A young photographer's first job proved to be his crowning moment

A young photographer's first job proved to be his crowning moment Charles Henry Wilson's first day as a photographer was his biggest - taking pictures of Queen Elizabeth II's coronation. "For her to be now celebrating her diamond jubilee is an amazing achievement. Six decades later, Mr Wilson, visiting the UAE to stay with his daughter in Dubai, is still proud of his photographs of history in the making. "They were looking for someone to replace the outgoing photographer so I applied for the job," he said. One of his shots shows the queen in her carriage and Winston Churchill, then the prime minister, in his coach. Another photograph shows the new queen wearing her crown and waving to people from inside her coach. Mr Wilson took pictures on his own Kodak plate camera. Mr Wilson, from the port town of Blyth, Northumberland, had accompanied the man he was hoping to replace to the War Office in London the night before the wedding day. "We slept there and at around 5am the following day we headed out," he said. "The other photographer went to the roof with a telephoto lens and I made my way down to the front of Admiralty Arch. Mr Wilson continued to work as a photographer with the army - he photographed boxing matches, officer groups and even an archaeological dig - before he moved into the private sector, where he ended his career taking wedding pictures. "I had an armband with press written on it which made it easier for me to get access to where the photographers were. "The coronation was the only topic of conversation for people in the country that day and it seemed as if everybody was celebrating. "The crowds were getting pretty big but I made my way through in my civvies [civilian clothes]. "I think they really wanted to see what I could do so my first assignment was the coronation. Although not dressed in his army uniform on the day, Mr Wilson, who had only recently completed his basic training, credits a press armband he was wearing for allowing him up-close access to the action. "The place was full of cinematographers in contrast to stills photographers like myself," he said. A young photographer's first job proved to be his crowning moment Trade News selected by Local Linkup on 06/06/2012