Tribute to the man who journeyed into the heart of darkness to bring truth to light.
I gave a talk at the Frontline Club in London a few years back. Nothing swanky on the outside, just a converted Victorian coach-house opposite Paddington Station, but to step inside was to enter the archives of countless conflicts. I climbed the stairs to the second floor, to the “forum”, the room where events are held. Photographs of war zones, Bosnia, Syria, lined the walls. It was like walking through the pages of history, and across the front pages of newspapers and magazines.
Inside the meeting room, a sound engineer was setting up microphones. I introduced myself, and explained I was there to talk about covering World Cups. I didn’t catch Paul’s full name but I did catch he was a Liverpool fan so we chatted about his love for the club and his belief in Jurgen Klopp, manager at the time.
As Paul moved around the room, I noticed he had a limp. I asked how long he’d been doing this sound gig. Oh no, he was just helping out, he was a trustee, member and enjoyed chipping in when they staged events. Paul mentioned reporters he knew at papers where I’d worked. Gradually it dawned on me. This modest individual was Paul Conroy, the acclaimed war photographer and reporter. The injures he carried were sustained in the 2012 bombardment of Homs, Syria, that killed Marie Colvin of the Sunday Times and the French photographer Remi Ochlik.
Conroy wrote a book and advised on the film “A Private War” about the incident. Jamie Dornan played Conroy in the film and Rosamund Pike was Colvin. We spent at most another 20 minutes talking about what Conroy had seen and heard, the making of the film and more thoughts on his beloved Liverpool. He’d grown up next to Anfield, and served in the Royal Artillery before taking his camera to war-zones. I felt how remarkably sane and balanced Conroy was, just a really good guy who’d seen evil and courage at work and chronicled some of the most seismic events of recent history. Conroy journeyed into the heart of darkness to bring truth to light.
Conroy died last Thursday. He suffered a fatal heart attack in Devon. He was 61. He leaves behind his wife Kate and their three children Max, Kim and Otto. The outpouring of grief from those who knew Conroy well flowed across social media, and in heartfelt tributes on the BBC and other mainstream media outlets. There was so much respect for one of the greatest, bravest photojournalists this country has ever produced and deep love for such a likeable, ego-free individual.