Vintage postcard showing the 4th King’s Own Royal Lancers Regiment marching into Tonbridge, England, circa March 1915
Postcard image by Popperfoto/Getty Images, 2014 photo by Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images
Photographer Peter Macdiarmid has an eye-opening series that juxtaposes World War I scenes with images of present-day Europe.
The images show the devastation wrought in France, England and Belgium during the first world war and contrasts them with their modern-day locations, showing how much and how little the places have changed since that fateful period.
Check out the photographs below and view the entire collection at PBS NewsHour.
The town hall and belfy of Arras, France, as seen from the main square. The belfry was destroyed on October 21, 1914. Medieval tunnels under the city, which were expanded during the war, were pivotal in helping British forces hold the city. Date of photo unknown.
Archive photo by Roger Viollet/Getty Images, 2014 photo by Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images
Basilica of Notre-Dame de Brebieres in Albert, France. The statue of the Virgin Mary on the belfry was damaged by a shell in 1915. Photo dated 1915.
Archive photo by Apic/Getty Images, 2014 photo by Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images
German airplanes at Place de la Concorde in Paris that were destroyed by crowds celebrating on the day of the restoration of Alsace-Lorraine. Photo dated November 18, 1918.
Archive photo by Maurice-Louis Branger/Roger Viollet/Getty Images, 2014 photo by Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images
Street urchins dressed as soldiers stand to attention in Trafalgar Square, London, while a small crowd watches. A notice behind declares ‘The Need for Fighting Men is Urgent.’ Photo dated November 1914.
Archive photo by Topical Press Agency/Getty Images, 2014 photo by Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images
Soldiers stand outside the ruins of the railway station at Roye, Somme, France, in 1917.
Archive photo by Culture Club/Getty Images, 2014 photo by Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images
Devastation endured by Les Halles in the Belgium town of Ypres, which was the site of three major battles. Photo dated 1915.
Archive photo by Hulton ARCHIVE/Getty Images, 2014 photo by Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images
A French soldier walks through the ruins of Verdun, France, after a German bombing in 1916.
Archive photo by Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images, 2014 photo by Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images
[via 22 Words and PBS NewsHour, 2014 images by Peter Macdiarmid, archive images by various photographers, photo agencies, and Getty Images]