Damien Parer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Damien Peter Parer (1 August 1912 – 20 September 1944) was an Australian war photographer. He became famous for his war photography of the Second World War, and was killed by Japanese machinegun fire at Peleliu, Palau. He was married to Elizabeth Marie Cotter, and was the uncle of Australian politician Warwick Parer and the father of producer Damien Parer.
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[edit] Early life
Damien Parer was born at Malvern in Melbourne but was educated largely in Bathurst, at Saint Stanislaus School. Parer joined the school's camera club and decided early on that he wanted to be a photographer. Having left school and failing to find photographic work in Melbourne, he resumed his education before finding an apprenticeship. Also interested in motion pictures, Parer, having completed his apprenticeship, moved to Sydney to work with the director, Charles Chauvel.
[edit] Career
By the World War II, Parer was experienced at photography and motion pictures, and was appointed as official movie photographer to the Australian Imperial Force (AIF).
His first war footage was taken on the HMAS Sydney after it had sunk the Italian cruiser Bartolomeo Colleoni. Soon after, he was aboard HMS Ladybird while it was bombardingthe sea port of Bardia in Libya. His first experience at close quarters was during a troop advance at Derna.
Parer filmed in Greece and in Syria, covering the action from aircraft, the deck of a ship and on the ground with the infantry. After Syria he travelled to Tobruk in August 1941 before covering the fighting in the Western desert. By mid-1942 Parer was in New Guinea ready to cover the fighting against the Japanese. During this phase of the war, he filmed some of his most famous sequences, some at Salamaua and, most notably, those used in Kokoda front line. This documentary won its producer, Ken G. Hall, an Academy Award for documentary film-making. He was killed by Japanese gunfire while filming a U.S. Marine advance in Peleliu on the island of Palau.
[edit] Filmography
Damien Parer is credited for the following films:
- Men of Timor (1942)
- Moresby Under the Blitz (1942)
- Kokoda Front Line! (1942)
- Assault on Salamaua (1943)
- The Bismarck Convoy Smashed (1943)
[edit] References
- Who's Who in Australian Military History: Damien Peter Parer, Australian War Memorial
