Description
Object description
A collection of black and white prints and postcards covering the Women's Forage Corps (Army Service Corps) during First World War including three group photographs: Officers of the South Eastern and South Western Divisions (taken after the Armistice in 1918), and one of Privates serving at the Ashford Chaffing Depot in Kent in 1917. Also photographic postcards showing staff at the Chaffing Depot, Faversham, Kent in 1916; privates of the WFC hay bailing; horse transport of the ASC Forage Branch; hay bailing equipment in use at Tonbridge in Kent; group photographs of WFC staff, ASC Forage Corps officers and men and clerical staff at Ashford in Kent.
Another group of postcards in the collection document the 1916 Easter Rising in Dublin and fighting in Dublin during June - July 1922: the burning of Sackville Street; 'Before and After' images of the Hotel Metropole, General Post Office and Sackville Street; interior of the Central Post Office after capture by British troops; destruction in Middle Abbey Street; damage to Liberty Hall; smoking ruins of building beside River Liffy; ruins of Hammam Hotel on O'Connell Street (1922); the mine explosion in the Four Courts (30 June 1922); artillery shell exploding on the Four Courts (1922); general view of upper O'Connell Street after conclusion of fighting (1922); National forces bombing the Hammam Hotel (1922).
The collection also includes a small number of postcards commemorating air raids during the First World War: various zeppelins caught by searchlights and one card commemorating the air raid on Faversham, Sittingbourne and Isle of Sheppy on 16 April 1915. There is also a nice example of an embroidered postcard with the badge of the Army Service Corps; a patriotic card titled 'Defenders of the Empire' showing a colour illustration of British and Empire military personnel. A final card is titled 'Office Rules' and is a humorous take on the subject. The collection also includes a sheet of five newspaper cartoons three of which are swipes at conscientious objectors, whilst another covers Winston Churchill's return to government at the Ministry of Munitions.
Physical description
Three black and white photographs mounted on card with annotations handwritten in ink on the reverse. Postcards, a number with annotations handwritten on the reverse. One embroidered postcard with the badge of the Army Service Corps and motif of flowers and two British Union flags. Five newspaper cartoons glued to a folded sheet of white paper and one press cutting glued to a plain postcard.