Revealed: Extraordinary collection of 5,000 WWI photographs salvaged from RUBBISH DUMPS by a former dustman

Bob Smethurst spent years saving images of soldiers from landfill because he could not bear to see them destroyed

'I found the majority of photographs in the 70s and 80s when those who fought were probably passing away'

As well as pictures he has also found letters, postcards and even bullets hidden in the rubbish




They could be precious exhibits in a museum or dusty relics of history from a national archive.

But Bob Smethurst put together this First World War collection from more unlikely locations…fishing the discarded photographs out of rubbish bins during his 36 years as a dustman.

Mr Smethurst found his first few photos and letters during the 1970s, and over the next three decades made it his mission to try to save anything of a similar nature he spotted on his rounds.



He has now found more than 5,000 photographs, recording everything from the horror of the trenches to haunting images of young men smiling together before battle.

Artefacts: German soldiers sent pictures like this one as postcards from the front line. This man sits next to this ammunition from 1916

Treasure trove: Pictures like this one show the London Scottish regiment on a troop train before battle at Messines in 1914

Horrifying: This salvaged image shows the terrible conditions from the First World War, where this trench is strewn with bodies and rubbish while servicemen watch on

Remarkable treasure trove: Dustman Bob Smethurst spent 36 years saving World War One pictures thrown away as veterans of the conflict passed away

He believes as soldiers from the conflict grew old and died a lot of their remarkable memorabilia was often thrown out, especially in the 1970s and 1980s.

But over three decades he made it his mission to try and save anything he spotted which otherwise could have been lost forever.

Mr Smethurst, from Sussex, said his collection is not just photographs - it contains medals, letters and even a handkerchief with a bullet hole found in the rubbish.

'I found the majority of the photographs on the "dust" during the 70s and 80s when those who fought in World War I were probably passing away,' he said.

'Probably the boys working today will find them from World War II.

'In the early days we used to carry the bins on our shoulders. Therefore, when we emptied the bins you used to see the paperwork coming out, and the photographs.

'You didn't find them all the time because the only time you were aware of some was when they started to be mashed up.

'We had relatives that died in both the First and Second World War and of course it means something to keep these memories alive.

Incredible: This picture, along with thousands of others, were tossed in the rubbish when the soldiers passed away, Mr Smethurst said

Men in uniform: Soldiers from all over the world served in the conflict, seen here in various uniforms before and after battle in Europe



Victims of war: This picture was found of Sidney Bell, from Canterbury in Kent, who was 'badly wounded' in the war but apparently survived the conflict

'There is nothing like being able to pick up and examine an object or picture, see it with your own eyes, understand how it works and was used. If everything is thrown away future generations will not be able to have this joy or knowledge.

'I've got photographs from the trenches, photographs from Commonwealth Indian regiments and pictures from the Germans.

'The German soldiers used the pictures almost like postcards, they would write their unit and even where they were and when. The British side weren't allowed to do that.

'I have not given a great deal of thought about what will happen to my collection, but I do have children and grandchildren. Not to mention several collecting friends who keep dropping hints

'The trouble is, if it is donated to a museum most things will never be seen again, just stored and forgotten and no joy to anyone.'

Line-up: This group of men appear to be submariners from a torpedo team - a weapon used by both sides in the First World War

Relic: This postcard was sent by a soldier from the front line to family members in Romford, Essex. It was also found in the bin by Mr Smethurst

Ammunition: Among items that the eagle-eyed gunman has found includes this and also a handkerchief pierced by one

War wounds: This British Red Cross booklet along with these pictures of a man and his injured legs are contained in the 5,000 picture archive

Rescued from the bin: This beautifully written notebook and letter sent to 'May' on paper headed with Britannia and the motto 'For God, home, and native land' were saved



As well as being an amazing national record of the 1914-18 conflict, it could also be worth thousands as just one picture can sell for as much as £30 to collectors.

Bob, who considers himself a custodian of the collection, said the value for him was in saving something so important which could otherwise have never been seen again.

He said: 'I have a long photograph like the kind that would have been in a frame hanging on a wall of a complete squadron of the Royal Flying Corps - it was just lying on the landfill.

'In another there's some soldiers posing with a massive naval gun - it turned out the picture was actually taken by a photographer from near my home.

'I actually found some letters that were just with some papers in a bin. They were designs for the memorial plaques for medals killed in the war.

'Having been to auctions and postcard sales these kind of photographs used to go for 20 to 50p in the old days. Now if you have something like a picture of a tank or something else it can go for £30 each.'

Weaponry: These wo officers stand in front of a huge tank stood in from of a crater surrounded by debris

Destroyed: Two men stand next to a damaged cannon which had sunk into the mud of the European battlefield

Powerful: Mr Smethurst spent more than three decades trying to save items like this which otherwise could have been lost forever without his intervention

Historic: Soldiers wearing kilts worn by Scottish regiments sleep or try to relax in the trenches while battle goes on around them

The hoarder has said the treasure of his collection was a series of photographs of the London Scottish regiment, which fought a battle at Messines in 1914.

When he discovered his first letter he said: 'I looked at it, I thought it was interesting - this was the First World War.

'Once I've undone it, I found out the chap was killed in action. This was his last letter. I thought well hang on a minute, you can't throw that sort of stuff away.'