Concealment and deception have always had some part in warfare, but during the First World War the practice became systematic.

The use of aerial reconnaissance and the position and proximity of the opposing trenches on the Western Front made it easier to detect troops both on and behind the front lines. Armies needed to find new ways to hide from, observe and deceive enemy forces.

In 1915, the French Army became the first to create a dedicated camouflage unit. The word 'camouflage' came from the French verb meaning 'to make up for the stage'. Its practitioners, many of whom were artists, were known as camoufleurs. The following year the British Army established its own camouflage section under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Francis Wyatt. It was known as the Special Works Park RE (Royal Engineers).