As we have discussed, British WWI photographs had to be taken by official photographers, and approved before release to paint a certain kind of picture for the people back home. Naturally any pictures where the soldiers looked slightly less miserable were the government's favourite, and it isn't uncommon to find photos of men smiling. I find these quite compelling because there's a few kinds. There's the 'smile for the folks back home' (look cheerful!) pics, which are most common; the 'smile because otherwise you'd want to shoot yourself' pics; and even occasionally a smile from an actual sliver of fun or amusement or pleasure. And sometimes, more than one at once.
Soldier washing in a shell hole. Source
Captioned [by officials] 'It just missed us'. Haha, shelling, great fun. Source
Smiling gunners and their 'pet'. Source
Soldier scrubbing his clothes (they didn't in fact get to do this much). Source
Two officers going curling with blocks of ice on a frozen canal. Source
A soldier (on the left) who has just been pulled out of mud up to his chest. Sometimes all you can do is laugh. Source
Soldiers on the ice, many of them slipping and laughing. Source
Soldiers swimming in a pond, a special treat. Source
"Forcing a smile"...Americans at the front, being silly. Source
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