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No photograph that is displayed and posted on this blog may be reproduced, copied, stored, manipulated or used in whole or in part of a derivative work without the prior written permission of the Copyright (c) Owner & Photographer: Trevor David Betts BA (Hons). All rights reserved.

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Friday, 5 June 2009

LEST WE FORGET - 6th June 1944.


The Cenotaph, Kingston-upon-Hull, East Yorkshire, England.


Arromanches, Normandy, France.


The Cenotaph, Whitehall, London, England.


Paddington, London, England.


St.Aubin-sur-mer, Normandy, France.


Kensington Gardens, London, England.


"THE NORMANDY VETERANS - (Lest We Forget)"

A collection of images from The Normandy Veterans - (Lest We Forget) Project which I did circa 1998-2002. Which is very fitting considering it is the 65th anniversary of the D-Day landings tomorrow - Saturday 6th June 2009.

Over the course of four years whilst taking photographs of surviving British D-Day and Normandy Veterans from the Hull & District Branch of the Normandy Veterans Association I came to know many individuals very well. Sadly due to the ravages of time a lot of these old warriors are no longer with us. So I will take this opportunity to say thank you to a select few from this band of brothers who are no longer with us (these are just a few of the many individual's who I came to know very well).

If they were still with us, I have no doubt at all that they would be in Normandy to pay their respects to many of their former young fallen friends and comrades who landed from the air and sea onto Normandy soil on the evening of 5th June and the morning of 6th June 1944 (the Longest Day).

ROLL OF HONOUR

Maxwell Vernon Hearst - East Yorkshire Regiment.
Tom Lyons - Royal Army Medical Corps.
Bob Thompson - Royal Military Police.
Len Pounder - Pioneer Corps.
Ben Bainbridge - RAF Regiment.
Alf Mellor - Royal Navy.
John Smith - Merchant Navy.


I should point out that I fully realise that Operation Overlord did not just involve British forces (even though Hollywood does tend to change history). Our allies included Canada, America, Poland and many other countries. Over 150,000 soldiers landed on five designated beaches on the morning of 6th June 1944, in what was and still is the largest military operation of it's kind.

Another 20,000 landed from the sky in gliders or by parachute. At the end of this day some 10,000 Allied servicemen were either dead, wounded or listed as missing (over 2,000 of those were casualties on Omaha beach alone). German forces suffered over 35,000 casualties that day. The battle for Normandy took another ten weeks and cost some 500,000 casualties on all sides. In May 1945 the war in Europe was finally over.

Trevor David Betts BA (Hons.)

Former 24296655 Cpl, 2nd Battalion Royal Anglian Regiment, British Army (1979-1988).
7th (V) Battalion Royal Anglian Regiment TAVR (1972 -1979).

5th June 2009.

Copyright of all images and work displayed upon this blog spot are the exclusive property of Trevor David Betts. All rights reserved.
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HELLO AND WELCOME

To my Photo Blog,

All my monochrome photography is darkroom produced. This portfolio consists of photographs from several of my projects, assignments, personal and course related work. Some of these monochrome photographic prints are then selectively toned.

Take a look at the slide show, or the popular posts. Click onto some of the many excellent blogs that I have listed in my blog roll. I welcome constructive feedback (post a comment).

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Also from time to time I will post videos that are of interest to me, mainly from my military background.

Yours sincerely

Trevor David Betts BA (Hons)

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TECHNICAL INFORMATION

All the photographs featured on this blog spot were taken on Canon analog 35mm SLR cameras which included: Canon A1, Canon AE1 (non-programme) and Canon T90. The Canon A1 was rendered useless after prolonged exposure to salt spray residue, and the AE1 suffered a malfunction, and one of my T90s just packed up on me during a photographic shoot.

Most of my camera equipment was initially purchased brand new, then as the years have past I have purchased second-hand equipment. But the vast majority of equipment I currently possess is well over twenty years old.

Canon FD lenses used were: 28, and 35mm wide angle, 50mm standard, 35-105mm short telephoto zoom and a 70-210mm large telephoto zoom lenses. Also used was a loaned Mamiya 645 with 50 and 80mm lenses. My favourite combination is a T90 fitted with the 35-105mm lens with an Hoya orange filter. I use Hoya orange, red, neutral density, and skylight filters. Hoya and Canon lens hoods. A Canon remote cable. I have used a great Metz 45 CT-4 flashgun for many years. I used this for the bounced and fill-in flash for some of the documentary and portraiture work.

Studio flash used was Courtenay brolly flash (just two heads fitted with soft boxes) at Hull Community Artworks studio (sadly this excellent local arts facility closed in 2001). Billingham and Tamrac camera bags (the Billingham is a old model that I have had for years - wonderful bags). The Tamrac one is a medium sized back pack type bag. Slik Black Diamond 88, and 500 DX Pro tripods. A Cullmann touring set (which consists of a light tripod, ball and swivel head, all-purpose clamp, suction cap, and a ground spike). I presently have three Canon T90 and one A1 SLR cameras.

Film used was mainly 35mm (with some 120mm). Ilford Delta monochrome negative print film, 100 asa (a few rolls of 400 asa as well). Ilford HP5 and FP4 (400 and 125 asa respectively). Fuji Neopan 400 asa. Various Fuji colour film. Photographic chemicals: Ilford ID-11 and Microphen film developers. Agfa Rodinal fine grain film developer, and Ilford Hypam fixer.

Photographic paper: Ilford Multigrade IV VC paper, Fibre based VC paper including warm and cool tone. Kentmere Velvet Stipple and Art Document papers. Kodak selenium toner. Barclay and Fotospeed sepia toners, and Colorvir blue toner. Durst M60 and Meopta 5 enlargers fitted with 50 and 80mm Schneider lenses. Kenro negative sheets and Jessops negative folders.

Most of my photography involves the use of the camera being securely mounted onto the tripod, with the shutter set to the 10 second delay. I bracket my exposures (relying on the excellent Canon in-camera meter). My aperture settings are usually between F5.6 and F22. In the vast majority of cases the very first exposure I take is usually the correctly exposed one.

Finished photographic prints (spotted if needed). At the 10 x 8 inch size are then scanned on an Epsom 1660 photo perfection scanner using Adope Photoshop CS2 at the 5.5 x 3.5 inch image or canvas size, 150 dpi and at the 750 x 550 pixels size, and saved as for the web. The only thing that is manipulated is the brightness balance and contrast levels.

DON'T FORGET

"It is the soldier, not the minister, who has given us freedom of religion.

It is the soldier, not the lawyer, who has given us the right to fair protest.

It is the soldier, not the politician, who has given us freedom of speech.

It is the soldier, whose coffin is draped by the flag, who allows the protester to burn the flag."

From: "Fighting for Queen and Country,
by Nigel 'Spud' Ely. Blake Publishing London, 2007."