August Gallery

The Ludendorff Bridge at Remagen; Second World War, 1945

Photograph of the Ludendorff Bridge, viewed from the Remagen end of the bridge, 1945. This bridge was captured by troops of the 9th Armoured Division of the US First Army, who were the first Allied soldiers to cross the River Rhine on 7th March 1945. The story of the battle for Remagen and its bridge was later told in the book and film The Bridge at Remagen

© Mary Evans Picture Library 2015 - https://copyrighthub.org/s0/hub1/creation/maryevans/MaryEvansPictureID/10218112

HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, 1845

Engraving showing HMS Erebus (left) and HMS Terror, pictured on the River Thames, 1845. In 1845 the British Admiralty sent two polar exploration ships, HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, to look for the Northwest passage round the northern coast of Canada. The expedition, commanded by Sir John Franklin, disappeared from view late in 1845 and none of the men were ever seen again. In fact the ships made it to the King William Island region, then got stuck in the ice. With supplies running out the surviving crew abandoned ship and headed south. However, none made it to safety and it is assumed all died from disease, exposure or starvation. From 1848 onwards a number of relief expeditions were sent to find Franklin, but it was only in 1859 that Francis Leopold McClintock was able to confirm Franklin's fate

© Mary Evans Picture Library 2015 - https://copyrighthub.org/s0/hub1/creation/maryevans/MaryEvansPictureID/10217704