A News Clip Opens the Door to Research, Photos and Films
Brave Men and Women Shot the Daily News, 1939 - 45
Canadians in Combined Operations were involved in many landing rehearsals
Image 1810 - Infantrymen of an unidentified Canadian Scottish regiment in a
landing craft during an assault landing exercise, England, ca. 14-26 April 1942.
Photo - Library and Archives Canada, A113243. MIKAN number 3519167
I have been reviewing August 1942 issues of The Winnipeg Tribune (online here) for the last few weeks in order to collect news related to Operation Jubilee, the Dieppe Raid (August 19, 1942). Readers can link to one entry in the series by clicking on the link provided at the bottom of the page, or by looking at several posts just previous to this one, under the heading "Blog Archive", right hand margin.
Questions or comments can be entered at the bottom of this page or emailed to GH at gordh7700@gmail.com
While scanning the August 28, 1942 issue of The Trib I not only came across a significant article by well-known Canadian war correspondent Ross Munro (with connections to Dieppe and several eye-witnesses who were there) but one that mentioned a photographer "that shot the war" with links to Winnipeg. I thought, while reading, "I should see if there's any photos connected with this fellow."
While scanning the August 28, 1942 issue of The Trib I not only came across a significant article by well-known Canadian war correspondent Ross Munro (with connections to Dieppe and several eye-witnesses who were there) but one that mentioned a photographer "that shot the war" with links to Winnipeg. I thought, while reading, "I should see if there's any photos connected with this fellow."
"He was aboard a big landing craft..."
Where are Mr. Royal's photographs??
So, I am doing some snooping around and feel the information 'out there' is informative and worthy of a more than a few entries on this site. [I encourage readers to try to collect info re Frank Royal and others who were at Dieppe... and share it with me if willing : ) There's always room for more pertinent information on this site.]
I googled "Lt. Frank Royal, Canadian Army photographer" (images), and though I didn't find (yet) a specific photo of Frank Royal, I spotted an article that proved informative and helpful. An excerpt is shared below:
In the spring of 1942, the 2nd Canadian Division began training for a raid on Dieppe, France. Although members of the CAFU were initially requested to film the action, they were later denied the opportunity just days before the operation. Instead, three British cameramen accompanied the Dieppe expedition and, consequently, there was no CAFU-produced film footage of the raid. This was the first major action by Canadian troops in England in nearly two years and it was very upsetting to the soldier-cameramen that they were not allowed to participate. Aware of the raid’s importance, the NFB soon requested all of the CAFU’s footage. The CAFU was in the humiliating position of having to ask the British War Office for copies of the film shot by their cameramen.
McDougall was furious that his men had been denied the opportunity to film the Canadians. “Where the fault lies I have no way of knowing, but the fact remains that we had a definite job to do, we were trained, prepared and equipped to do it, and when the time came to do it we were deliberately ignored,” wrote McDougall. He asked CMHQ to examine this issue and develop a policy for operational film coverage. McDougall also presented an ultimatum: if CMHQ was not satisfied with the current quality of work then he would ask to be replaced and transferred back to combat duties. McDougall’s threat was successful and he received full support and backing from both the Public Relations Office and CMHQ in late August 1942.
Photo Credit - Donald I. Grant, Library and Archives Canada (LAC)
As found on page 10 of Shooting the War by Sarah Klotz
A policy for operational coverage was soon established. At the same time, the Dieppe debacle set off another power struggle between the NFB and CMHQ for control over the Film Unit. The footage of the Dieppe raid, accused Grierson, “was especially poor, lacking not only in the imaginative approach but also in quality.” Grierson twisted the dagger, patronizingly reminding CMHQ that the NFB and the Canadian public were accustomed to films of a certain class and “it must, above all, be newsworthy and of a quality which will enable our various needs in recruiting, public relations and morale to be adequately served.”
