Postcard, WW1, B&W image of the ruins of the Bailleul Town Hall after a German offensive. Piles of timber in foreground. One copy, number Z49postcard, postcard, ww1, bailleul, france, town hall ruins, german offensive

Postcard, WW1, B&W image of the Square facing the ruins of the Bailleul Town Hall after a German offensive. Cobble stone Square in foreground. One copy Z 45postcard, postcard, ww1, bailleul, town hall square, france, ruins, german offensive

Bapaume was a large German-held town almost within sight of the Australians’ trench lines throughout the winter months on the Somme. Suddenly, from 24 February 1917 it became evident that the enemy was retiring. The British advanced after them, and by the morning of 17 March Australian troops reached the outskirts of Bapaume. The soldiers’ heightened spirits were exemplified by the band of the 5th Australian Brigade playing amid the burning ruins as they marched into the old town square on the 19th. However booby traps and time bombs had been left behind; one exploded in the town hall a week later burying men and killing twenty-five.On the Western Front, Bapaume was a coveted position between the two strategically-important areas of Artois and Somme. The Germans occupied the town in 1914 and in the final eighteen months of the war it changed hands three times.Rectangular shaped Sepia photograph with an added note underneath.Bapaume was occupied by Australian troops on the 30th Mar 1917. An Australian mounted patrol moving through the wrecked streets of the town. Note the French helmet on the forward rider.ww1, bapaume, french battlefields, lara r.s.l.world war one, australian army.

One of five colour photos of ruins of Borer's Bakery ovens at 116 Princes Street, prior to demolition, May 1999. Close-up on detail of manufacturer of baking oven door: 'Engineers Small & Shatell Melbourne'demolitions, business and traders - bakers, g borer & co