User:Andrew Gray/JWB

John Warwick Brooke (b. 30 May 1886) was a British photographer, best known for his war photography from the First World War. Originally working for the Topical Press Agency, he joined the Army in 1914, and was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal for bravery under fire on the Western Front. In mid-1916, he became the second official photographer to be appointed by the British military, after Ernest Brooks, and produced a significant proportion of all British official photographs taken during the war. He later worked for the Army in Ireland before returning to private employment with Topical Press.

Career
Brooke served in the Royal Navy as a young man, joining directly out of school. His time in the Navy involved several disciplinary incidents and at least one period of imprisonment, and by the age of 25 he had left the service and gave his employment simply as "disengaged signalman, late Royal Navy".

Following the outbreak of the First World War, Brooke served on the Western Front as a volunteer with the 2nd King Edward's Horse, arriving in France in May 1915. He was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal in January 1916, for "conspicuous bravery and resource".

In early 1916, the War Office began arranging for official photographers to work on the Western Front. The first, Ernest Brooks was transferred from the Admiralty in March, and Brooke was appointed as the second in July, with an honorary promotion to second lieutenant in the Intelligence Corps. Whilst Brooks had originally been recruited directly by the Admiralty to work at Gallipoli, Brooke's name was suggested to the Army by a committee of press representatives.

Brooke was promoted to Lieutenant in January 1918.

Photographic work


Brooke became one of the most prolific photographers active during the war, with an estimated total of 4,100 images, around 10% of the total produced by all British official photographers. He was much more comfortable with candid photography than his colleagues, who preferred posed or stereotyped pictures, and much of his most significant work was characterized by spontaneity.