Description
Object description
Album of photographs compiled by Sub-Lieutenant Edward Montgomery Miles whilst serving with No. 10 Squadron of the Royal Naval Air Service Armoured Car Division during the First World War. The photographs cover training at Yelverton near Plymouth, the journey through the Mediterranean to Lemnos via Malta, scenes in and around Mudros including the 'Restaurant de France' and transport ships in Mudros Bay in April 1915 including the liner AQUITANIA. There are also photographs of several warships connected to the Gallipoli Campaign: HMS ABERCROMBIE, HMS AGAMEMNON, HMS ARK ROYAL recovering a Short seaplane off Anzac Cove on 30 April 1915, HMS EURYALUS, HMS IMPLACABLE, HMS INFLEXIBLE after damage by a mine, HMS LONDON (including firing at shore targets), HMS LORD NELSON, HMS MAJESTIC, HMS MANIKA, HMS PRINCE GEORGE, HMS QUEEN, HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH, HMS SWIFTSURE the Russian cruiser ASKOLD and the French battleship ST LOUIS. Covering the unit's involvement in the Gallipoli Campaign are photographs of the SS RIVER CLYDE and destroyed Turkish guns at Sedd el Bahr; general scenes on 'V' Beach and 'X' Beach; dugouts and the Greek Labour Corps camp on 'W' Beach; views of camps and terrain at Gully Ravine, Gurkha Bluff and Bakery Beach; the RNAS Armoured Car Division's HQ camp, dugouts of the 52nd (Lowland) Division, first camp of No.10 Squadron (RNACD) and horses of 91st Battery (RGA) under cover and being watered. Additional photographs show French infantry moving up to the front line; scenes in the French trenches including one photograph showing Senegalese troops; French 9.2-inch and 75mm guns; an Indian muleteer with pair of mules and AT Cart; the artillery barrage fired in support of Hunter-Weston's attack on 12-13 July 1915 at Cape Helles; men of the RNAS practicing grenade throwing and Sub-Lt Miles having a drink from the water pump at White House. There are also photographs taken at Suvla Bay showing RNAS officers and men in the trenches and camp; Turkish prisoners and RNAS armoured cars dug in.
The collection also covers the unit's return to Egypt with photographs of an armoured car being disembarked at Alexandria and all vehicles at Mustapha Camp. There are also photographs of the officers off duty at Stanley Bay and in Carlton Camp. Ships photographed by Miles at Alexandria are the LLANDOVERY CASTLE, MAGENTIC and Hospital Ship ESSEQUIBO.The subsequent redeployment of the formation to Mesopotamia is also shown through photographs of lorries being loaded aboard ship for transport to Basra and the subsequent disembarking of vehicles including a 15-ton Holt Caterpillar Tractor and Albion lorry fitted out as a mobile workshop.
Named RN and RNAS officers depicted in the collection include: Commander Marik, Commander Nicholson, Lt Commander Wedgewood, Lt Commander Davis VC DSO, Commander Whalley, Lt C Beale, Lt Hon Arthur Coke, Lt Cox, Lt Hast, Lt Meade, Lt Yeo, Lt Mitchell, Lt Morrison, Lt Peirse, Lt Samson, Lt Wilson, Surgeon Kelly, Surgeon O'Flynn, Surgeon Patterson, Surgeon Williams, Sub Lts Fitzpatrick, Miles, Reid, Robinson, St Leger, Savile, Veal and Wedgewood. Petty Officers Parker and Watson.
Physical description
Brown cloth-covered photograph album with laced-in pages. Inside the raer cover is the label: GALLIA ALBUM, Kodak Ltd, London. The photographic prints of varying size are glued to the album pages and many are accompanied by annotations hand-written onto the pages in white. There is also a single loose group photograph.