
This is the astonishing moment that German soldiers were forced to surrender during the notorious Battle of the Somme almost a century ago.

The image was taken in July 1916 by a soldier who defied Army chiefs in the First World War to take secret photographs of life in the trenches.

Amateur photographer Lance Corporal George Hackney took candid pictures of the Great War when he signed up to fight in October 1915.

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Dramatic: Lance Corporal George Hackney captured the moment the 36th (Ulster) Division forced German soldiers to surrender in July 1916. The amateur photographer used a folding camera slightly bigger than a phone to capture the battle, which saw more than a million men killed

Self-portrait: Lance Corporal George Hackney (pictured above), took candid images of the Great War when he signed up to fight in 1915. Despite filming without permission being banned, he risked facing the court martial by capturing the scenes from the trenches during the war

Crossing: Men sailing on the English Channel from Southampton to Boulogne in October 1915 sleep on the deck while others look overboard. The Battalion sailed on the former Isle of Man paddle steamer, Empress Queen, and some would've been keeping watch for German U-boats

In the trenches: This rare photograph of scouts and snipers was taken by Corporal Hackney in France during the winter of 1915/16. The rifle to the left of the frame has a modified cheek rest attached which would have been used to help the shooter align his eye to a telescopic sight

He captured the moment the 36th (Ulster) Division forced the Germans to surrender in the bloody battle, which saw more than a million men killed.

The soldiers can be seen on the horizon of the dramatic photograph, and the battle in France was far from over - it would last a further four months.

The Northern Irishman used a folding camera, believed to be a Vest Pocket Kodak which was only just bigger than a smartphone, during the war before giving the photos to loved ones on his return.

Lance Corporal Hackney faced court martial if he was ever caught filming without permission - but his record now offers a testimony to life at the front.

Now, the soldier’s photographs have been published for the first time after being found two years ago alongside a host of his personal diaries.

His images were aired last night on BBC One Northern Ireland in a documentary called The Man Who Shot the Great War.

Director Brian Henry Martin said his 'unique collection of images' give 'a window into what it was like to live, and die, on the Western Front'.

Reading the newspaper: Soldiers in the summer of 1916 at Ploegsteert Wood near Messines in Belgium. A 'keep down' sign can be seen left

In the field: Paul Pollock, standing and smoking, was the son of a Presbyterian minister at a church attended by Lance Corporal Hackney. Mr Pollock was killed on July 1, 1916. His body was never found and his name was only added to the Thievpal Memorial to the Missing last year

Comrades: A photograph taken at Randalstown Camp in County Antrim in 1915 of Lance Corporal Hackney's friend John Ewing writing. Historian Richard Van Emden said the corporal would've mainly only got his camera out in front of friends for fear of being caught by officers

He added: ‘Who was this man? How did he manage to capture these remarkable scenes from a range of sites at a time when unofficial photography was illegal on the Western Front?’

The stunning photographs, which were donated to the Ulster Museum after the veteran died in 1977, show the mundane life of soldiers relaxing in the trenches and travelling to France on a boat.

And Lance Corporal Hackney, of Belfast, even captured the moment the 36th (Ulster) Division forced German soldiers to surrender in July 1916.

The shots have been hailed as the ‘photographical First World War discovery of the century’ by Belgian Ministry of Defence chief Franky Bostyn.

Portrait: John Ewing, a fellow soldier of Lance Corporal Hackney, is pictured with a 'Plum Pudding' mortar in one of the many photographs in the collection

Amanda Moreno, head of collections for the Museums of The Royal Irish Regiment, said: ‘As a collection of photographs of the First World War, they are totally exceptional.

‘In terms of what they tell us about the First World War, the 36th (Ulster) Division, I’ve never seen anything like them before. I don’t suppose I ever will again.’

The military man gave some of his photos to the loved ones of fallen comrades, including Sergeant James Scott.

Scott was killed in the Battle of Messines in Belgian West Flanders in May 1917, and Lance Corporal Hackney presented three pictures to his family after the war ended in 1918.

Director Mr Martin had a chance meeting with his great-great-grandson Mark Scott while chasing the source of the pictures at the Royal Ulster Rifles Museum in Belfast.

The photographs were undiscovered until two years ago when Mr Martin stumbled across them while researching the Ulster Covenant.

