| Original wartime caption: “Troops of the Ninth Australian Division were being held up by a German strongpoint. They decided to storm it and pave the way for a further advance. Through a dense smoke screen which hid their movements from the enemy, the Australians approached the strongpoint, ready to rush in from different sides.” After halting the advance of Axis forces into Egypt at El Alamein in July 1942, the United Kingdom Royal 8th Army, now led by Lieutenant General Bernard L. Montgomery (November 17, 1887 – March 24, 1976) or “Monty,” as he was affectionately called by his 8th Army and the press — launched a large-scale offensive to drive Nazi German Generalfeldmarschall Erwin Rommel (November 15, 1891 – October 14, 1944), known in the press as the “Desert Fox,” and his men out of North Africa. Monty’s initial plan was for Allied soldiers to clear the minefields that the German and Italian troops had laid in front of their defensive positions. Aware that tanks would trigger the mines, Monty began his attack on the enemy’s front line on October 23, 1942, with Operation Lightfoot, where British infantry would advance across the minefields and clear a path for the rest of the 8th Army to follow and break through the Axis defensive positions. Monty needed a lot of brave soldiers to carry out Operation Lightfoot and when the time came there was no shortage of volunteers. Many Australians from the 9th Division like Private Percy Gratwick (October 19, 1902 – October 26, 1942) were involved in the assault and fought hard to wrest outposts from a determined enemy in the northern sector of the battlefield. At 1 point the men of the 2nd/48th Battalion found themselves face-to-face with a German defensive position protected by barbed wire, mines and booby traps. After losing his commanding officer to wounds, Sergeant Bill Kibby (April 15, 1903 – October 31, 1942) took matters into his own hands and, calling “Follow me!,” dashed forward firing his Thompson submachine gun and silenced the post, killing 3 Nazi German soldaten and taking the surrender of 12 others. However, the minefields along the Axis front proved thicker than expected and soldiers trying to clear paths through them were hit by heavy defensive fire. Paths had still not been cut through the desert towards Rommel’s defensive positions by October 24. On October 25, men of the Australian 9th Infantry Division were called on to assault the strategically valuable “Trig 29,” an elevated Axis strong point in the northern sector of the battlefield. The 26th Brigade attacked at midnight, with the support of a heavy artillery barrage. Warrant Officer Colin L. “Cobber” Craig (June 17, 1969 – of the 2nd/13th Battalion described the bombardment: “The sky rocked, it was like the onset of an earthquake accompanied by a lightning storm.” The Australians captured and held Trig 29 that night. Fierce and persistent fighting between Axis and Australian troops continued for several days as the Australians protected the newly held position from determined counterattacks. Rommel threw everything he could at the Australians. The Desert Fox wrote that “attacks were launched by elements of 15.Panzer-Division, the Littorio Division and a Bersaglieri Battalion, supported by all the local artillery and anti-aircraft guns. The British resistance was desperate. Rivers of blood were poured out over miserable strips of land. Those miserable strips of land remained in Australian hands, however, as the troops of the 9th Infantry Division dug in, repelled attacks and launched their own counterattacks. Private Eric Lambert (January 19, 1918 – April 16, 1966) of the 2nd/2nd Machine Gun Battalion described the fighting best: “How I came thru it God only knows; men on either side were falling, and I became convinced I bore a charmed life and no longer bothered to go to ground. Ahead of us loomed a ridge; machine guns pelted it from both sides. The bullets as they came past me were like comets. Passing thru the post taken by the Company in front, all its defenders lay dead in trenches, except 1 whom I sent careering fearfully back with his arms up. Past here death and blood came thick among us…for a moment chaos and disorganization reigned, but the line reformed, the shells cut among us like scythes. Brennan came running back, his arm pouring blood, seeking a stretcher bearer. His dirty wide eyed face passed mine and was gone; Beard, hit by the same shell, lay bleeding to death. Men wandered everywhere bleeding, hoarse, distracted…We began to dig like things possessed expecting the counter-attack. It was during this period of fighting that Private Percy Gratwick, a gold prospector in civilian life, charged bravely into the night. Gratwick used a couple of grenades to kill a Nazi German machine gun crew that had been pinning down