Originally called Armistice Day, this day commemorated the end of the hostilities for the Great War (World War I), the signing of the armistice, which occurred on 11 November 1918 – the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. Armistice Day was observed by the Allies as a way of remembering those who died, especially soldiers with ‘no known grave’.
On the first anniversary of the armistice, in 1919, one minute’s silence was instituted as part of the main commemorative ceremony. In London, in 1920, the commemoration was given added significance with the return of the remains of an unknown soldier from the battlefields of the Western Front.
The Flanders poppy became accepted throughout the allied nations as the flower of remembrance to be worn on Armistice Day. The red poppies were among the first plants that sprouted from the devastation of the battlefields of northern France and Belgium. ‘Soldiers’ folklore had it that the poppies were vivid red from having been nurtured in ground drenched with the blood of their comrades’.
After the end of World War II in 1945, the Australian and British governments changed the name to Remembrance Day as an appropriate title for a day which would commemorate all war dead. In October 1997, then Governor-General of Australia, Sir William Deane, issued a proclamation declaring:
11 November as Remembrance Day and urging Australians to observe one minute’s silence at 11.00 am on Remembrance Day each year to remember the sacrifice of those who died or otherwise suffered in Australia’s cause in wars and war-like conflicts.
Taken from http://www.cultureandrecreation.gov.au/articles/remembrance/
So on this day of remembrance, I thought I would look into the lives of some famous war photographers. I suppose the name that comes to mind when i think of war photography is Robert Capa. Born in Budapest, Austria-Hungary in 1913, he was obviously to young to photograph the Great War, but is famous for his photos from the Spanish Civil war and WWII. He helped found Magnum Photos and is often quoted when people talk about street photography with this all to often heard quote.
“If your photographs aren’t good enough, you’re not close enough.”
It was in that terrific series, “The genius of photography“, that I first heard of Tony Vaccaro. He fought in the US Army and took his camera along. He talks about develpoing film in a helmet on a moonlit night during quiet times in the fighting. Certainly makes you think. I have troubles in my garage, and there is no chance of a bunch of Germans shooting at me through the window.
It really must take a ton of courage and a clear mind to take photos in times of war. So as well as remembering the soldiers today, I say we remember the photographers and journalists who reported on wars, and still do today.
Lest we forget.