Now, just a week after Remembrance Day, the director is bringing the 300 pictures to the TV programme to show what life was really like in the war, 100 years on from its outbreak.

And it is believed that there could be another 200 pictures still undiscovered.

Producer Dermot Lavery, of filmmakers DoubleBand Films, said: ‘The full philosophical implications of George Hackney’s remarkable journey from the Battle of the Somme to the end of his life only revealed themselves as we prepared to make this documentary.

‘He was, in fact, just a simple, modest Belfast man - but a man whose message still rings true even today. In a way all we had to do was not let him down.’

Author and First World War historian Richard Van Emden described the photographs as ‘amazing’ and said they were ‘extremely rare’.

In reference to the picture showing the moment the 36th (Ulster) Division forced the Germans to surrender on the Somme, Mr Van Emden said he had ‘never seen a picture like it’.

He said that while he had seen photographs showing the moment minutes after that scenario, he had not seen a picture depicting the soldiers with their hands in the air taken from that particular view point.

He said: ‘The further you go on during the war, the rarer the photo albums become.

‘That style of the image taken from over the top, I’ve never seen anything like that from a private collection. Action photographs such as that are very rare indeed.

‘The quality of his pictures are good. He’s almost certainly used the VPK (Vest Pocket Kodak).

‘He’s obviously a keen amateur photographer and man who knew how to use a VPK.’

Standing up: Soldiers at Randalstown Camp in County Antrim in 1915. The 14th Battalion Royal Irish Rifles stayed there in wooden huts after being moved from Finner Camp in January 1915. They remained in the huts at Randalstown until moving to England in the July of that year

Horseback: Sergeant James Scott in East Sussex in 1915. He was killed at the Battle of Messines in Belgian West Flanders two years later

VEST POCKET KODAK: THE BEST-SELLING CAMERA FOR SOLDIERS The Vest Pocket Kodak (VPK) was a camera marketed to soldiers during the First World War. It was a foldable camera, which measured no bigger than a smartphone, and could fit easily in a uniform pocket. On sale from 1912 until 1926, the VPK was the first camera to use the smaller 127 film reels. It had to be loaded through the top with both film spools at once. The basic VPK was fitted with a two-speed ball bearing shutter – 1/25 and 1/50 sec – and a fixed-focus lens. The camera was favoured by soldiers due to its size - when folded it measured no bigger than 2.5 inches by 4.75 inches. More than two million were sold before it was discontinued in 1926, and it is believed that they retailed for about 30 shillings. Advertisement

Mr Van Emden believes the photographs were most likely taken on the VPK, which was a basic camera used by soldiers during the war.

He said that Corporal Hackney would have had to have been extremely careful to not have been caught using the device, as he would’ve faced heavy punishment due to the ban in place on filming without permission.

The historian, whose recent published work includes Tommy’s War: The Western Front in Soldiers’ Words and Photographs, said: ‘Any pictures from the middle to late Battle of the Somme get really really rare.

‘This is obviously a man who knows how to use his camera. He’s got to make sure he’s taken them quickly. He’s got to be confident the officer is not going to walk around the corner.

‘He would’ve been in serious trouble especially at that time if he had been caught.’

Mr Van Emden said no officers could be seen in Corporal Hackney’s collection, perhaps further highlighting the fact they were taken discreetly and out of view.

He said it is likely he only got his camera out in front of close friends and comrades.

He said: ‘There’s not a single one that has an officer in which is absolutely typical. These are really rare photographs.

‘He would’ve been very careful not to wave his cameras around in front of officers.

‘He would’ve looked around, thought “I wouldn’t mind getting a shot of that”, checked no officers were looking, taken the camera out and changed the settings all within 10 seconds.

‘It’s a very quick operation. He clearly knows what he’s doing. He would’ve been very circumspect and would’ve probably only taken it out in front of his close friends.’

Mr Van Emden said the Kodak camera was marketed at soldiers going to war during that time and said it would’ve cost about 30 shillings.

He said: ‘It was quite a basic camera. It was built for the man in the street. It had roll film, it could fit into a small pocket, and it had fold-away bellows.

'In its day it was a portable digital camera of its time. No thrills, inexpensive but good quality pictures.

‘It would’ve been sold for about 30 shillings which was not an inconsiderable sum for a working class man. They would’ve had to save but ultimately it wasn’t beyond their reach.’