his comrades, then killed the crew of a mortar with his rifle and bayonet. Finally, even through badly wounded, he killed the crew of another machine gun post before dropping dead. His actions earned him the Victoria Cross. His death was certainly not in vain either, as his inspired comrades crept forward that night and managed to capture the important high ground. For his heroic actions and self-sacrifice that night, Private Percy Gratwick was posthumously recommended for the Victoria Cross. Awarded for ‘unselfish courage and “gallant and determined efforts,” it was presented to his mother in Perth on November 21, 1943. Gratwick was not the only Australian at El Alamein to receive this high honor, however. Bill Kibby, after showing so much determination and bravery, became the 3rd Australian to be posthumously awarded a Victoria Cross in North Africa. On the night of October 31, Kibby and his platoon came under intense machine gun fire as the Australians pressed deep into the Nazi German front line. After reorganizing those men in his platoon who had survived the Nazi German machine guns and shelling, Kibby charged forward and attacked several machine guns firing directly at him from a few meters (yards) away. Most likely knowing that he was about to be killed, Kibby kept going, destroyed a German machine gun nest, then fell dead, hit by a burst of fire. According to his citation, Kibby “left behind him an example and memory of a soldier who fearlessly and unselfishly fought to the end to carry out his duty.” Brigadier General Arthur L. Godfrey (January 26, 1896 – November 4, 1942) was another Australian who gave his all during the relentless fighting along the Egyptian coast. Although he was killed by a shell falling directly on a tactical headquarters, a promise the much-respected Godfrey had made to his men nearly 2 years earlier had been fulfilled: “No matter what happens to us, when we go forward we shall give the enemy such a thrashing that they will never willingly stand up to an assault by Australian infantry again.” This tenacious brand of fighting by the Australians at Trig 29 forced Rommel to send more and more men, guns and tanks to the northern sector of the front. Montgomery exploited this movement of troops from the south to the north by amassing a large — and largely rested and refreshed – British force in the southern sector, preparing it for the “Supercharge.” Operation Supercharge was a 2nd attempt at a breakthrough, which this time would take place against a stretched, exhausted and weakened enemy. Supercharge was a success: British forces broke through Rommel’s stretched defenses in the south and, after almost encircling them, forced their retreat from Egypt. The Australian 9th Infantry Division had played a major role in drawing Axis troops to the north and weakening the southern sector of the El Alamein battlefield, which in turn led to the successful launch of the British breakthrough. As British XXX Corps General Officer Commanding Lieutenant General Sir Oliver Leese (October 27, 1894 – January 22, 1978) said, “the Ninth Infantry Division’s actions gave the opportunity for the conception of the final break through the center, but this could never have been carried out if your front has been broken.” It was a great battle and Australian soldiers played a vital role in defeating the Axis forces and chasing them out of the North African desert. On November 2, 1942, Monty passed a message on to the 9th Infantry Division through its commander, Lieutenant General Sir Leslie James Morshead (September 18, 1889 – September 26, 1959): I want to congratulate you on the magnificent work your division has done on the right side of the line. Your men are absolutely splendid. Please tell the division that I am delighted with the way it was fought. This was not said in the heat of the moment. Indeed, years after the war Montgomery wrote that “we could not have won the battle…without that magnificent Australian Division.” Monty was not alone in attributing the victory to the Austral-ians. Leese, in congratulating the 9th Division on the victory at EL Alamein, said in November 1942, the final break was, in my opinion, a very bold conception by the Army Commander, and 1 which he could never have carried out unless he was certain of the valiant resistance that would be put up by your Division. It was also a great battle because, almost for the 1st time in World War II, an Allied army had convincingly defeated European Axis forces. This boosted the morale of soldiers and their leaders, as well as those at the home front, and gave the Allies the momentum in the war. After the 2nd Battle of El Alamein, Rommel and his men were forced to retreat from Egypt all the way back to Tunisia, and were eventually forced out of North Africa for good. This