Sir Don McCullin in Kolkata

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Watch this video of Don McCullin if you haven’t already. Looks like it was removed from YouTube. I was trying to find it and here it is. Just scroll down in the article-

https://www.canon-europe.com/pro/stories/don-mccullin-kolkata-film

Photography Warrior

🕰️ Don McCullin: War Photography Timeline

1964 – Cyprus Civil War

  • Conflict: Greek and Turkish Cypriots clash
  • Note: McCullin’s breakthrough. Captured a haunting image of a fighter with a grenade—led to assignments with The Sunday Times.

1965–1972 – Vietnam War

  • Conflict: U.S. involvement in Southeast Asia
  • Note: Photographed U.S. Marines in Hue, civilian suffering, and the chaos of war.

Late 1960s – Congo Crisis

  • Conflict: Post-independence political instability
  • Note: Traveled to document tribal and political violence.

1968–1970 – Biafran War (Nigerian Civil War)

  • Conflict: Nigeria vs. Biafra (secessionist state)
  • Note: Photographed starvation, death, and displacement—images shocked the world.

1971 – The Troubles (Northern Ireland)

  • Conflict: Protestant vs. Catholic tensions, British Army presence
  • Note: Captured both sides of the civil unrest—controversial and powerful.

1971 – Bangladesh Liberation War

  • Conflict: East Pakistan’s war for independence from West Pakistan
  • Note: Covered atrocities and refugee crisis during the formation of Bangladesh.

Early 1970s – Cambodian Civil War

  • Conflict: Khmer Rouge vs. Cambodian government
  • Note: Photographed chaos and fall of Phnom Penh.

1975–1982 – Lebanese Civil War

  • Conflict: Multi-factional war in Beirut and beyond
  • Note: Some of his most graphic and emotionally wrenching work. He said Lebanon marked the end of his war photography.

Early 1980s – El Salvador Civil War

  • Conflict: U.S.-backed government vs. leftist rebels
  • Note: One of his final conflict zones. Still deeply human, gritty, and intense.

❌ Wars Not Covered

  • 1982 – Falklands War: McCullin was refused press credentials by the British government.

🧠 Reflections

“War is failure. It’s the total failure of the human spirit.”

McCullin eventually turned his lens to English landscapes—a kind of healing from years of photographing devastation.

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