It is difficult to reconstruct precisely the Dieppe footage that the NFB received, but it is clear that no cameramen hit the beaches and so all shots would have been from ships several kilometres away, thus failing to convey the immediacy of combat.33 There were scenes of the air battle, but the majority of this footage was taken from a distance, and the air craft appear as little more than dark specks in the sky. The best footage was shot from planes looking down on the battlefield, but there was precious few shots to enliven the long distance footage from the ships. It is not surprising that when the CAFU produced its retrospectives on the Dieppe raid later in the war that the majority of the footage was German.
Shooting the War, Pages 4 - 5
Under the heading Documentary War Film on the Web
It is difficult to reconstruct precisely the Dieppe footage that the NFB received, but it is clear that no cameramen hit the beaches and so all shots would have been from ships several kilometres away, thus failing to convey the immediacy of combat.33 There were scenes of the air battle, but the majority of this footage was taken from a distance, and the air craft appear as little more than dark specks in the sky. The best footage was shot from planes looking down on the battlefield, but there was precious few shots to enliven the long distance footage from the ships. It is not surprising that when the CAFU produced its retrospectives on the Dieppe raid later in the war that the majority of the footage was German.
Shooting the War, Pages 4 - 5
Under the heading Documentary War Film on the Web
The LAC website also contains a virtual exhibition on the disastrous Dieppe Raid of August 1942. “Through a Lens: Dieppe in Photography & Film” (www.collectionscanada.
ca/dieppe/index-e.html), developed by Sarah Klotz, presents Canadian and German army newsreels. The German newsreels allow one to observe the raid’s grim aftermath. The first newsreel is narrated in German while the second, a propaganda piece aimed for occupied countries, is narrated in Dutch (with English subtitles). While the German newsreels are superior in quality, the Canadian newsreels on this site present some moving images from after the raid, including the presentation of awards to Canadian soldiers and a victory parade through Dieppe in 1944.
Shooting the War, Page 15
Notes (three pages; includes the following)
34. After the Dieppe raid, the Film Unit produced a number of stories related to the invasion for their Newsreel: LAC, National Film Board of Canada fonds, Canadian Army Newsreel No. 1, (Story 6) - Dieppe Heroes are Honoured*, (Canadian Army Film Unit, 1942), no. V1 8607-0030; LAC, A.G.L McNaughton collection, Canadian Army Newsreel No. 15 (Story 2) - The King Presents Colours to Dieppe Veterans, (Canadian Army Film Unit, 1942), no. V1 8607-0031; LAC, J.P. Rigby collection, Canadian Army Newsreel No. 20 (Story 3) - Farewell and Hail! (Canadian Army Film Unit, 1943), no. V1 8607-0031; LAC, A.G.L McNaughton collection, Canadian Army Newsreel No. 21 (Story 5) - Canadians Awarded Croix de Guerre, (Canadian Army Film Unit, 1943), no. V1 8607-0031; LAC, J.P. Rigby collection, Canadian Army Newsreel No. 42 (Story 6) – Dieppe (Canadian Film and Photo Unit, 1944), no. V1 8607-0033; LAC, J.P. Rigby collection, Canadian Army Newsreel No. 85 (Story 5) - Dieppe Anniversary, (Canadian Film and Photo Unit, 1945, no. V1 8607-0037. Newsreel No. 42 and No. 85 made use of graphic German footage of dead, injured, and captured Allied soldiers. If there had been an attempt to suppress these types of images, they would certainly not have been included in these Newsreels
Shooting the War, Page 17
*Editor's note - a link to Canadian Army Newsreel No. 1, Story 6, including Dieppe Heroes will be provided shortly.
In Sarah Klotz's article we find a link to 'www.collectionscanada.ca/dieppe/index-e.html' (page 15; not available on the day of my search), part of Library and Archives Canada (LAC) website. However, a link to 'Second World War:1939 - 1945' was available @ collectionscanada.ca and readers are encouraged to search the site as desired. A link to details re Canadian photographers caught my eye and Frank Royal's name was listed. (I'm still looking for a photograph of, and by him.
