Revealed: Extraordinary Collection of Salvaged WWI Photographs

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.

Read more: MailOnline