Newly Found World War One Pictures of British Tommies in the Trenches, etc.

Before they went over the top: Poignant First World War photos show brave Tommies about to leave their trenches and launch attack into No Man's Land

• Much of First World War was fought in trenches, with soldiers battling in fields 
• The horror and gore of the fighting is captured in a heartrending photo album 

The courageous but exhausted soldier stares down the barrel of the camera as he sits in the mud of the trenches. 

Etched on his gaunt face is the haunting knowledge that he might not make it back from the next raid. 

This is just one of a series of photographs depicting the First World War, taken by an unknown soldier in the trenches, that are up for auction this weekend, for a guide price of £300, after being found in an attic in Wiltshire. 

Other photos from the album show soldiers enjoying time away from the front lines; laughing, joking and clambering on each other's shoulders or having afternoon tea. 

But the reality of the desolate wasteland of No Man's Land is never far away and pictures of men just moments before launching an attack bring home the horrible nature of life in the trenches. 

From lice and trench foot to constant shelling and the ever-present threat of death, life in the trenches was devastating. More than 800,000 soldiers would die on the Western Front, including nearly 20,000 on the first day of the Battle of the Somme. 

An exhausted soldier sits in the makeshift trenches holding his battered helmet, covered in mud and dirt

Soldiers prepare to go 'over the top' in an attack on the enemy across No Man's Land. The raids were incredibly dangerous and many would not return 

Bodies in a pile in a trench in No Man's Land, having been cut down in battle. Soldiers spent years fighting over small pieces of territory in an endless stalemate on the Western Front 

One soldier uses an innovative method of keeping warm, wearing a fur on top of his uniform. During winter, the standing water in the trenches would freeze 

British soldiers train with rifles and bayonets. Much of the fighting in the trenches was hand-to-hand, a terrifying and often deadly experience 

Soldiers smile for the camera. The series of images were taken by an unknown photographer and lay undiscovered in an attic in Wiltshire until recently 

Standing at attention, Tommies line up for inspection by senior officers. People from all walks of life were drawn into the war, fighting side-by-side

A soldier stands in the trenches with his pipe. Sandbags are piled around him - these could protect men from bullets and be used to put out fires from shelling 

Soldiers would spend four to six days in the front line trenches at a time - often with little to no sleep - before pulling back for much needed respite

A soldier wades through knee-deep mud near the graveside of a fellow fighter. Conditions were awful, causing trench foot and other diseases to run rife through the troops 

No Man's Land. A desolate wasteland between the two trenches, many soldiers dreaded being ordered over the top to fight for another few metres of territory 

The photo album, which is up for auction on Saturday for a guide price of £300, contains images of every day life for soldiers in the First World War 

Soldiers pose for the camera in a trench. Behind them, the trees have been decimated by shelling

A soldier enjoys a smoking break in the trench. Men would carry all of their personal belongings with them, including their weapons, in small packs like the one slung over his shoulder 

Two soldiers smoke together during some respite from the fighting. Many men went to war in 'Pals Battalions', meaning they fought with people they knew from home 

Soldiers convalesce away from the trenches and the front lines. There would be trips to local bars when they were on leave and entertainers followed them  

An officer pictured away from the trenches. Soldiers would spend time in local towns when not at the front and often took over large rural houses as military bases 

Relaxing by a river. Keeping clean was difficult in the trenches as soldiers didn't have access to very much clean water, meaning many had lice and infections could spread quickly 

Severely damaged buildings near the front. While much of the violence took place in fields near towns and cities, some dwellings were flattened completely 

Soldiers fight it out - but in the ring, not on the front lines. Two men hold a boxing match to entertain their fellow soldiers during leave from the trenches 

Afternoon tea for three. Soldiers take a well-earned break from fighting in the trenches to enjoy some tea and a bottle of wine  

Troops had to find interesting ways to keep themselves entertained away from the front lines - including building human pyramids 

Day-to-day life in the trenches could be cold, damp and boring as troops waited for the next attack 

The trenches had a devastating effect on the nearby landscape and in many places near where the fighting was more metal is still harvested each year than crops