Where was that shot?

By Will Carleton April 6, 2011 Will Carleton

Mark Rowe, the author of a cricket book The Victory Tests, would love to know where the photo on his book’s cover was taken. Also printed by Wisden cricketers’ almanack in 2010, the picture (bottom image of book cover left) is of an impromptu, presumably lunchtime, game of cricket in bomb-damaged central London in 1945 in the shadow of St Paul’s. But where exactly?!
UPDATE: Sarah and Matt at the Getty Images archives in London are back with the image found in their files. The caption reads: 17th October 1945: A group of men playing cricket on a blitzed site during their lunch-hour, with St Paul’s Cathedral in the background. (Photo by Harry Todd/Fox Photos/Getty Images) here is the link to the image at Getty Images: Blitz Cricket

Why is it important?

At the turn of the 20th century, there was vast growth in press agencies and photographers due to the massive thirst for images in newspapers. Many are still in existence but others have been sold, absorbed or simply disappeared, effectively leaving gaps in the history of this industry… many agency offices were bombed during the WWII London Blitz resulting negative and print files being water damage from the hoses quenching the fires …most archives were in the building basements.

Where was that shot?

Support The PPHP

Image requests

The Project

Why is it important?

The Memories

Corporate Sponsors

Useful Resources