The Great War Memoir of Ralph Ellis: Image gallery
The Society’s Volume 100, The Great War Memoir of Ralph Ellis, Sussex Artist and Soldier, presents facsimile reproductions of the artist’s five-volume Memoir. It includes detailed accounts of Ellis’s experiences as a private soldier on the front line, lettered in his elegant hand, as well as the sketches, drawings and paintings he made during and after the war. This important Society publication was edited by Sue Hepburn, and includes her introductions to each volume, a biography of the artist and an account of his life after the war; an appendix includes Ellis’s letters home from the front. It is a joint publication by the Society and West Sussex Record Office (WSRO), where Ralph Ellis’s diaries are held, and which owns the copyright in the original manuscript and images.
This gallery includes the images made by Ralph Ellis which are reproduced in the printed volume. The captions (and their occasional orthographic idiosyncrasies) are Ellis’s own. Copyright restrictions apply; images may be used for private study but may not be reused or republished without the consent of WSRO.
Click on any image to bring up a full-size version; arrow keys navigate. These images can only give an impression of the impact of the printed volume. More details and information on how to order a copy of the book are here.
- A corner of the barrack room, Colchester
- Old Castle Colchester
- Firing recruits course at Hythe ranges
- ‘Harold’, who joined the Battalion at Colchester, much under age
- My platoon sergeant, and a favourite expression
- Mr T Arthur Mummery, one who did much in the organising and working of a most excellent club for the troops in connection with the Congregational Church Folkestone
- Folkestone Pier and Harbour
- Dover Cliffs and the Coast Line from Folkestone to Dover
- The farm out Hartley Whitney way near our camping ground
- Cooks getting busy during Field Operations
- No 9 Platoon’s billet
- Corner of our Billet near Steenwerckes but it does not convey (fortunately) the smell from the midden
- The cookery stove at a farm nearby, a favourite rendesvous for support
- Steenwercke, better seen at a distance
- Houplines and River Lys
- Remains of houses bordering the road from Houplines to Frelinghein
- The winding front line
- Hit! Out in front
- The little border house by the bridge connecting France to Belgium
- Dug-outs
- No 3 section’s dug-out
- Deserted homes near the line and the Observation Baloon
- “To Let”
- Part of Frelinghein burning
- Factory chimnies at Armentieres
- A deserted barge on the River Lys
- Houplines from the Lock
- Pte Short D.C.M.
- The Bridge at Houplines
- Three of No 9 Platoon, the latter two have journeyed west
- A dug-out and the catapult
- By the light of the candle
- Edmeads Farm
- Transport workers
- Transport workers
- Through the shell hole … Frelinghein and the River Lys
- The Farm by the River
- The Brasserie at Frelinghein
- On the road from Armentieres
- At a billet at Chocques where we stayed one night
- The billet at Noeux le Mines
- The mine at Noeux-le-mines
- An impression of shells bursting in German front line trench, right of Hulluch
- Some dugout cut in the side of the chalk trench, Hulluch
- [Sketch for no 43]
- Coming from the line
- Desolation
- Remains of small wood near Vermelles
- Observation balloon going up near Noeux-le-mines
- A Battalion HQ of the 2nd Grenadiers. Winston Churchill’s billet, Rouge Croix
- Canal at Hinges
- No 9 Platoon’s billet at Hinges
- Canal near Bethune
- Marshy ground, Festubert
- “Estaminet corner” Festubert
- Canal near Givenchy
- Entrance to chateau Ham-en-Artois
- The Church at Ham
- Three of No 9 Platoon
- Sketch from Hohenzollern Redoubt looking towards “Tower Bridge”
- Periscope sketch from the Redoubt showing “Little Willy”, the front line German trench and the line of our dead in front
- Entrance to farm, Noyelles
- The German front line and Puits St Elie from a front line O. Pip.
- Sketch from O. Pip. at Border Redoubt showing corner of Fosse 8 and 4 lines of German trenches
- Sketch from O. Pip. Border Redoubt showing four lines of German trenches and Douvrin Distillery
- Fosse 8
- The main road between Noyelles and Mazingarbe
- Sketch from an Artillery O. Pip.
- Noeux les Mines from Noyelles-Sailly Labourse road
- Noyelles
- Sketch from an Artillery O. Pip. shewing Fosse 8, La Bassee in distance and the tangle of British & German trenches
- Vermelles
- Vermelles Church
- Looking on to the Hohenzollern Redoubt from Alexandra trench
- The Church Lapugnoy
- The Crucifix Lapugnoy
- Road from Lapugnoy to Allouagne
- Near Allouagne
- British Cemetery at 18th C.C.S. Lapugnoy
- Willows by the stream Lapugnoy
- The Mill Estree Blanche
- Corner of Chateau Estree Blanche
- Chateau Flesselles
- Bivouacs in reserve (Long Valley)
- Bus-les-Artois
- La-Boisselle
- Albert
- Bouzincourt
- Corner of front line trench Agny
- Dainville Church
- Gas alarm bell at Agny
- Near Achicourt, Frenchwomen working in their gardens by moonlight within 2,000 yards of the German Lines
- Remains of Church Agny
- Agny
- Agny-Achicourt Road
- Pommiere Redoubt
- The Observation Balloons from Bernafay Camp
- Flers
- Tanks coming out of action
- Evening in support S. of Agny
- The Cure’s garden Agny
- The Marie, Agny used as an observation post
- Snipers Post on the Arras-Bapaume Road nr. Arras
- A corner of cemetery Agny
- [Agny]
- Batt. H.Q. Agny
- Private “Alfred”
- 9th Officers Cadet Battalion, Camp at Gailes, Ayrshire
- Our Coy, Sergt. Instructor
- Isle of Arran from Gailes Ap. 1917
- Auchans nr Dondonald Ayrshire
- Auchans
- Hutmates
- Irvin Munition Works April 1917
- On the road from Kilmarnock to Gailes
- Romanscamp 18.6.17
- Orchard at Courcelles shewing fruit trees cut down by the Huns before retiring
- From Bienvillers-Fonquevillers Rd, corner of Hannescamps and remnants of trees at Essars
- Canadian lumbermen working in the Forests of France. Vadencourt Wood 8.7.17
- Canadian Lumbermen – Hauling Timber
- Mens Billet. St Leger 24.6.17
- Batt. H.Q. Stables at remain of Chateau St Leger 25.6.17
- Sketch of Hindenburg Line and Hendecourt
- Mebus or German Strong Point. H.L N.W. of Bullecourt a Coy H.Qrs 5.7.17
- Croiselles from St Leger
- The Germans left few trees standing before retiring, these are by the roadside at St Leger
- Gog and Magog. Names given to two Mebu N.W. of Bullecourt
- From the tent at camp S. of St Ledger looking S. Ervillers & main Arras-Bapaume Rd
- Road near Vadencourt
- Berles-au-Bois