Rarely seen photographs showing the destruction of First World War weapons are going on display as part of an exhibition on the aftermath of the conflict.
From Armistice Day celebrations in Birmingham and refugees returning to Amiens, France, to treatments for injured servicemen and military equipment being repurposed for civilian use, the images show the fallout from the war and the new world that emerged.
They include rarely seen photographs including images of 32,000 destroyed German rifles, a shearing machine cutting sword blades in half and the German battleship SMS Bayern sinking at Scapa Flow.
But it also reveals the extent of destruction and dislocation it left behind, and how the promise of rebuilding the world did not always deliver.
The exhibition also shows the ingenuity employed in helping servicemen injured in the conflict, through plastic surgery and prosthetic limbs.
“Both surprising and inspiring, the exhibition highlights the resilience and ingenuity of the human spirit in a time of unprecedented social and political change.”
Renewal: Life after the First World War in Photographs is a free exhibition at IWM London, as part of Making a New World, a season of exhibitions taking place across IWM London and IWM North until the end of March 2019 looking at how the First World War shaped today’s society.
