First World War scrapbooks

The scrapbook contains numerous photographs from the war, many of which show war-damaged parts of France and Belgium. The album includes photographs of, among others, Arras (pp. 35 and 45), Bailleul (p. 32), Berles aux Bois (p. 42), Courrières (p. 27), Lens (p. 17), Neuville-St-Vaast (p. 41), Souchez (p. 27) and Vimy (p. 17). There is also a series taken by Clarke depicting the destruction of buildings in Ypres by German shelling (pp. 23, 32 and 35). Other photographs include B Company, 5th Australian Pioneer Battalion (p. 26), German guns (p. 9) and an aerial view of fighting at Gommécourt, 1916 (p. 35).

There are newscuttings throughout the volume. These include a series of reports by members of the 66th Division on the fighting that took place at Ypres in autumn 1917. There is also a cutting describing the work of the Y.M.C.A. hut and praising the work of Miss Rowe and her colleagues (p. 38). Other articles cover the retreat of the 5th Army from the German Army (p. 12) and the use of donkeys and oxen during the war (p. 36).

The album includes a range of directives issued to the troops. As well as Captain Clarke's own orders (pp. 5, 30 and 31), there are instructions governing the use of an anti-gas horse respirator (p. 10), a human box respirator (p. 11) and a chain visor (p. 19); leave (p. 19); the responsibilities of drivers in charge of horses (p. 21); the quartering of troops (p. 32); defensive measures against gas attacks (p. 40); and the collection of intelligence on the enemy (p. 46).

The rest of album is comprised of a wide selection of material relating to the conflict. There is Clarke's leave card for 1918 (p. 7), ration cards (pp. 7-8), a table of fortress and keep rations (pp. 15-16), military law for unauthorised leave and drunkenness (p. 18), maps of Le Havre (p. 18) and Abbeville (p. 20), rules of the 66th (East Lancashire) Divisional Football League, 1916 (p. 28), a diagram of the system for protecting animals from aircraft (p. 35), telegram reports on fighting in the Somme, 1918 (p. 37), and a 100,000 Mark note (p. 44).

The pages of the scrapbook have been numbered by the cataloguer.