The British raid on the Belgian port of Zeebrugge in late Spring 1918 was intended to impede its use by German submarines by sinking ships in the waterways. British forces sustained significant losses – 227 dead and 356 wounded.
This image, presumed taken in 1918, is one of more than 40,000 amassed by the pharmacist, entrepreneur, philanthropist and collector Sir Henry Solomon Wellcome (1853-1936). Wellcome Images is one of the Wellcome Library’s major visual resources. It has themes ranging from medical and social history to contemporary healthcare and science and is part of the Wellcome Collection.
This photograph featured as part of the Touchstone programme (2012-2020). Each display consisted of a single photographic work on the Eranda studio floor where visitors were invited to respond to the question 'What do you see?' using the cards and pencils provided. A bench was placed in front of the work, encouraging people to spend a little longer than they might usually. The programme was part of a wider series of projects and activities related to visual literacy.
A selection of audience responses to the question 'What do you see?'
