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| 1. |  | Don McCullin 1961, August Construction of the Berlin Wall, Germany. US Marines keep watch from an upstairs window at Friedrichstrasse. Gelatin silver print Imperial War Museum Photograph © Don McCullin Don McCullin discovered photography during his period of compulsory national service with the Royal Air Force in the mid 1950s. From 1959 onwards, he pursued a career in photojournalism single-mindedly. McCullin's coverage of the construction of the Berlin Wall brought him the first of many awards and a part time contract with a major British national newspaper The Observer. This image was included in the exhibition "Shaped by War: Photographs by Don McCullin" at the Imperial War Museum North, Manchester, UK (6 February to 13 June 2010) |
| 2. |  | Don McCullin 1962, October The Cuban Missile Crisis. An anti-war protester confronts British police during a demonstration in Whitehall, London. Gelatin silver print Imperial War Museum Photograph © Don McCullin The acute tensions of the early Cold War provided McCullin with numerous opportunities for a news story. His photographs of this period document the impact of the confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union on Britain. This image was included in the exhibition "Shaped by War: Photographs by Don McCullin" at the Imperial War Museum North, Manchester, UK (6 February to 13 June 2010) |
| 3. |  | Don McCullin 1964, April Civil war in Cyprus. A distraught mother mourns the death of her husband, Ghaziveram. Gelatin silver print Imperial War Museum Photograph © Don McCullin In 1964, The Observer sent Don McCullin to cover the civil war in Cyprus. McCullin captured a sequence of remarkable photographs showing the suffering of Turkish Cypriots in raw, unflinching detail. For his work in this, his first major assignment as a professional photojournalist, McCullin became the first British photographer to be awarded the World Press Photo Award. This photograph was the World Press Photo of the Year. This image was included in the exhibition "Shaped by War: Photographs by Don McCullin" at the Imperial War Museum North, Manchester, UK (6 February to 13 June 2010) |
| 4. |  | Don McCullin 1967, June The Six Day War. An Israeli paratrooper near the Wailing Wall during the assault on Jerusalem. Gelatin silver print Imperial War Museum Photograph © Don McCullin In 1966, Don McCullin joined the staff of the pioneering Sunday Times Magazine in the UK. The Six Day War between Israel and neighbouring Arab states was his first major war assignment for the Magazine. Keeping pace with a fast moving conflict, he covered the Israeli Defence Force as it brought Jerusalem fully under Jewish control for the first time in 2,000 years. However, in his haste to file his pictures, McCullin left the scene too quickly, missing other important aspects of the story. He would not make this mistake again. This image was included in the exhibition "Shaped by War: Photographs by Don McCullin" at the Imperial War Museum North, Manchester, UK (6 February to 13 June 2010) |
| 5. |  | Don McCullin 1968, February Don McCullin with Delta Company, 1/5th US Marines during the Battle for Hue, Tet Offensive, Vietnam. Gelatin silver print Imperial War Museum Photograph ©: Nik Wheeler In January 1968, North Vietnamese forces occupied the ancient Imperial Citadel of Hue in one of the surprise attacks of the Tet Offensive. Don McCullin accompanied the 5th US Marines throughout almost two weeks of savage street fighting to retake the Citadel. This was an exceptionally dangerous assignment, in which McCullin was under constant fire. He took some of the most powerful photographs of his career but also experienced, for the first time, the effects of combat stress. This photograph was taken by Nik Wheeler using Don McCullin's camera. This image was included in the exhibition "Shaped by War: Photographs by Don McCullin" at the Imperial War Museum North, Manchester, UK (6 February to 13 June 2010) |
| 6. |  | Don McCullin 1968, February Delta Company, 1/5th US Marines in action during the Battle for Hue, Tet Offensive, Vietnam. Gelatin silver print Imperial War Museum Photograph © Don McCullin A Marine takes stock during a brief pause in the fighting. This image was included in the exhibition "Shaped by War: Photographs by Don McCullin" at the Imperial War Museum North, Manchester, UK (6 February to 13 June 2010) |
| 7. |  | Don McCullin 1968 (helmet issue) Don McCullin's US military issue helmet, worn during the Battle for Hue and subsequent war assignments. Colour image Imperial War Museum Photograph © Imperial War Museum Don McCullin acquired this helmet and other equipment second hand from a US military first aid post in Hue. He carried with him on many subsequent assignments. The fabric cover bears identification marks inscribed by McCullin and the US Marine to whom it was first issued. This image was included in the exhibition "Shaped by War: Photographs by Don McCullin" at the Imperial War Museum North, Manchester, UK (6 February to 13 June 2010) |
