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The Lost Tommies - Incredible Pictures Of First World War Soldiers

  • <p>A private of the Royal Engineers sits stationary on his motorcycle. The chevrons on his lower right sleeve show that he is in his third year of overseas service, meaning the picture was taken in 1918 or later. (Courtesy Kerry Stokes Collection, The Louis and Antoinette Thuillier Collection) </p>
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    On Two Wheels

    A private of the Royal Engineers sits stationary on his motorcycle. The chevrons on his lower right sleeve show that he is in his third year of overseas service, meaning the picture was taken in 1918 or later. (Courtesy Kerry Stokes Collection, The Louis and Antoinette Thuillier Collection)

  • <p>A group of soldiers of the Machine Gun Corps pose with a hand-written sign, reading ‘We Are Seven’. The words could be a reference to a William Wordsworth poem of the same name. (Courtesy Kerry Stokes Collection, The Louis and Antoinette Thuillier Collection) </p>
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    We Are Seven

    A group of soldiers of the Machine Gun Corps pose with a hand-written sign, reading ‘We Are Seven’. The words could be a reference to a William Wordsworth poem of the same name. (Courtesy Kerry Stokes Collection, The Louis and Antoinette Thuillier Collection)

  • <p>Three soldiers from an unidentified regiment pose together arms crossed, and wearing identity bracelets on their wrists. The flags on the sleeve of the private in the middle show he is a qualified signaller. His companions display the rank chevrons of a corporal (left) and lance corporal (right). (Courtesy Kerry Stokes Collection, The Louis and Antoinette Thuillier Collection) </p>
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    Unnamed Men

    Three soldiers from an unidentified regiment pose together arms crossed, and wearing identity bracelets on their wrists. The flags on the sleeve of the private in the middle show he is a qualified signaller. His companions display the rank chevrons of a corporal (left) and lance corporal (right). (Courtesy Kerry Stokes Collection, The Louis and Antoinette Thuillier Collection)

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  • <p>The man in the bottom of this single four-exposure slide is a young Louis Thuillier - one of the photographers responsible for the series. The images were almost certainly taken by his wife, Antoinette. (Courtesy Kerry Stokes Collection, The Louis and Antoinette Thuillier Collection) </p>
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    Changing Expressions

    The man in the bottom of this single four-exposure slide is a young Louis Thuillier - one of the photographers responsible for the series. The images were almost certainly taken by his wife, Antoinette. (Courtesy Kerry Stokes Collection, The Louis and Antoinette Thuillier Collection)

  • <p>Four soldiers have their photo taken in their winter fur vests. (Courtesy Kerry Stokes Collection, The Louis and Antoinette Thuillier Collection) </p>
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    Wrapping Up Warm

    Four soldiers have their photo taken in their winter fur vests. (Courtesy Kerry Stokes Collection, The Louis and Antoinette Thuillier Collection)

  • <p>An unidentified soldier cuddles a puppy on his lap. The same pup features in numerous pictures in the collection, and so is resumed to be a local favourite. (Courtesy Kerry Stokes Collection, The Louis and Antoinette Thuillier Collection) </p>
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    Puppy Love

    An unidentified soldier cuddles a puppy on his lap. The same pup features in numerous pictures in the collection, and so is resumed to be a local favourite. (Courtesy Kerry Stokes Collection, The Louis and Antoinette Thuillier Collection)

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  • <p>Lancashire-born boxer Arthur Vanderstock (left), who served with the Australian 1st Division Signal Company, pretends to be mid-box with another man in a farmyard. The soldier ‘refereeing’ is wearing the cap badge of the Royal Artillery. (Courtesy Kerry Stokes Collection, The Louis and Antoinette Thuillier Collection) </p>
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    Fisticuffs

    Lancashire-born boxer Arthur Vanderstock (left), who served with the Australian 1st Division Signal Company, pretends to be mid-box with another man in a farmyard. The soldier ‘refereeing’ is wearing the cap badge of the Royal Artillery. (Courtesy Kerry Stokes Collection, The Louis and Antoinette Thuillier Collection)

