Sgt. Christie No. 5 Army Film and Photo Unit 6th Airborne Division

Hi,

This is known by a number here already, but I thought I would post for the record the photographs Sgts Jim Christie and Mike Lewis took of each other paying their respects at the Memorial to the 1st Parachute Brigade in Tunisia. In the description for the photo of Lewis (NA 7679) the date given is 14 October 1943. They would have both been with No. 2 AFPU at the time. The photo of Christie comes from the book/thesis "Constant Witness" (2015) by Mike Lewis' daughter, Helen.



On another note Guy Hudson recently sent me a still of what appears to be a cameraman at Pegasus Bridge. It's not very clear but intriguing nonetheless and a great spot by Guy.



The still was taken from a Ina.fr film available for viewing online. The man appears at the end of a clip showing a passing ambulance vehicle as it crosses the bridge. The scenes of the many army vehicles passing over the bridge were captured by Sgt. Ian Grant, 5 AFPU, on June 14th, 1944 as is confirmed by the poor quality video on the IWM site.

Could the cameraman be Jim Christie? It's hard to say with certainty but he could possibly be wearing a Para helmet. Christie took a number of photos at the bridge but I have yet to find any dated June 14th. On June 15th the pair were definitely together photographing gliders at the north end of LZ N near Ecarde.

Regards ...

 

Re. Sgt. Christie No. 5 Army Film and Photo Unit 6th Airborne Division

It has now. The link above works and there is also...

BRITISH MILITARY TRAFFIC COPES WITH FLOODS ON THE ROADS IN NORMANDY (PART 5) [Allocated Title]

...which shows a version frame by frame.

Extraordinarily Christie is rather illusive in it. Almost exclusively the shots are merely of his boots or his legs and boots as he wades through mud. About as high as the camera rises is to his hip to show that he is wearing a holstered revolver.

There are a few other shots of him rather far away. Across the muddy road he is stood looking back at the film cameraman with his still camera covering his face as he looks through the view finder. A little later he is seen again quite far away with a large coat in which he conceals his camera as he turns away, so as to try to be in the film's shot as little as possible.

 

Reading through the posts on this thread...

Sgt. Christie No. 5 Army Film and Photo Unit 6th Airborne Division

Has a photo marked as Christie - bottom right below...

Slightly confusing, as juxtaposed with... Christie shown here...

Sgt. Christie No. 5 Army Film and Photo Unit 6th Airborne Division

 

Hi,

I had a discussion some time ago now with another member who expressed doubt that the man to bottom right of your collage was Sgt. Jim Christie. IWM names him S/Sgt. P.T. Christi and a fuller photo catches what appears to be the edge of a name tag sewn to right breast. So possibly a glider pilot - not sure?



Regards ...

 

Peter Thomas CHRISTIE
8th January 1918 Southampton, Hampshire - 21st October 1989 Southampton, Hampshire

 

Tangent.

Film A70 90-6 was shot by Leatherbarrow on 20-7-44
Film A70 90-7 is the same scenes filmed by Ginger.

Leatherbarrow managed to film Ginger

 

It is always interesting to come across instances where a cameraman catches his partner recording the same scene or just off to the side. Christie deliberately or not may have captured his cine partner, Harry Oakes, a few times. Christie himself was caught by Bert Hardy turning away as they both shot the same scene of marching German POWs from opposing directions on Bislicher Str. Otherwise hardly noticeable.



Regards ...

 

Slightly off topic, but I am researching the service of Sgt Martyn Wilson AFPU who was awarded the MM for his service with the Commandos in North Africa. He later went on to serve in Italy and was commissioned in 1944 before D Day. At that stage he became a member of 5 AFPU and served in NW Europe. His photos of Belsen at the end of WW2 are well known.
I have not been able to find out much other than the period of time he was in Belsen about his movements between D Day and the end of WW2.
Does anyone have any information on this period. I have read Camerman at War and The History of the AFPU but the only mentions of him in NW europe are his time in Belsen and on Lunenberg Heath at the end of the war.
I am also looking for the 5 AFPU war diaries for 1944 and 1945 if anyone can help.