| 8. |  | Don McCullin 1970 Don McCullin's Nikon F camera, damaged by a Khmer Rouge AK47 bullet at Prey Veng, Cambodia. Colour image Imperial War Museum Photograph © Imperial War Museum The war in Cambodia was particularly savage. Cambodian communist forces, known as the Khmer Rouge, made no distinction between military and civilians, including journalists. In 1970, 25 journalists died in Cambodia. At Prey Veng, Don McCullin barely escaped with his life when the Vietnamese forces he was accompanying were ambushed twice within a few days. On the first occasion, McCullin was saved from injury by his Nikon F camera which stopped a bullet aimed for his head. On the second occasion, he was badly wounded by mortar shrapnel. This image was included in the exhibition "Shaped by War: Photographs by Don McCullin" at the Imperial War Museum North, Manchester, UK (6 February to 13 June 2010) |
| 9. |  | Don McCullin 1971 Riots in Northern Ireland. Don McCullin simultaneously dodges a British Army Humber 'Pig' and the missiles being thrown by rioters in the Bogside, Londonderry. Gelatin silver print Imperial War Museum Photograph © Clive Limpkin In 1969, the British Army deployed to Northern Ireland in an attempt to control escalating sectarian violence. However violence escalated still further as troops became a target for both sides. Don McCullin was particularly drawn to the street fighting. Seeking as ever to be at the centre of events, he himself became a target for both sides. This image was included in the exhibition "Shaped by War: Photographs by Don McCullin" at the Imperial War Museum North, Manchester, UK (6 February to 13 June 2010). This photograph by Clive Limpkin is on public display for the first time in the exhibition. |
| 10. |  | Don McCullin 1971, August Refugees from the War in Bangladesh. A mother and child in a refugee camp on the Indian frontier. Gelatin silver print Imperial War Museum Photograph © Don McCullin By the early 1970s, Don McCullin's photojournalism had changed from coverage of active fighting to that of the suffering of the victims of war. During the war to establish the independence of Bangladesh from Pakistan, he photographed the thousands of refugees and the suffering caused by the outbreak of disease during the monsoon season. His photographs, combined with the strong layouts of the Sunday Times Magazine editorial staff, evoked a strong response from the British public. This image was included in the exhibition "Shaped by War: Photographs by Don McCullin" at the Imperial War Museum North, Manchester, UK (6 February to 13 June 2010) |
| 11. |  | Don McCullin 1975 Don McCullin's National Union of Journalists accreditation Colour image Imperial War Museum Photograph © Imperial War Museum During the late 1970s, changes occurred which would have a dramatic effect on Don McCullin's career as a photojournalist. The popular mood swung against the sort of journalism which had made the Sunday Times so successful in the 1960s. British newspapers, under pressure from television news coverage and a worsening economic climate, struggled with falling circulation. The powerful Fleet Street trade unions thwarted attempts to modernise newspaper production. At The Times and Sunday Times Don McCullin's work appeared less frequently. McCullin, already struggling with war fatigue, injury and a disintegrating personal life, became increasingly frustrated and outspoken in his disagreements with editorial decisions. In 1983, he was sacked after publicly criticising editorial policy in a magazine interview. This image was included in the exhibition "Shaped by War: Photographs by Don McCullin" at the Imperial War Museum North, Manchester, UK (6 February to 13 June 2010) |
| 12. |  | Don McCullin 1990 Don McCullin Gelatin silver print Imperial War Museum Photograph © Philippe Vermes After leaving The Sunday Times, Don McCullin sought a new direction in photography. Depression, war fatigue and a turbulent personal life made the process lengthy and difficult. His experience of war and conflict continued to influence McCullin's work. This image was included in the exhibition "Shaped by War: Photographs by Don McCullin" at the Imperial War Museum North, Manchester, UK (6 February to 13 June 2010) |
| 13. |  | Don McCullin 2002 Tribal family with AK 47 Rifle, Omo Valley, Ethiopia. Gelatin silver print Imperial War Museum Photograph © Don McCullin Travel and social documentary photographs demonstrate an acute awareness of conflict, aggression and suffering. This image was included in the exhibition "Shaped by War: Photographs by Don McCullin" at the Imperial War Museum North, Manchester, UK (6 February to 13 June 2010) an AK-47 rifle, Mo Valley, Ethiopia, 2002. Image is on public display for the first time in the exhibition. |
| 14. |  | Don McCullin 2009, May Don McCullin, Somerset. Colour image Imperial War Museum Photograph © Hilary Roberts, Imperial War Museum Today, after many difficult and dangerous years, Don McCullin has found that photography can bring peace. He particularly enjoys photographing winter landscapes in the beautiful English countryside near his home in Somerset. 'My landscapes have become a form of meditation. They have healed a lot of my pain and guilt.' Don McCullin 2009 Taken by Hilary Roberts, Head of Imperial War Museum's Photographic Archive, at McCullin's home. This image was included in the exhibition "Shaped by War: Photographs by Don McCullin" at the Imperial War Museum North, Manchester, UK (6 February to 13 June 2010) |