Canadian Forces

THE MEN RESP0NSIBLE FOR MANY OF THESE PHOTOGRAPHS

gsellars

Starting in 1940, uniformed photographic units were formed for the Canadian Army, the RCAF, and the RCN. Needless to say, photographic technology back then wasn't what it is today: Photographers either swore by or swore at "Old Reliable," the widely used Speed Graphic 4 x 5 press camera. It was at its best when shooting relatively static subjects under stable conditions. Consequently, photographers like Ken Bell, Alex Stirton and Gerry Moses preferred the 2 1/4 x 2 1/4 Rolleiflex camera in combat situations, as it was smaller, easier to handle, and could be protected inside one's tunic. The most important accessory that the photographers lacked was the telephoto lens; without it, for example, Gerry Moses, shooting from HMCS Uganda, was unable to zoom in on a distant Japanese kamikaze attack on the British Pacific Fleet, which would have produced striking photographs. I would have loved to have seen those photographs as my father Royal Marine Jim Sellars was serving on the HMS Illustrious aircraft carrier and manned an anti aircraft gun fighting against the Japanese Suicide bombers. My father also talked about an occasion when HMCS Uganda accidentally raked the Illustrious with anti aircraft fire, killing several British Sailors. The Uganda is notorious in Canadian history for actually voting itself out of the war in the Pacific. It turns out the sailors on board had only enlisted to fight the Axis forces until the liberation of Europe. When that segment of the conflict ended, the Uganda was sent to fight the Japanese but the sailors had to agree to fight the Japanese, they voted not to and in typical Canadian fashion headed back to Canada, much to the chagrin of the allies.