Rare photos of Iraq during Arab revolt
Photos taken by a British soldier during the Arab revolt that took place in the era of the First World War were auctioned earlier this month.
The images, which were taken by Mounter Harry Druquer of the Army Service Corps from 1917 to 1919, give an insight into the British forces and their interaction with Mesopotamia, known today as Iraq, as they battled Germany's allies, the Turkish Ottoman Empire.
A central figure during the conflict was Lawrence of Arabia, who was an adviser to the son of the revolt's leader, Sherif Hussein of Mecca.
Amongst Druquer's 130 photographs are snapshots of the barren desert landscape, British forces packed like sardines into cluster barges and soldiers trudging through the mud.
Druquer also kept seven diaries which documented British fortunes as they sought to defeat the Ottoman forces.
The photographs and diaries, together with Druquer's ink maps, are tipped to sell for £2,000 at auction on January 25.
Poppy Walker, of London-based Forum Auctions, which is auctioning off the images and diaries, said: 'These diaries and images reveal life in the army in a not very well documented part of the First World War.
'They are significant because they give a snapshot of life in the army in the desert interacting with local people, supply problems, heat, flies and a longing to go home.'
Source: Daily Mail
