| Original caption: ” British infantry advances through the dust and smoke of the battle.” Posed ‘action’ photograph of British troops at El Alamein. 1 of the most active of the Army Film and Photographic Units (AFPU) was known as “Chet’s circus,” led by Sergeant Leonard “Len” Chetwyn (January 12, 1909 – July 1980), who was previously a Fleet Street photographer. He was responsible for dramatic and frequently published pictures, in which Allied soldiers are seen advancing into battle. Partly because British official policy discouraged front-line journalism, and partly because inactive troops were frequently available for “exercises,” reconstructed events were not uncommonly photographed. AFPU cameraman Sergeant lan Grant (1917 – 1981) said that “Chet’s circus” was”…bribing the support of some of the troops who were relaxing with bottles of whisky. Then they created their own little battle sequences. You got things like Chetwyn sitting on the top of a tank with maybe a couple of tanks riding out in echelon in front out of the frame of his camera. They would charge forward. In front he would have a box of hand grenades and he would lob the grenades in front of him while he was filming. This was approved by the War Office, but a lot of photographers did not like it.” | |
| Image Filename | wwii0732.jpg |
| Image Size | 363.23 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 2176 x 2565 |
| 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 | October 29, 1942 |
| Location | |
| City | El Alamein |
| State or Province | Matrouh |
| Country | Egypt |
| Archive | |
| Record Number | |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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