Sample of items on HOME page:
Royal Canadian Navy Photographic Section: In May 1940, the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) began to consider the possible uses of photography. The director of naval information was Lieutenant John Farrow, who wrote an eloquent memorandum which stated, “A pictorial record should accompany the compilation of the War Diary…men die, ships sink, towns and ports change their contours, and without the aid of the camera their images are left to the uncertain vehicle of memory or to be forgotten in the dry passages of dusty files.” Moreover, he added, “at all times Headquarters could, at will, issue to the Press photographs of events or of persons that might be considered of topical interest.”
Who were the photographers who wore the uniforms of the three armed services?
Some of them were former commercial or press photographers who continued to practise photography while in the service of their country. Others learned the trade, either at the time of recruitment or during their service careers. Three of the original photographers active in 1940 were Laurie Audrain of the Army, Gerry Richardson of the Navy, and Norman Drolet of the Air Force.
holding a Fairchild K20 camera. Photo - Library and Archives Canada
Those who followed Audrain as photographers for the Canadian Army included Gordon Aikman, Ken Bell, Ted Bonter, Art Cole, Mickey Dean, Ernie DeGuire, Dwight Dolan, Frank Dubervill, Barry Gilroy, Barney Gloster, Don Grant, Dan Guravich, Ken Hand, Karen Hermiston, Bud Nye, Charlie Richer, Harold Robinson, Terry Rowe, Frank Royal, Jack Smith, Strathy Smith, Alex Stirton, Fred Whitcombe and Chris Woods.
The Royal Canadian Navy's photographers were, among others, Richard Arless, Herbert Black, Dinny Dinsmore, Ken Fosbery, Glen Frankfurter, Guy Goulet, Jack Hawes, Roy Kemp, Jack Kempster, George Lawrence, Gar Lunney, Jack Mahoney, John Merriman, Gib Milne (above), Gerry Moses, Gerry Murison, Herb Nott, Ed Pryor, Gerry Richardson, Dennis Sullivan, Alf Tate, Don Thorndick and Jacques Trepanier.
News of the war
Canadians relied on photographs for information during the war. The prompt and regular release of photographs to both national and local newspapers, and their publication in mass-circulation periodicals like the Montréal Standard, the Toronto Star Weekly and Maclean's Magazine brought the photographs to a very large audience. Aware that their work was being used and appreciated, the photographers felt a sense of responsibility to the Canadian people, and this impelled them to be the first to record important events of the war.
Frank Royal's photographs* were the first to be released of the invasion of Sicily on July 10, 1943. Gib Milne** and Frank Dubervill took the first photographs to appear in Allied newspapers showing the D-Day landings in Normandy on June 6, 1944. Don Grant photographed Major David Currie in the act of winning the Victoria Cross on August 19, 1944. Dubervill also photographed the liberation of Paris on August 26, 1944, and went on to document the link-up of American and Russian troops at Torgau on the Elbe River in Germany during April 1945. Finally, Alex Stirton photographed the historic surrender of German forces at Wageningen in the Netherlands on May 5, 1945.
*Frank Royal's photographs still elude me, but it's 'early days'
** Gilbert A. Milne produced the book H.M.C.S. One Photographer's Impressions in 1960 with writing credit given to Scott Young (father of Canadian singer/songwriter Neil Young)
My father had a copy of this book in his collection. My copy, above,
was purchased at AbeBooks.ca for under $20 CAN. GH
More information related to Canadian WWII photographers, videographers, etc., will soon follow from LAC and other sources and resources.
Please click here to view more research by the editor of this site: Post-Dieppe, August 26 - 31, 1942 (Part 4)
Please click here to view photographs related to the book "Combined Operations" by Londoner Clayton Marks
Unattributed Photos GH
Please click here to view photographs related to the book "Combined Operations" by Londoner Clayton Marks
Unattributed Photos GH
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