was a turning point for the Allies. As Churchill stated after the battle: ‘This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning. Though the Australians had suffered 2,694 casualties, their heroic fighting and dogged resistance in the northern sector of El Alamein had played a pivotal role in tipping the balance of the war in favor of the Allies. A native of Liverpool, Fleet Street photographer Sergeant Leonard “Len” Chetwyn (January 12, 1909 – July 1980) joined the Royal Artillery in 1939 but was quickly assigned to the Army Film and Photographic Unit (AFPU). Due to a lack of camera equipment, Chetwyn was paired with Number 1 Film and Photo Section General Officer Commanding Major Geoffrey Keating (August 25, 1914 – January 30, 1981) and Terry Ashwood (April 6, 1911 – January 1993) of Pathé News to cover the 2nd Battle of El Alamein together. The Number 1 United Kingdom Royal Army Film and Photo Section, AFPU, was profiled in the February 20, 1943, issue of Illustrated Magazine with photos taken in Libya on December 10, 1942: “Chet’s Circus: Most of the Eighth Army knows Chet’s Circus, for it is the nickname of the the members of the Army Film and Photo Unit who have been picturing their activities. And here you see the men who did so fine a job. Attached to the Eighth Army in North Africa is a team of photographers – sergeants of the AFPU – who accompanied the troops in the triumphant defeat and pursuit of Rommel. Known as “Chet’s Circus,” after their leader, a former Fleet Street photographer, the team comprises four expert cameramen who worked for Keystone Press Agency, Kodak, The Leicester Mercury and Paramount, respectively. These cameramen, who have between them procured some of the most remarkable war pictures of the present conflict, have a roving commission. Moving in the front line and sharing all the hardships of the soldier on active service, they go wherever action is present.” “Not only have they written history on scrolls of celluloid, they have also provided an authentic and thrilling record of British military achievement that will prove an invaluable adjunct to our propaganda material. In fact, the Army cameramen are doing an important job extremely well.” “Members of the AFPU have done such fine work. Their desert home is their Army truck [“Chet’s Circus!” is painted on the side of the hood.] Ere the enemy have been driven out of Sidi Barrani, [an AFPU] Sergeant was in action. And from his precarious foothold in the ruins he got fine pictures.” “Like other units of the Eighth army, Chet’s Circus had to take the rest as and when they could during the advance. The driver [is] sleeping on the sand.” “It is anything but easy to find time for washing one’s clothes. But when the chance does come, [a] home-made copper does excellent work.” “‘Short round the back and sides, sir?’ When a sergeant decides he needs a haircut, one of his colleagues is always ready to help even though skill is lacking.” “One of the sergeant photographer [is] ready to set out in search of work. That he is prepared for shooting of both types is proved by cine cameras and his revolver.” “During the Eighth Army’s triumphant attack on Rommel and subsequent advance, infantry, the dust swirling around them, are moving forward. They are opening up with rifle and Bren gun, using a bombed-out enemy tank as their cover.” [This was the same patrol as in this photo.] “Knocked-out tanks yield rations. Hence the posture of the sergeant photographer [as he bends over into the tank.]” “Four cheery sergeant cameramen accompanied the Eighth Army’s advance. Three of them are Londoners and one a Liverpudlian.” “[A] sergeant photographer has found two flagons of Chianti to help out the water ration.” In 1942, the Public Relations Department of the War issued an assignment to photographers to create “representative” images of combat in North Africa for more dynamic images; AFPU photographer Leonard Chetwyn staged an Australian officer leading the charging line in the battle of El Alamein, using smoke in the background from the cookhouse to create a lively image. Rather than advancing towards a German strongpoint, the men are charging towards their own cookhouse. The idea to actually promote the practice of faking sequences or reconstructing events had been tried as early as December 10, 1942, when a group of AFPU cameramen were assigned under a War Office order to obtain material in this manner. This order came from a higher source than the AFPU General Officer Commanding David MacDonald (May 9, 1904 – June 22, 1983) and the group of cameramen involved came to be known as Chet’s Circus after the group’s leader, Sergeant Chetwyn, a former Fleet Street photographer. The other members of the group were Sergeants John Herbert (???? – ????), formerly with Kodak, Jim Mapham (May 5, 1909 – July 1968), formerly with the Leicester Mercury, Chris Windows (1919 – 1987), formerly with Paramount and Driver (????) Sampey (???? – ????), formerly a Manchester bus driver. Although the group produced some of the finest pictures of the Desert campaign and provided the newsreels with striking shots the experiment was short lived and the cine material produced lacked authenticity. Sergeant William “Billy” Jordan (March 27, 1918 – 1987) argues that the experiment was wrong and should not have been done as it was demeaning to the front line AFPU cameramen who were doing it the tough way. Jordan explains that he nearly fell into the trap of reconstructing scenes himself when he and Major Keating came across a group of Gurkhas who had just fought a big battle in the desert and had the Germans on the run “Arriving after it was all over and being Gurkhas, they insisted we film them in action. However, some of the dying scenes would have done Marlon Brando credit. They are great fighters but lousy actors but they enjoyed every minute of it.” Lieutenant Colonel Hugh Stewart’s (December 14, 1910 – May 31, 2011) opinion and instructions to cameramen regarding reconstruction or faking was unambiguous; it was simply not encouraged or acceptable: “There were apt to be schools of thought about this kind of thing. I feel pretty certain from time to time when I joined the Army Film Unit that the idea of the cavalry riding silhouette on a hillcrest was out. I didn’t think that would happen in time of war. I felt that what was likely was that everybody would keep as invisible as possible, which they do, and I felt also that shooting would occur between forces further apart than the normal camera could possibly ever pick up. So anything that would be effective cinematic I felt would likely be the exception rather than the rule and this is I’m sure absolutely true. Every now and then something does happen, but if you want to get…for instance…if you are shooting a battle and you get some real shots of the battle and you get some long shots of it, I don’t think it is immoral to go back and shoot some close ups to put in to create a correct editorial effect. What I don’t like at all is the idea of shooting entire battles nowhere near the situation at all, completely phoney and so on. So there is a distinction. It’s no good anybody saying to me, ‘Well even if you have one close up that’s unreal you’ve already betrayed yourself.’ I don’t agree. I think one has to be logical and sensible about this. You can’t shoot at night and so if you want to get a close up of someone at night, once you’ve got the real battle I don’t think it is unreasonable to shoot stuff like that to cut in to give extra cinematic life to the sequence.” Stewart felt so strongly about discouraging faking that he ordered an anti-faking policy to be impressed on trainees at Pinewood. Cameramen trained at Pinewood were left in no doubt that faked material was unacceptable. The speed with which events could take a cameraman unawares could create a situation where events were missed. In these exceptional circumstances an element of reconstruction was acceptable, however, any use of reconstructed material should be clearly marked on dope sheets to ensure the highest degree of integrity for the cameramen of the AFPU. Sergeant Peter Hopkinson (June 27, 1920 – June 28, 2007) recalls the pressure on the photographers to come up with exciting material for public consumption and how it affected he way the Unit was run: “[Number One Film and Photo Section General Officer Commanding Major Geoffrey Keating (August 25, 1914 – January 30, 1981)] only went along with re-enactment because I think he was being bombarded by the War Office, saying ‘Where are the pictures of this great war?’ But war isn’t like the Hollywood concept wanted by our lords and masters, never was and never will be.” Chet’s Circus ran until he was sent back to the United Kingdom in late 1943 for illness. He worked until he was hospitalized. Chetwyn was a staff photographer for the Yorkshire Post upon his discharge and recovery in 1944. This image was the cover of the November 27, 1942, issue of The War illustrated, Volume 6, Number 142. | |
| Image Filename | wwii0724.jpg |
| Image Size | 429.57 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 2218 x 1865 |
| Photographer | Leonard Chetwyn |
| Photographer Title | Number One United Kingdom Royal Army Film and Photo Section, Army Film and Photographic Unit |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | November 3, 1942 |
| Location | |
| City | El Alamein |
| State or Province | Matrouh |
| Country | Egypt |
| Archive | Imperial War Museum |
| Record Number | E 18908 |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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