Cheers

Arnhem

 

Another tangent.

Sgt Ginger also filmed Sgt Midgley:


From 22nd Dragoons tanks in Normandy (plus a few Westminster Dragoons ones...)

Michel

 

Hat Styles in Hamminkeln taken by Christie

 

After everyone's dogged endeavours, is this Christie?

03:55 from A70 41-6 unknown paratrooper holding up Leatherbarrow's clapper board (minus the clapper)
ACTIVITIES IN THE ORNE BRIDGEHEAD, JUNE 1944 (PART 1)

 

brithm,

First thought is no, but I don't have the best track record. Looks like Leatherbarrow was at the Bridge on the 11th. I thought Christie was with Sgt Ian Grant at the Bridge on the 11th? Not sure now?

Darker image



Regards ...

Second thoughts - eyebrows that almost meet - mmh maybe ...

 

Hi,

Grant was at the Bridge on the 14th. Poor quality here:

SCENES IN 1ST CORPS' SECTOR OF 2ND ARMY'S BEACH-HEAD IN NORMANDY (PART 6) [Allocated Title]

Earliest shot of Pegasus Bridge found so far is June 8th by Christie. Any earlier?

Regards ...

Added - a paper on Pegasus Bridge photos which is mostly just pics with the odd observation thrown in. Several Christie photos included. Download from here:

Pegasus Bridge Photos.pdf - Icedrive

 

I'm convinced that it is Christie holding the chalk board, you can see the neckstrap of his Super Ikonta.
Interesting to compare the positon of the cap badge on the beret with the Reichstag and Normandy photographs. Great find.

 

Hi,

Well done Guy!

Christie made it to the Orne Bridge on D-Day as did Captain Evans earlier in the day where he caught the Commandos with horse and cart.



But I'm off on one of my tangents.

Regards ...

 

Geoffrey Bocca, with Lt. Simpson, M.M. 7th Parachute Battalion & Capt. Clancy, 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion

Look 19th April 1955

 

Stanley Maxted mentions Bocca in his Varsity account:

" ... On the next bunk to mine was a kid of 21, who from time to time came out with some of the most naïve questions imaginable. He represented a London daily paper, and this was his first assignment. His enthusiasm was terrific, but it was plain to see that he hadn’t the foggiest idea of what he was in for. He was an engaging kid, and quite new to the business. He had been in the merchant marine, but should never have been sent on a thing like this for his first job. Just now he was fairly bubbling at the thought of how upset the Huns were going to be when they saw all those gliders and parachutes coming down on them. That night when I was half asleep, he reached his arm across and tapped the blankets over my shoulder. He enquired, very softly, “I say—can a war correspondent win the V.C.?” I mumbled something about no, a war correspondent couldn’t win the V.C.—and anyway, all he was supposed to do was to make darned sure that everybody heard about the guys who did win them. ... "

Later at Div HQ he writes:

" ... Back where the lads were digging slit trenches for the night we learned that the kid, Bill, hadn’t been heard from and neither had his glider. I thought of those flaming in the air, and how he had wanted to win the V.C. I looked around at smoking patches here and there that marked burned-up gliders. Wherever he was, the kid was in pretty grand company that night. ... "

Regards ...

 

Hi,

Guy noticed in his Twitter feed that cine cameraman Sgt. A.E. Wilkes of 5 AFPU caught his partner, Sgt. Jim Christie, as he walked into his shot, and also a bit later in the background as Christie photographs approaching tanks.

Stealing Guy's thunder once again ...



IWM Film A70 85-1

Regards ...

 

Spotted by m kenny back in 2018
Missing-Lynx-Another oddity to ID -

 

hello

Hello Gents,


i have read trough this threat and as far as i can read the driver of the kugelwagen with the W.C. men in it is still unidentified ?!
but could it be Sgt Mike Lewis, i know we dont see a para cape badge but he looks like him.



can anyone indentify the cape badge of the driver?