roadsides

I can imagine my Grandpa in a similar situation. He was a "horseshoer" in the 76th Field Artillery of the US Army in France in 1917-18.

Que buen compilado de fotografìas, es grato para las personas que ven estas imàgenes tener al alcance el invaluable registro de este momento històrico. Gracias... lo digo por todas las fotografìas de la galerìa.

I agree, extremely life-like and shows signs of damage or decay. Disturbing indeed would be the use of a human head or upper torso, of a person clearly not known to these soldiers but reminiscent of Chaplin in appearance. Of course, purely conjecture, but body parts and gore littered areas of battle around a wide area of the Front so perhaps this was a find that was hideously impaled on a pole. If so, it would not only indicate the state of mind of these particular men after witnesssing the level of carnage common during WW1 but the fact it was recorded photographically and the 'friend' was erected as a display for a wider audience is sombre testament to the desensitising of human peception and morality in times of conflict.

R.A.F. R.E.8