Army Film & Photograhic Unit

History

HISTORY OF THE UNIT

The structure of the A.F.P.U. has been tucked away behind a series of pseudonyms such as War Correspondent, Official War Office Photos, Imperial War Museum material or just plain Newsreel Sources.

This tends to give the impression that both stills and cine material were entirely the end product of Official War Correspondents (who did contribute some excellent material with superior equipment). But ultimately were not permitted such unprecedented access to front line action as the men of the A.F.P.U.

However, due to limitations on access there is no way that they could have covered every theatre of war during World War 2 as thoroughly, or as well as, the Army Film & Photographic Unit.

The film and photo section began the war as part of the Public Relations Service – it was not to become the A.F.P.U. until the Western Desert. Following pressure from the British Ministry of Information the War Office formed an expanded version of the Army Film Unit, the Army Film & Photographic Unit (AFPU), in October 1941.

In those early days it vied for position with the Fleet Street boys and the likes of Pathe News etc. It was not until later that the A.F.P.U. would be granted unprecedented access to all parts of the front-line.