A Liverpool born photographer has swapped his role as chief cameraman for the Red Arrows to take up a tour of duty filming British troops in Basra. Corporal Andy Benson, from Huyton, is in Iraq as part of the Combat Camera Team working near Basra. The 33 year old normally manages the Red Arrows’ photographic section and is in Iraq for three months as part of three person team who work across the UK’s zone of Southern Iraq. Corporal Benson attended St Thomas Becket School in Huyton and joined the RAF in 1999. “Although I was a little apprehensive as to what I would find when I arrived here I was also keen to ensure the work of the UK military personnel who are operating here was properly understood, particularly by people back in the UK,” says Andy, whose home base is RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire.
 | | British troops by Cpl Andy Benson |
“I don’t think people at home fully understand what a difficult job the military have out here.” Corporal Benson, whose parents still live in Huyton, works alongside the military during operations taking images for use by mainstream media. “For me the interaction with the soldiers on the ground and experiencing the front line for myself is the best part of this job. Not many Royal Air Force personnel actually leave the main base here at Basra airport, their jobs usually mean that they stay in this location most of the time.”
 | | Flying in a Hawk by Cpl Andy Benson |
In addition to going out on operations he is also called on when a British soldier is injured or killed, “One of the sadder aspects of my work here is to photograph the repatriation ceremonies of fallen colleagues before they are flown back to their loved ones in the UK. “They are very sad occasions which stir up many emotions.” Back in the UK, Andy manages the Red Arrow’s photographic section. He is responsible for organising the recording of every training and display flown by the team. The films are used in debriefs for the pilots, Andy is also in charge of teams public relations video and stills. Part of his role with the Red Arrows is to fly with the team, “I’ve never been airsick in the back of a Hawk, it’s the most amazing and thrilling experience any member of the RAF can have. "But it will make a nice change if the worst thing I have to worry about when I get back to work with the Red Arrows is airsickness.” | 
