1915 – Page 4 – Old Magazine Articles

Trench Medicine
(Harper’s Weekly, 1915)

An informative article from World War I concerning the doctors of all the combatant nations and how they dealt with the filthy conditions of stagnant warfare and all the different sorts of wounds that were created as a result of this very different war:

This is a dirty war. Gaseous, gangrene, lockjaw, blood poisoning, all dirt diseases… Colonel G.H. Makins of the Royal Army Medical Corps longs for the clean dust of the Veldt, which the British soldier cursed in the Boer War.

‘Some Italian Futurists with a Past”
(Vanity Fair, 1915)

VANITY FAIR critic James Huneker(1860 – 1921) had a few words regarding the Italian Futurist painters. Huneker stated that he had been following their progress since he first attended a 1912 Futurist exhibit, and in the subsequent years had gained a familiarity with their 1910 manifesto, which he summed up for this articleVanity Fair critic James Huneker(1860 – 1921) had a few words regarding the Italian Futurist painters. Huneker stated that he had been following their progress since he first attended a 1912 Futurist exhibit, and in the subsequent years had gained a familiarity with their 1910 manifesto, which he summed up for this article.

Henri Gaudier-Brzeska
(Literary Digest, 1915)

KEY WORDS: Vorticist Sculptor Henri Gaudier-Brzeska,avant-garde artist Henri Gaudier-Brzeska,writings of French avant-garde artist Henri Gaudier-Brzeska,Henri Gaudier-Brzeska contributor to BLAST MAGAZINE,Read

A Briton Writes From Ypres
(Harper’s Weekly, 1915)

In a letter to his family, a soldier from one of the Scottish territorial regiments gives an account of his experiences fighting in Belgium.

He was in the thick of the fighting that came as a result of the Kaiser’s desperate attempt to take Ypres, yet he indulges in no heroics. He writes as though reporting a cricket game or a boat race.

German Cavalry Memoir
(Leslie’s Weekly, 1915)

Fritz Arno Wagner (1894 – 1958) is best remembered as a pioneering cinematographer from the earliest days of the German film industry, however before he could gain the experiences necessary to become the director of photography for such films as Nosferatu, and Westfront he had to first fulfill his obligations to the Kaiser. This article is an account of his brief stint in the Hussars (ie. lancers) that he gave to the editor’s of Leslie’s Illustrated Weekly Newspaper. Although the article only covers his training period, it does give the reader a sense of what life was like for an enlisted man serving in one of highly prized regiments in the Imperial German Army.

It is believed that this magazine article was written during his days with Pathe News in New York.

Click here to read about the U.S. Navy railroad artillery of W.W. I.

German Cavalry Memoir
(Leslie’s Weekly, 1915)

It is believed that this magazine article was written during his days with Pathe News in New York.

Click here to read about the U.S. Navy railroad artillery of W.W. I.

Trench Warfare and the Wounds That Were Inflicted
(Harper’s Weekly, 1915)

British Military Campaign Furniture
(Mappin and Webb, 1915)

The furniture made available for private purchase to British officers during World War One was a far cry from that which their Victorian father’s enjoyed; however, the thought of going off to war without camp furniture at all was foreign to them. The page illustrates the simple, collapsible furniture that was approved by the British War Office for use in the field.

A British Drawing of a German Trench Latrine
(Royal Engineers, 1915)

Attached, you will find a mechanical drawing made by the industrious souls assigned to the Royal Engineers in order to placate those busy-body brass-hats situated so far in the rear and having little better to do than wonder aloud as to how the Hun tended to deal with his bowel movements.

The author of
The Western Front Companion is very informative on the topic of trench latrines and tells us that as the war progressed, latrines evolved into loitering centers for those wishing to read or enjoy some solitude. In order to remedy the situation officers decided to position their front-line trench latrines at the end of short saps, closer to the enemy; the reason being that a man was less likely to tarry and would return to duty that much quicker.

Tales of the Mounted German Corpse
(New York Times, 1915)

A ghastly story from a 1914 front is told in this letter written by British trooper S. Cargill as he recalled a skirmish between German Lancers and British cavalry.

Charles Huard: War Artist in the 1914 Trenches
(Vanity Fair, 1915)

Seven sketches from Soissons by the war artist Charles Huard (1875 – 1965) as they first appeared in a fashionable American society magazine.

Click here to read additional article about the World War I artists.

An Early Gas Mask
(Magazine Ad, 1915)

At the time when the Entente powers were first exposed to poisonous gas in the spring of 1915, their respective quartermasters scrambled to secure suitable antidotes and precautionary measures that would save the men in the front line trenches. One of the earliest improvisations was a gauze face mask that covered both mouth and nose, drenched in urine. The attached commercial illustration is from the margins of the French news magazine, L’ILLUSTRATION which depicts one of these earlier attempts.

Click here to see an illustration of the German gas shells.

Clicke here to read more articles about W.W. I gas warfare.

The Revolver-Canon
(Sur Le Vif, 1915)

The French made Revolver Canon must have had some difficulties…

German Defense Accessories
(L’Illustration, 1915)

A collection of black and white drawings that illustrate the variety of items used along the Western Front to defend the German trench lines.

This article appears on this site by way of a special agreement with L’Illustration.

Entry to a German Dugout
(L’Illustration, 1915)

A French photograph showing the entry way to one of the many subterranean shelters that dotted the Western front during the First World War; also included is another diagram of what one of the smaller German dugouts resembled that had such an entry.

This article appears on this site by way of a special agreement with L’Illustration.

The Western Front Elephant
(Der Welt Spiegel, 1915)

Animals have played important rolls in war from the beginning and World War One was no exception. Throughout the war the widespread use of dogs, horses mules and pigeons are all well documented and there have been some very interesting books written on the topic. Not so well documented is the presence of this one elephant who, being loyal to the Kaiser, is pictured in the attached photograph from 1915.

From Amazon: War Elephants

A Letter from the Freshly Dug Trenches
(New York Times, 1915)

This World War I letter makes for a wonderful read and it gives such a vivid picture of what the war must have been like once both sides had resigned themselves to trench warfare. The letter was dated October 8, 1914 and the British officer who composed it makes clear his sense that no war had ever been fought in this queer manner before.

Francis Picabia
(Vanity Fair, 1915)

In 1915, the year before Dada was created, one of the movement’s followers, Francis Picabia (1879 – 1953), was spotted in New York City by the editors of VANITY FAIR who quickly put him through the works.