John Winstone writes... yesterday, eighty years ago, the RAF 'airmen photographers', otherwise known as Mobile Field Photographic Section (124 Wing), landed at a secured Gold Beach. On 11th September lorries in the four landing craft unloaded fourteen vehicles, ten of which were articulated mobile darkrooms, plus the MFPS personnel. The mobile darkrooms, previously based on various English airfields, proved their worth travelling in convoy first to Amiens, Belgium, Holland and eventually Germany. Personnel serviced the cameras and loaded new film in reconnaissance planes, flying from recaptured airfields. Film processing in the mobile darkrooms was continuous through rollers in seven deep tanks - pre-wetting, developing, washing, fixing, first post-wash, final wash and methanol dried. It was invaluable experience for freelancers setting out on their own careers after demob.
Here is RW's shot of an early morning discussion on the starboard prow of LCT942 with bows open on Sword Beach and a shot of an MFPS contact printer. It is a type B F24 contact printer for 5" wide roll film, running in spools left & right of the pressure plate. Opal glasses within controlled exposure. This printer was a demob trophy, presently in Reece Winstone Archive.
The landing included Reece Winstone, John's father.
Read the full piece RAF MFPS_SwordBeach_1944.pdf
The Reece Winstone Archive: https://www.reecewinstone.co.uk/
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