To Harold Wingham, aerial photography was ‘an essential technique for modern archaeology’ and, seven decades after he first took to the skies to document the monuments and buildings of south and south-west England, it remains hard to disagree with him. Born on the edge of the New Forest in Hampshire, Wingham was a passionate early proponent of this form of archaeological survey, but his contribution to the field is often overlooked today. Now, though, a year after his death, Historic England have collaborated with some of his friends and colleagues to curate three online galleries of his striking black-and-white photographs to highlight the range and significance of his work.
Wingham’s enthusiasm for flying began long before he started photographing archaeological subjects: he was just 18 when he joined the RAF in 1942, and during the Second World War he qualified as a wireless operator and also trained as a navigator, though illness meant that he did not achieve this latter ambition. After leaving the Air Force in 1947, he compiled weather reports for the Ministry of Civil Aviation and then joined the Gloster Aircraft Company, where he worked with large-format cameras – and inspiration struck. Come the end of the decade, Wingham had gained his private pilot’s licence, and had launched into what would prove to be over a decade of involvement in aerial photography.
A key champion in these endeavours was O G S Crawford, a prehistorian who also took part in the 1939 excavation at Sutton Hoo, but who for most of his career was the Ordnance Survey’s archaeological officer. He was a keen advocate of aerial photography in archaeology, having used images taken by the RAF to aid his own investigations during the 1920s, and he enthusiastically encouraged Wingham in his work. Wingham was able to make use of surplus government camera equipment and film during his photographic excursions, though his flights were mainly self-funded, and in the 1950s and 1960s he captured thousands of images of ancient monuments, historic buildings, and much more modern subjects, including industrial sites and urban vistas.
