Just Wondering

[lonestarson]

This is a rather ridiculous question, but I thought I would ask it anyway. Why does it seem that most photos of World War I were taken in fall and winter? I know it's hard to tell in black and white photos, but it seems that in most pictures any trees in sight are leafless and all the people are wearing coats or jackets. I have seen relatively few pictures that seem to have been taken in warm weather. Just thought I'd throw that out there.

[FOKKERJ]

Hello lonestarson,

I hadn't noticed.
I enjoy looking at crash fotos of "Winged Wrecks".
They seem to happen all year around.

Cheers, Jay aka FOKKERJ

[bristol scout]

It is a very good question actually---

Certainly the First World war on the Western front was plagued with terrible weather--bad winters and poor summers--indeed the winter of 1916/17 was the worst in European memory since 1880/81. Although that first summer in 1914 was infernally hot...all that soon changed.

On Easter Sunday 1917 snow and 'horrible cold'. The attack next day at Arras went in during a blizzard---a week later the Senagalese infantry were so numb their French officers had to load their weapons for them!

it has been rightly said of 1917 that-

'in North-Western Europe it was a year with only a late, brief spring and no summer at all'

Third Ypres, especially Passchendaele, can be said to have suffered most grievously at the hands of the weather--Flanders is not blessed with a kindly climate, rain falls there any time, especially in late summer/Autumn--but the rainfall in late summer 1917 was heavier and longer lasting than normal--our most reliable ally, Prince Rupprecht (diary entry 12th. October) said.

Cheers,
Dave.