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Travel photo of the day
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A Tribute to Fallen Photographers
- sarahbrowngb, CNN iReport producer
When you think about casualties of war, most people remember soldiers who died in battle. Unfortunately, many of those who have given their lives were not actually part of the fight, but engaged in support services such as medics, supply personnel, truck drivers, cooks and even photographers.
I was reminded of this fact during a visit to London's Westminster Cathedral in late 2011, where a touching tribute to victims of war was installed. Spread around the grounds surrounding the buildings were thousands of tiny white and red crosses, each signifying someone lost in war. Crosses were arranged in groups with a plaque showing the unit, country of origin, theater of war and years lost. Among these, I found a dedication to the Army Film & Photographic Unit. The dedication read "Honouring the comradeship and integrity of the cameramen, technicians and support crews who gave their life photographing in all theaters of Allied Action". This unit lost over 20% of their total strength during the years 1939-1946.
As a photographer myself, this really hit home and reminded me that photography isn't always about landscapes, sunsets or family portraits. Without dedicated combat photographers, much of the world might never know what really happens in far-away lands and theaters of war unrelated to where we live. These brave photographers, cameramen and crew risk their lives to bring the truth home and help everyone understand the horror of war. Its a concept and risk that photographers like me will never fully understand.
So, to Lt. L. Davies, Sgt. F. Martin, Mjr. G. Keen and everyone else who died while serving in the Army Film & Photographic Unit, thank you. Thank you for being brave enough to risk everything in your determination to share the images of war.
I was reminded of this fact during a visit to London's Westminster Cathedral in late 2011, where a touching tribute to victims of war was installed. Spread around the grounds surrounding the buildings were thousands of tiny white and red crosses, each signifying someone lost in war. Crosses were arranged in groups with a plaque showing the unit, country of origin, theater of war and years lost. Among these, I found a dedication to the Army Film & Photographic Unit. The dedication read "Honouring the comradeship and integrity of the cameramen, technicians and support crews who gave their life photographing in all theaters of Allied Action". This unit lost over 20% of their total strength during the years 1939-1946.
As a photographer myself, this really hit home and reminded me that photography isn't always about landscapes, sunsets or family portraits. Without dedicated combat photographers, much of the world might never know what really happens in far-away lands and theaters of war unrelated to where we live. These brave photographers, cameramen and crew risk their lives to bring the truth home and help everyone understand the horror of war. Its a concept and risk that photographers like me will never fully understand.
So, to Lt. L. Davies, Sgt. F. Martin, Mjr. G. Keen and everyone else who died while serving in the Army Film & Photographic Unit, thank you. Thank you for being brave enough to risk everything in your determination to share the images of war.
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