AV News 177 - August 2009
Letters
Arthur's Secret
S tu a rt C la rk
Having read the story of the story, of Arthur's Secret (Page 28 Issue 176), your
readers may find the following of interest.
Prior to the fall of Singapore, Feb 1942, there were indeed no British military
photographers and the late Bryan Langley, employed by the Colonial Office,
was the last film cameraman to leave the island the day before it fell. One week
later he was lucky to escape from Java to India where he formed the Indian PR
Film Unit. The USA entered the war in December 1941. In 1942, Hugh Stewart,
now in his 98th year and later producer of all Norman Wisdom's films,
assembled his unit of cameramen, photographers and technicians, eventually
entitled the Army Film & Photographic Unit, to meet a directive from high places.
Pinewood Studios became it's HQ; No1 Unit was Cairo; No2 Western
Desert and Italy; No5 'D' DAY to Denmark; and No9 South East Asia
Command under Admiral Louis Mountbatten. From Kandi the Unit covered the
Burma campaign and the retaking of Malaya, whereupon Mountbatten moved
his HQ to Singapore. There, the unit was commanded by Lt; Col; C Derrick V.
Knight, who moved from Europe to SEAC, he later headed PR Reuter
Photography and was President of the Society in 1976.
I have records of three USA photographers only, in Burma, whose brief
appeared to be that of taking PR pictures of Generals. The USA crews came
into their own in the Pacific and Far East. All AFPU footage and negatives are
archived in the Imperial War Museum and rarely can one watch TV without
seeing images produced by, but never accredited to, unit members, many of
whom became the core of the post war film, photographic and TV industry.
As co-ordinator of the association of former members, I am currently
arranging for a plaque to be placed in the Special Forces Glade at the National
Memorial Arboretum, marking their deployment with Long Range Desert
Group, Special Boat Squadron, Chindits, Greek and Yugoslav Partisans and
others. Losses of 23% sustained are commemorated on the combined AFPU,
RAF No1 Film Unit memorial at Pinewood.
When
The
Studio
70th
anniversary gate was opened by
HM The Queen, in 2007, Hugh
Stewart, Les Ostinelli, formerly
technical director for Technicolor
and myself, were presented to
HM, representing that proud part
of it's history.
Stuart Clark, Les Ostinelli
and Hugh Stewart,
being presented to
HM The Queen
Page 48