Bill Carrott
Archive
Photograph
Heinrich Himmler
Norman
Redford
The demise of Heinrich Himmler 1945
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Bill Carrott |
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The demise of Heinrich Himmler 1945 |
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By my photographer friend
Norman Redford
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"On the 24th May 1945 I was stationed at Luneburg in Germany at the 2nd Army Headquarters and I was a driver from the 2nd Battalion Monmouthshire Regiment working in the Defence Company's Transport Section. We all, whatever our rank, had to do either 'duty driver' for 24 hours which covered any job which came up, or guard duty in several locations around 2nd Army H.Q as and when our turn came round. This particular day I was 'duty driver' and one of my duties was to take meals to all the Guard Posts in and around the Headquarters. |
A friend of mine, Lance Corporal Bill Carrot whose
normal job was a Dispatch Rider was on Guard Duty at No.31a Uelzener Strasse in
Luneburg. When I arrived there, I sensed that something strange was going on as
there were lots of high-ranking Officers and Military Police coming and going. I
was eventually able to speak to Bill and asked him what was up ? He took his
rations and said to me ”Come back later and bring your camera”
(Among the
other odd jobs I was always being asked to do, I was also regarded as the
'unofficial' army photographer )
A couple of hours later I went back to
No.31a. Bill was on the lookout for me and told me to go round the back where
there was an open window. I scrambled over the window-sill and got into the
room. There lying on the floor was a body who I immediately recognised as that
of Heinrich Himmler. The body was not in a very good position for taking a
photograph so we propped him up against an upturned table which we had covered
with a blanket. I then took the photo with my old Ensign Selfix folding camera
using the normal room lighting with some additional light from the nearby
window.
I left the room as quickly as I could. That night I developed the
film using a small portable developing tank, inside an army caravan which served
as a darkroom. The next day I took the negatives to the local chemist to get
some prints and enlargements which cost me a few bars of chocolate and some
cigarettes. I gave one copy to Bill, and one to the Duty Officer in charge of
the guard. This was probably a mistake because he immediately demanded the
negative for H.Q. saying that I would be breaking the Official Secrets Act if I
kept the negative or spoke to anyone about what I had done. Lucky that I had
already had many copies done. Eventually I think that half of the 2nd Army HQ
personnel aquired copies. "
1945
Photos
by Norman Redford 1989
Unknown
artists impression of the scene as Himmler was interrogated at No31 Uelzener
Strasse.
Years later in March 1985, Bill's son
found this picture of Himmler in his father's wardrobe and sent it to "The Daily
Mirror", They printed the story on their front page on Monday May 6th 1985,
almost 40 years after I took the photo in such haste in that house in
Luneburg.
I contacted the Mirror telling revealing that it was me who had
taken the picture and they got in touch with Bill's local TV station in Norwich.
A few days later I was to meet Bill for the first time since we were demobbed in
January 1946, when we appeared together on the telly as we recalled our part in
the demise of Heinrich Himmler.
