Harold Paton. Photo / Ross White.
Harold Paton,
war photographer.
Died aged 90.
In May 1941, New Zealand soldier Harold Paton had just returned from an all-night patrol in Maadi Camp in Egypt when he was called to Bludgers Hill, the name soldiers had for the administration block. The New Zealand Prime Minister, Peter Fraser, was visiting the troops - would Paton be
able to take some photographs?
The former cadet photographer with the Auckland Star grabbed the Super-Ikonta camera he had bought with a loan from the newspaper and took pictures not only of Mr Fraser, but also of British General Archibald Wavell.
Paton was subsequently removed from frontline duties and inducted into the New Zealand headquarters' staff as official 2NZEF war photographer. He was given one shilling and sixpence to buy film.
The camera was later stolen in Cairo, but Paton replaced it with a Rolleicord.
He photographed New Zealanders at war in the desert campaigns from Egypt to Tunisia and Syria, going wherever NZ leader General Bernard Freyberg and the troops went.
Film was sent to Cairo for processing and then forwarded to the Ministry of Publicity in New Zealand, where the photos were dispersed to newspapers and the archives.
Paton's photographic subjects included Winston Churchill smoking a cigar, assorted British generals, and of course Freyberg, with whom he was on "waving and nodding" terms.
Paton went on to the Pacific theatre with the National Film Unit to make films about the campaigns in Guadalcanal and Green Island.
He was invalided out of the Army in 1944.
And did he ever regard himself as trying to show history being made?
"I thought of my job as presenting to the people back home what the boys were doing. And they were doing a pretty good job."
He rejoined the Auckland Star before leaving to go into business. He returned to the newspaper in 1953 in the position of chief photographer until his retirement in 1979.
Harold Paton is survived by his third wife, Olive, and his three
daughters.
