It is always intriguing when I can post an image on the same date as it was taken.  Today’s favorite photograph has been referred too from the outset as the greatest photograph of World War II, “St. Paul’s survives the Blitz.”  It was taken on December 29, 1940 by Herbert Mason, who was the chief photographer for The London Daily Mail and it was taken from the rooftop of the Mail’s offices. St. Paul’s took a direct hit from an incendiary bomb that night, but Churchill had created  a special corps of firefighters to save the building.  They were at work that night climbing the beams and rafters with hoses. Luckily the bomb fell through to the basement, where it was easily extinguished.

It is perhaps unnecessary to speak of the image’s significance or what makes it a great photograph.  It took two days before government censors allowed the photo to be published, unsure of whether it would have a negative or a positive effect on the British people.  In the end it stands as a profound testimonial to the resilience and determination of the British people in the face of Evil and tyranny.  In the way that only a photograph can, it gave life to the words that the Prime Minister had spoken in parliament that previous June 4:

“We shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.”

Such is the power of that image that it gives us a profounder understanding of the sacrifices that were endured in the defense of liberty and human rights three quarters of a century ago, and maybe the image, as good images do, transcends time and is a lesson for modern men and women in the face of the challenges that we face today.

The greatest image of World War II? Perhaps, but certainly one of the most meaningful and one of my favorites.