Shooting the War

Newspaper photographer Ariel Varges first picked up a film camera in 1914 when his employers, Hearst Newspapers, sent him to cover the Mexican -American war. With the outbreak of the Great War, he was sent to Europe, spending four years embedded with British forces. He became an official cinematographer to the British Army, while still being paid by Hearst, and worked alongside British troops on the Macedonian and Mesopotamian fronts, in Persia and the Caucasus. This talk draws on the IWM’s extensive collection of Varges’ stills and film footage to show case his work. 

Our speaker Nick Higham spent almost 30 years as a correspondent for BBC News, working across TV and radio. His first book, The Mercenary River: A History of London’s Water, was published in 2022. His second, Mavericks: Empire, Oil, Revolution and the Forgotten Battle of World War One was published in 2025.

Members and non-members of The Western Front Association are equally welcome. Any new visitors are guaranteed a friendly atmosphere and a warm welcome from a group of like-minded enthusiasts.

Doors open at Cobham at 7:15pm and the meeting starts at 7:45pm. We ask for a modest £5 donation on the door, and this includes tea, coffee and biscuits at the break, plus free tickets for the book raffle. Attendees can use our cashless card system and use their credit card/phone with the reader that will be available at the signing-in desk.

To help make things easier and safer, we are asking those coming to Cobham to bring their own mug for coffee or tea.