Alison Baskerville army photographs at Royal Artillery
- Published
Leamington Spa photojournalist Alison Baskerville is exhibiting photographs of women at war at the Royal Artillery Museum. In this image, a soldier called Jess takes time between patrols to clean her personal weapon, a 9mm Sig Sauer pistol.
Alison Baskerville served in the RAF for 12 years, seeing active service in Bosnia and Iraq. This is where she first became interested in photography and decided on a career change to become a photojournalist. In 2012 she went to Afghanistan to photograph women on the frontline.
The exhibition also shows Alison Baskerville's photographs of the military women at leisure. She said: "Here, at the end of her tent, Jess and the other army girls have created their own ‘lounge’. It’s a space where the girls can escape to the very different world of Downton Abbey."
This photograph's exhibition caption reads: "Anna’s ability to speak Pashto helps her gain access to compounds and intrigues the residents. She often pretends to have what she refers to as a ‘Helmand husband’ to help her gain rapport with the local women, who do not understand the concept of remaining unmarried."
The Royal Artillery Museum exhibition also includes archive photographs, showing women's roles in war since 1939. Historical items from Firepower’s collections dating from World War II onwards provide historic context for Alison Baskerville's photographs from Afghanistan.
Exhibition organiser Richard Smith-Gore said: "In 2013 women make up nearly 10% of the Armed Forces and are increasingly given roles that place them in the line of fire alongside their male colleagues. This exhibition highlights the outstanding work of our Armed Forces and puts a focus on the often unreported lives of women on the front line."
The exhibition, "A Woman’s Place…", continues at the Firepower Royal Artillery Museum in Woolwich until 13 April 2013. Alison Baskerville plans to continue building on the body of work.
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