The shrapnel that ‘rewrote British history’: Historic pictures show Churchill on the front line in WWI and reveal shell that almost killed him
Rare snaps show Churchill in the heart of the Western Front in the full horror of the frontline trench warfare
RARE photos of Winston Churchill during World War One have been revealed for the first time.
The former Prime Minister - who led Britain to victory in the Second World War - is seen in in the heart of the Western Front where he was almost killed by shrapnel from an artillery shell.
Black and white snaps show him posing with fellow officers at the front near Ypres in northern France in new book Churchill in the Trenches, by retired House of Fraser Chairman Nigel Dewar Gibb, 84.
It is based on the experiences of his father, Major Andrew Dewar Gibb, who from January 5, 1916, served alongside Churchill in the 6th Service Battalion of the Royal Scots Fusiliers on the Western Front.
Some of Churchill's own paintings and pictures of some of his wartime possessions are also revealed in the book.
Mr Gibb said: "These military pictures tell their own story.
"My father and Churchill were certainly involved in the full horror of the frontline trench warfare, which affected my father very badly.
"Serving in Western Front certainly developed Churchill's relationship with men at all levels, developed his personal character and rhetoric.
"Other photos show my father as a relaxed professional man, which is how I remember him.
"The trench maps are very interesting and the Churchill painting is remarkable as this farm no longer exists.
"The pair certainly remained friends and got on well at the front.
"But distance and careers did not lead to a closer relationship thereafter. They were in touch from time to time."
Nigel Dewar Gibb's book, With Winston Churchill at the Front is available now in hardback from Amazon.