Leafing through Clean Sweep, Tony Spooner's book about the life of Ivor Broom, came across this pic. Now with pics, I'm big on first impressions and this one knocked me for six. Amazing photo.
Cracking shot. I think its great that some crew took the chance / risk of getting the odd snapshot while at work. Considering the equipment that they had (camera wise) with no auto focus, sport mode, auto exposure etc and then the development hassle....thats a point, would the pics have been developed on Station ?... plus the size of the equipment, trying to hold it steady while the dude up front is trying his damdest not to fly straight and level, some great pics have been produced. Would you have to clear the possibility of taking pics with the pilot before the start of a sortie, or just do it and hope all turns out well ?. Does anyone have first hand experience of taking pics while on mission ? Over to you
Gary, in Patrick Gibbs' book Not Peace but a Sword, he refers to one of his colleagues, a F/L Dick Beauman, on 22 Sqn (Beauforts) who was by then a veteran even at that early stage of the war. Reading the book, it's safe to say that Beauman was the father of "Rovers". Anyhoo, Beauman took to flying up and down the Dutch and Belgian coasts while on a Rover with his observer photographing everything they could. There's even some instances of them going to considerable trouble to photograph a convoy or harbour even if they had just missed it with a torpedo etc! I believe the pics were produced on site and some even appeared in the papers. Considering the number they seem to have produced, it makes you wonder where they all went! I hope IWM or Kew etc has them. Beauman and his crew were later lost towards the end of Gibbs' tour with 22.
