Sunday Soldiers

Daniella Zalcman

Details

Title: Sunday Soldiers
Creator: Daniella Zalcman
Date: 2015
Photographer: Daniella Zalcman
About the series: Every weekend, thousands of British hobbyists converge in empty fields to dig trenches, erect tents, gas up tanks, and stage battles from Normandy to North Africa. These are Britain’s Sunday Soldiers. World War II is an inextricable part of this country’s collective consciousness, and the act of re-enactment is deeply personal. While it is a hobby for most, it’s an all-consuming one. Summer weekends are devoted to loading up trailers and trucks with huge amounts of gear and stepping into the past. Most of all, WWII re-enactors are looking to commemorate the deadliest war in human history. These exhibitions, designed to educate, are a testament to an enduring collective memory, to Britain’s greatest generation, and to some of the most ambitious military operations in history. In keeping with the re-enactors’ ethos, these photos were produced with a period twin-lens reflex camera. With it, I’ve attempted to pay respect to the war, its veterans, and those who enable its memory to live on.
About the Photographer: Daniella Zalcman is an award-winning documentary photographer based in London and New York. Her work has been published in The Wall Street Journal, TIME, Sports Illustrated, and CNN, among others. She is a multiple grantee of the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting. She graduated from Columbia University in 2009 with a degree in architecture.
#DPF2015: 2015

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