[SIR IAN HAMILTON]
British General, commander in chief of The Mediterranean Expeditionary Force in the unsuccessful campaign against Turkey in the Gallipoli Peninsula during World War I. Sir Ian Hamilton trip to France photo album.

This album, containing Canadian official [war] photographs from the western front and others, starts with a postcard photo of General Sir Ian Hamilton dressed up with all military regalia.
Later photo shows (Toronto 1913) a portrait of the 48th Highlanders and amongst them is seating St [sgt] Stethem (the owner of this album). Later photos are of Sir Ian in different locales through Canada, including Ottawa Garrison; the old Parliament building before the fire of 1916; Niagara camp inspection, Quebec (the review of the garrison); inspection of the RMC, Kingston; Petawawa camp; Government House, Winnipeg; Camp Sewell, Manitoba; BC, Chateau Louise, a postcard of John Dillon (alias James Smith), Montreal, c.1908, St. Stethem appears in some of these images.

Then, images take you to France, 1914 with first photo of British bombardment of Vimmy Ridge, two allied soldiers holding, examining (contemplating) a skull; subsequent images (about 17 photos) depict different places in France, destroyed buildings, prisoners’ of war (boches) marching or doing chores, villages destroyed by the Germans before leaving, soldiers clearing the roads, one photo of a soldier wearing the (latest) gas mask, another one of a handful of soldiers wearing gas mask but one of them , who is right arm stretched up, the other holding front of his neck, gasping for air, bent knees, he is going down; last few images are of dead soldiers in the open fields, in ditches and in trenches.

The last 100 photos or so, take you back to Canada, these are not the official war photographs. At the beginning, these are images of military content, e.g. military training at Barriefild, Camp of the 77th Overseas battalion C.E.F., Rockliffe, Ottawa (5 photos); the riots of St. John, NB., July 13th-14th 1 1914, (9 photos,Including 4 images of sgt. Stethem (The Royal Canadian Dragoons (RCD))with black eyes, an after the riots image, written beside it, it says: “St. Stethem R.C.D. and 5 men charged a mob of 5000 strikers & dispersed them”, other show St. Stethem X-Ray of his skull, a street gathering a day after the riots with turned over street cars and so on.

Later photos, of more leisure times, images become more relaxed, a smiling St. Stethem, an image of a dog, and early trip to The Saguenay, QC, in 1917; a photo the H.M.S. Donegal off to sea again; later on photos becoming more homier, vacationing in Ashfield, Mass, Long Beach, NY, Cold River Glen, Mohawk trail; the last to photos are of St. Stethem, ages 1 year and 9 months old and very last one shows the 77th Bn C. R. F.

In total, 158 images, silver & albumen prints, and some postcards. A unique find, a rare find, a historical and important find.