Among the tens of thousands of photographs each of you has seen, do you have one particular favourite or one that haunts you, inspires you? This is mine. I'm not sure why but maybe it just captures the suddenness and finality! This young Canadian likely came all the way from British Columbia to die alone in an Italian vineyard. A Seaforth Highlander killed by a sniper near Ortona, Italy, December 20, 1943.
With the Regiment and Date, there were 8 killed that day, a Lieutenant, Sergeant, Corporal, L/Cpl and 4 Privates.... I wonder if all were sniper victims? Name: GUNTER, ERNEST ELMO Initials: E E Nationality: Canadian Rank: Corporal Regiment/Service: Seaforth Highlanders of Canada Age: 28 Date of Death: 20/12/1943 Service No: K/38669 Additional information: Son of Wiley and Sallie Gunter, of Hammon, Oklahoma, U.S.A.; husband of Jeanette Gunter, of Hammon. Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead Grave/Memorial Reference: III. G. 4. Cemetery: MORO RIVER CANADIAN WAR CEMETERY BAERG G K/48612 - 20/12/1943 SEAFORTH HIGHLANDERS OF CANADA DOHERTY J K/53042 1ST BN 20/12/1943 SEAFORTH HIGHLANDERS OF CANADA GUNTER EE K/38669 - 20/12/1943 SEAFORTH HIGHLANDERS OF CANADA MOTTL J K/42023 - 20/12/1943 SEAFORTH HIGHLANDERS OF CANADA NORDLING G K/65213 - 20/12/1943 SEAFORTH HIGHLANDERS OF CANADA NORTHEY LH M/65310 - 20/12/1943 SEAFORTH HIGHLANDERS OF CANADA ROBINSON AL - - 20/12/1943 SEAFORTH HIGHLANDERS OF CANADA WELLS JJ L/27826 - 20/12/1943 SEAFORTH HIGHLANDERS OF CANADA
For me, it's THIS one - a Home Guard sergeant standing his post in the snow...from the Daily Mail Collection - It has ALL the cues - the P17 with the red band on the forestock etc.... But that's not why it's my personal fave. It's always said WWII was "The People's War" and was the great leveller for British Society. This one pic shows that that couldn't be more true... ...for here standing in the snow of Westminster Place Yard is Sergeant Joseph Kenworthy - 10th Baron Strabolgi of the Parliamentary Home Guard Joseph Kenworthy, 10th Baron Strabolgi - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Lord Strabolgi and Labour Party Chief Whip in the House of Lords. Truly - "Rank hath no priviledges"...
My Dad got History of WW2 magazines when I was young. Never looked at them. But, the photo in the title is always the one I immediately associate with WW2. It has no significance other than that. Can't find the photo proper, but cropped this from online image of magazine.
Canuck I looked again at your opening remarks: Among the tens of thousands of photographs each of you has seen, do you have one particular favourite or one that haunts you, inspires you? The word "haunt" caught my attention because a particular image was really to haunt me, until I learnt the inevitable truth. A few years ago I posted this item: http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/barracks/10308-does-drive-anyone-else-nuts.html which included a gripe from me about un-captioned pictures and I gave as an example the image I have attached below. It took me literally years to run the picture to ground and I eventually found the answer at the US Holocaust Museum and the newly found caption reads as follows: Group portrait of young women wearing Jewish badges, who worked in a sewing workshop in Bedzin. The donor, Ruzia Grinbaum is pictured in the front row, third from the right. The little boy, standing in the middle row at the far right, was hidden in the workshop by his mother, who is seated directly in front of him. Of the entire group, only the donor survived the war. The highlighting in red is my own
This photograph of Spitfire pilots during the BofB haunted me from being a kid. I'm even more moved now I know all about it... http://www.militaryimages.net/photopost/data/611/SLDR_BJE_SANDY_LANE_DFC_24_YEAR_OLD_OC_19_SQN_DURING_BOFB.jpg
There are many photos that spring to mind eg from Dunkirk, the desert war, D-Day or Arnhem but Ron's suggestion in post 4 I feel hits the spot best. Perhaps some other photos from the camps? Mike
When nations do not prepare for war Sublime chaos: crews torch barely adequate tanks* & minutes later the order comes through that they are needed urgently elsewhere... The humble squaddie/grunt/soldaten The unassuming demeanor of the bloke looking into the lens, he could be wearing a flat cap & holding a pint or be selling you some Bratwurst but its always he who sorts out the pickle the politicians get us in... Stark reality and the power of men over other men Part of what its all about: 'after all these years of silence can we now discover the truth about the past so that we can accept what has to be done to prevent it happening again?' *something tells me it I am thinking of the A9s they destroyed at Calais, not these Matildas #one of Andy's 'now' pictures in Nieppe Forest
The pictures taken by Robert Capa on Omaha Beach on D-Day are among the most remarkable of the war. He risked his life to get them, but most of his reel of film was later accidentally destroyed in the processing lab, leaving only about 11 pictures ... but what pictures.
I don't really have one photograph, I think it would be hard to narrow it down to one photograph per campaign let alone the whole war for me. After a day or so pondering the question though, one that has sprung to mind is that of the Commando Tom McCormack who died a short while after the following photographs were taken. The reason why are in the link that I've added. http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/battle-specifics/14623-st-nazaire-futile-heroism.html
This photo has haunted me for many years now; the photographer's account (File:Polish victim of German Luftwaffe action 1939.jpg - Wikimedia Commons) is particularly harrowing in the way that innocence was shattered: While I was photographing the bodies, a little ten-year old girl came running up and stood transfixed by one of the dead. The woman was her older sister. The child had never before seen death and couldn't understand why her sister would not speak to her... For me the photo sums up the tragedy of war and the fact that armed conflict does not respect the innocent. It simply asks the question, "why?" - Pete
The pictures taken by Robert Capa on Omaha Beach on D-Day are among the most remarkable of the war. He risked his life to get them, but most of his reel of film was later accidentally destroyed in the processing lab, leaving only about 11 pictures ... but what pictures. Couldn't agree more! I came across my first thumbnail (of unknown origin) some time ago. It happens to show the spot, around April '45, where having drawn the short straw I slept on the roof of the Mobile Signals Servicing van (second thumbnail) on the riverside road, beneath a shell-hole in the approach road to the bridge. Cologne Cathedral was the only building standing for miles around! I don't remember seeing anyone around next morning either, when we awoke to press on to our servicing assignment. Very spooky!
Les, there's quite a story to this pic - and it's NOT the one that has been appended to it for many decades now...it's actually taken nowhere near Dunkirk! :mellow: About 18 months ago, Graham Fletcher at Bovington came across another print of it in a box on a shelf at the Museum - and on the back was the REAL story of the two Matildas! he later wrote up his discovery for CMV. When 7RTR got their orders to participate in the counterattack at Arras - they were approximately 130 miles from their intended start position! In a 36-48 hour protracted "march" they motored the 130 miles back towards their start line, non-stop except for darkest night...in tanks that were ONLY supposed to do TEN MILES between services! Breaking up into squadrons for most of the trip, one squadron was led by its commander into a wood for cover...and unfortunately these two tanks got bogged down there! Some time was spent trying to drag them free - but in the end they were abandoned and torched, and the rest of the squadron headed on - for their appointment with history at Arras.
