Camp Bastion Unseen Images From Afghanistan

Camp Bastion Unseen Images From Afghanistan by Amanda Mason and Louise Skidmore provides a captivating glimpse into the main base used by British Forces when they were operating in Helmand Province during the War in Afghanistan between 2006 and 2014.

Purpose-built in a remote location in the desert, the base grew from a few small tents into a vast facility covering 20 square miles and housing nearly 30,000 people. Most British troops spent time at Camp Bastion, which boasted its own airport, state-of-the-art hospital, water bottling plant, offices, canteens, gyms, stores, and workshops.

This book showcases a unique series of photographs of the base taken by IWM photographer Richard Ash, who was part of a team of museum staff visiting Camp Bastion and other parts of Afghanistan between 2012 and 2014. Given unprecedented access, the team was able to meet some of the men and women serving there, interviewing them about their experiences. These trips to Afghanistan marked the first time IWM staff had been in an active war zone since the First World War.

An introductory essay explores the role of Camp Bastion and its significance for British forces in Afghanistan. The book contains a series of 50 stunning, previously unpublished photographs exploring aspects of life at the base. Extracts of interviews with service personnel are woven throughout, offering personal insights into what it was like to live and work in this city in the desert. These records are all that remain of this once bustling city, as the base was completely disassembled in 2014 when the British left Helmand.