Armoured Train - Peshawar, NWFP
British Military Armoured Train at Peshawar, North West Frontier Province, during the visit of The Prince of Wales, 1922. Date: 1922

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"From Blitz to Battlefields: The Resilience of Sandbags" During the Blitz in London, the Whitechapel Fire Station stood strong behind a wall of sandbags, protecting its brave firefighters. Meanwhile, on the Western Front during World War I, members of the Rifle Brigade took their positions amidst sandbags as they faced the horrors of war. In World War II, sandbags became essential for protection and communication. AFS despatch riders and messengers maneuvered through dangerous territories with sandbag-laden motorcycles. At Lambeth fire station, an enclosed pump fortified by sandbags ensured that firefighters could combat blazes even under intense bombing raids. They have witnessed historic moments beyond wars too. In 1969, at the Monaco Grand Prix, drivers raced past barriers made from these humble bags filled with earth. Back in World War I's trenches, Gurkhas stormed German fortifications and captured them while surrounded by towering piles of sandbags. Laundry hanging on the Siegfried Line was a sign that life continued amidst conflict during WWII. Air Raid patrols in London relied on strategically placed sandbag barricades to protect civilians from enemy attacks. Cooks Road's fire alarm post in Vauxhall served as a beacon amid chaos thanks to its sturdy foundation built upon countless sandbags. The Somme saw British and French soldiers united against adversity during WWI - their shared defense lines reinforced by rows upon rows of trusty sandbags. Even royalty sought refuge behind this protective barrier; Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II found herself amongst stacks of resilient bags during her reign. Amidst it all were two nurses dressed in uniform atop thousands of carefully arranged sandbags - symbols not only of safety but also compassion and care for those affected by war. Through history's trials and triumphs, one constant remains: Sandbags stand tall as silent sentinels guarding lives and preserving hope against all odds.