  • <p>A football team from ‘No.8 Troop – E Squadron’, made up of an unidentified British regiment, sit with their trophy. One lieutenant on the right has a Military Cross ribbon. (Courtesy Kerry Stokes Collection, The Louis and Antoinette Thuillier Collection) </p>
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    Proud Winners

    A football team from ‘No.8 Troop – E Squadron’, made up of an unidentified British regiment, sit with their trophy. One lieutenant on the right has a Military Cross ribbon. (Courtesy Kerry Stokes Collection, The Louis and Antoinette Thuillier Collection)

  • <p><i>The Lost Tommies</i> by Ross Coulthart is published by William Collins.<br></p>
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    The Lost Tommies

    The Lost Tommies by Ross Coulthart is published by William Collins.

<p>A private of the Royal Engineers sits stationary on his motorcycle. The chevrons on his lower right sleeve show that he is in his third year of overseas service, meaning the picture was taken in 1918 or later. (Courtesy Kerry Stokes Collection, The Louis and Antoinette Thuillier Collection) </p>
<p>A group of soldiers of the Machine Gun Corps pose with a hand-written sign, reading ‘We Are Seven’. The words could be a reference to a William Wordsworth poem of the same name. (Courtesy Kerry Stokes Collection, The Louis and Antoinette Thuillier Collection) </p>
<p>Three soldiers from an unidentified regiment pose together arms crossed, and wearing identity bracelets on their wrists. The flags on the sleeve of the private in the middle show he is a qualified signaller. His companions display the rank chevrons of a corporal (left) and lance corporal (right). (Courtesy Kerry Stokes Collection, The Louis and Antoinette Thuillier Collection) </p>
<p>The man in the bottom of this single four-exposure slide is a young Louis Thuillier - one of the photographers responsible for the series. The images were almost certainly taken by his wife, Antoinette. (Courtesy Kerry Stokes Collection, The Louis and Antoinette Thuillier Collection) </p>
<p>Four soldiers have their photo taken in their winter fur vests. (Courtesy Kerry Stokes Collection, The Louis and Antoinette Thuillier Collection) </p>
<p>An unidentified soldier cuddles a puppy on his lap. The same pup features in numerous pictures in the collection, and so is resumed to be a local favourite. (Courtesy Kerry Stokes Collection, The Louis and Antoinette Thuillier Collection) </p>
<p>Lancashire-born boxer Arthur Vanderstock (left), who served with the Australian 1st Division Signal Company, pretends to be mid-box with another man in a farmyard. The soldier ‘refereeing’ is wearing the cap badge of the Royal Artillery. (Courtesy Kerry Stokes Collection, The Louis and Antoinette Thuillier Collection) </p>
<p>A football team from ‘No.8 Troop – E Squadron’, made up of an unidentified British regiment, sit with their trophy. One lieutenant on the right has a Military Cross ribbon. (Courtesy Kerry Stokes Collection, The Louis and Antoinette Thuillier Collection) </p>
<p><i>The Lost Tommies</i> by Ross Coulthart is published by William Collins.<br></p>
Matilda Long

A moving and intimate set of pictures show Britain’s First World War soldiers on the eve of battle.

Keeping their spirits up, the men can be seen laughing with their friends, boxing, riding motorbikes and posing with puppies.

The incredible, never-before-seen images have been restored after they were discovered tucked away in an attic in France.

Many of the men in the pictures are unidentified, and the task of discovering who they were 100 years after the photographs were taken is an extremely difficult task.

They were taken by Louis and Antoinette Thuillier, a couple who lived in the village of Vignacourt, and decided to take photographs of the soldiers who passed through their home town.

The resulting images capture the day-to-day lives of the troops - plus the friendships they built.

The Lost Tommies by Ross Coulthart is published by William Collins.