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.
- Sketch from O. Pip. at Border Redoubt showing corner of Fosse 8 and 4 lines of German trenches
- Berles-au-Bois
- Gog and Magog. Names given to two Mebu N.W. of Bullecourt
- Road near Vadencourt
- From the tent at camp S. of St Ledger looking S. Ervillers & main Arras-Bapaume Rd
- Batt. H.Q. Stables at remain of Chateau St Leger 25.6.17
- Mebus or German Strong Point. H.L N.W. of Bullecourt a Coy H.Qrs 5.7.17
- The Germans left few trees standing before retiring, these are by the roadside at St Leger
- Sketch of Hindenburg Line and Hendecourt
- Croiselles from St Leger
- Orchard at Courcelles shewing fruit trees cut down by the Huns before retiring
- Mens Billet. St Leger 24.6.17
- Canadian Lumbermen – Hauling Timber
- 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
- Auchans
- Irvin Munition Works April 1917
- Hutmates
- Romanscamp 18.6.17
- On the road from Kilmarnock to Gailes
- Auchans nr Dondonald Ayrshire
- Isle of Arran from Gailes Ap. 1917
- Private “Alfred”
- 9th Officers Cadet Battalion, Camp at Gailes, Ayrshire
- Our Coy, Sergt. Instructor
- Snipers Post on the Arras-Bapaume Road nr. Arras
- The Marie, Agny used as an observation post
- [Agny]
- A corner of cemetery Agny
- Batt. H.Q. Agny
- The Observation Balloons from Bernafay Camp
- The Cure’s garden Agny
- Flers
- Tanks coming out of action
- Evening in support S. of Agny
- Near Achicourt, Frenchwomen working in their gardens by moonlight within 2,000 yards of the German Lines
- Remains of Church Agny
- Agny
- Pommiere Redoubt
- Agny-Achicourt Road
- Albert
- Bouzincourt
- Corner of front line trench Agny
- Dainville Church
- Gas alarm bell at Agny
- Chateau Flesselles
- La-Boisselle
- Bivouacs in reserve (Long Valley)
- Bus-les-Artois
- Corner of Chateau Estree Blanche
- Road from Lapugnoy to Allouagne
- Near Allouagne
- The Mill Estree Blanche
- Willows by the stream Lapugnoy
- British Cemetery at 18th C.C.S. Lapugnoy
- Vermelles
- Looking on to the Hohenzollern Redoubt from Alexandra trench
- The Crucifix Lapugnoy
- Vermelles Church
- The Church Lapugnoy
- The main road between Noyelles and Mazingarbe
- Sketch from an Artillery O. Pip. shewing Fosse 8, La Bassee in distance and the tangle of British & German trenches
- Noeux les Mines from Noyelles-Sailly Labourse road
- Noyelles
- Sketch from an Artillery O. Pip.
- Entrance to farm, Noyelles
- Sketch from O. Pip. Border Redoubt showing four lines of German trenches and Douvrin Distillery
- The German front line and Puits St Elie from a front line O. Pip.
- Fosse 8
- Periscope sketch from the Redoubt showing “Little Willy”, the front line German trench and the line of our dead in front
- Canal near Givenchy
- Entrance to chateau Ham-en-Artois
- Sketch from Hohenzollern Redoubt looking towards “Tower Bridge”
- Three of No 9 Platoon
- The Church at Ham
- “Estaminet corner” Festubert
- Canal near Bethune
- No 9 Platoon’s billet at Hinges
- Marshy ground, Festubert
- Canal at Hinges
- Remains of small wood near Vermelles
- Coming from the line
- Desolation
- Observation balloon going up near Noeux-le-mines
- A Battalion HQ of the 2nd Grenadiers. Winston Churchill’s billet, Rouge Croix
- [Sketch for no 43]
- The billet at Noeux le Mines
- Some dugout cut in the side of the chalk trench, Hulluch
- The mine at Noeux-le-mines
- An impression of shells bursting in German front line trench, right of Hulluch
- On the road from Armentieres
- The Farm by the River
- At a billet at Chocques where we stayed one night
- Through the shell hole … Frelinghein and the River Lys
- The Brasserie at Frelinghein
- Transport workers
- Transport workers
- A dug-out and the catapult
- By the light of the candle
- Edmeads Farm
- The Bridge at Houplines
- Pte Short D.C.M.
- Houplines from the Lock
- Three of No 9 Platoon, the latter two have journeyed west
- A deserted barge on the River Lys
- Factory chimnies at Armentieres
- No 3 section’s dug-out
- Part of Frelinghein burning
- Deserted homes near the line and the Observation Baloon
- “To Let”
- Remains of houses bordering the road from Houplines to Frelinghein
- Dug-outs
- The little border house by the bridge connecting France to Belgium
- The winding front line
- Hit! Out in front
- Houplines and River Lys
- The cookery stove at a farm nearby, a favourite rendesvous for support
- Steenwercke, better seen at a distance
- Corner of our Billet near Steenwerckes but it does not convey (fortunately) the smell from the midden
- No 9 Platoon’s billet
- My platoon sergeant, and a favourite expression
- Firing recruits course at Hythe ranges
- 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
- Cooks getting busy during Field Operations
- ‘Harold’, who joined the Battalion at Colchester, much under age
- The farm out Hartley Whitney way near our camping ground
- Old Castle Colchester
- Folkestone Pier and Harbour
- A corner of the barrack room, Colchester
- Dover Cliffs and the Coast Line from Folkestone to Dover