Sir John Gunston, 3rd Baronet
Encyclopedia
John Gunston is the third Baronet of Wickwar
in the County of Gloucestershire in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom. He is perhaps better known for his exploits as a photographer in Afghanistan
in the 1980s.
Born John Wellesley Gunston in July, 1962, in Nyasaland (later Malawi), he was the son of the local British commissioner in the town of Blantyre. Having lived in Cape Town, Johannesburg and London, Gunston enrolled at Harrow
when he was 13. leaving after three years, Gunston returned to Africa to join the Police Anti-Terrorism Unit of the British South African Police in Rhodesia. He served for 18 months on the Mozambique-Zambian border seeing active service against both ZIPRA & ZANLA fighters attacking farms in the Sipolilo-Umvukwes area, before returning to England to enroll at the Royal Military Academy
in Sandhurst, Surrey
. From there he commissioned into the Irish Guards
. After leaving the Guards, and having recovered from a serious car accident, in 1983, at the age of 21, Gunston decided to become a war photojournalist.
Gunston made several trips into war-torn Afghanistan
through the 1980s, covering the war between the occupying Soviet forces aligned to the Communist Afghan government, and mujahidin resistance groups. Overall making more than 25 trips with the mujahidin spending in excess of two years inside Afghanistan. Gunston was one of the relatively few western journalists who went inside Afghanistan during this period. He traveled at different times with the mujahidin groups controlled by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar
, Ahmad Shah Massoud - he had the [mis] fortune of being captured in an ambush [1984] by Massoud's forces during which time he was wounded & taken prisoner, as result he was the only journalist to be with Massoud during the Soviet Panjshir VII operation [May–June 1984]. However it was with Haji Abdul Haq
with whom Gunston formed a close friendship and it was with Haq's mujahidin in and around Kabul that he spent most of his time. Including a clandestine mission into Kabul [1988] to meet Afghan Army Generals who wanted to work with Haq following the Soviet withdrawal.
Little has been written about Gunston's life before the Afghan war. Some relatively brief accounts of his exploits during the war can be found in Robert D. Kaplan
's 1990 book, 'Soldier's of God - With the Mujahidin in Afghanistan.' Kaplan was a friend of Gunston, and also a journalist in Afghanistan during the 1980s. Also Rob Schultheis
's 1992 book, 'Night Letters - Inside Wartime Afghanistan.' More recently, David Loyn
's 2006 'Frontline: The True Story of the British Mavericks Who Changed the Face of War Reporting.' John Simpson also mentions meeting Gunston in Afghanistan in two of his memoirs.
In the 1990s Gunston set up a documentary production company with Juliet Peck, the widow of his good friend Rory Peck with whom he traveled inside Afghanistan during the 1980s. In 1995 Gunston was also co-founder with Juliet Peck of the Rory Peck Award
& Trust.
Following the 9/11 attacks, Gunston was asked to join Abdul Haq in Rome who was then meeting with the late Afghan King Mohammed Zahir Shah. As a result Gunston led a small advisory team to Peshawar Afghanistan to assist Abdul Haq, as he put together a force of former mujahidin to cross back into Afghanistan and fight the Taliban. Gunston was also liaising on Haq's behalf with both British & US governments, as Taliban military leaders were keen to work with Abdul Haq in overthrowing the Taliban political leadership and their Al-Qaeda
allies. At the time of Haq's death Gunston was in Rome lobbying the king on Haq's behalf.
Following Abdul Haq's death Gunston was asked to join Haji Abdul Qadir
at the Bonn peace conference where he was appointed a personal adviser to Qadir and the interim Eastern Shura. In late November Haji Qadir asked Gunston if he could assist his son, Haji Zahir Qadir
, who was leading Qadir's former mujahidin in a sector at the battle of Tora Bora. Gunston took a small team of advisers to Jalalabad to help Haji Zahir. His advisory appointment continued up until Vice President Qadir's assassination in July 2002.
Since then, Gunston has continued to work closely with various Afghan leaders, NGOs, and companies involved in Afghanistan.
Wickwar
Wickwar is a village in South Gloucestershire between Chipping Sodbury and Charfield. It is famous for its football club and its high street. The Wickwar brewery is a popular local producer of cask ale....
in the County of Gloucestershire in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom. He is perhaps better known for his exploits as a photographer in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
in the 1980s.
Born John Wellesley Gunston in July, 1962, in Nyasaland (later Malawi), he was the son of the local British commissioner in the town of Blantyre. Having lived in Cape Town, Johannesburg and London, Gunston enrolled at Harrow
Harrow School
Harrow School, commonly known simply as "Harrow", is an English independent school for boys situated in the town of Harrow, in north-west London.. The school is of worldwide renown. There is some evidence that there has been a school on the site since 1243 but the Harrow School we know today was...
when he was 13. leaving after three years, Gunston returned to Africa to join the Police Anti-Terrorism Unit of the British South African Police in Rhodesia. He served for 18 months on the Mozambique-Zambian border seeing active service against both ZIPRA & ZANLA fighters attacking farms in the Sipolilo-Umvukwes area, before returning to England to enroll at the Royal Military Academy
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst , commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is a British Army officer initial training centre located in Sandhurst, Berkshire, England...
in Sandhurst, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
. From there he commissioned into the Irish Guards
Irish Guards
The Irish Guards , part of the Guards Division, is a Foot Guards regiment of the British Army.Along with the Royal Irish Regiment, it is one of the two Irish regiments remaining in the British Army. The Irish Guards recruit in Northern Ireland and the Irish neighbourhoods of major British cities...
. After leaving the Guards, and having recovered from a serious car accident, in 1983, at the age of 21, Gunston decided to become a war photojournalist.
Gunston made several trips into war-torn Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
through the 1980s, covering the war between the occupying Soviet forces aligned to the Communist Afghan government, and mujahidin resistance groups. Overall making more than 25 trips with the mujahidin spending in excess of two years inside Afghanistan. Gunston was one of the relatively few western journalists who went inside Afghanistan during this period. He traveled at different times with the mujahidin groups controlled by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar is an Afghan Mujahideen leader who is the founder and leader of the Hezb-e Islami political party and paramilitary group. Hekmatyar was a rebel military commander during the 1980s Soviet war in Afghanistan and was one of the key figures in the civil war that followed the...
, Ahmad Shah Massoud - he had the [mis] fortune of being captured in an ambush [1984] by Massoud's forces during which time he was wounded & taken prisoner, as result he was the only journalist to be with Massoud during the Soviet Panjshir VII operation [May–June 1984]. However it was with Haji Abdul Haq
Abdul Haq (Afghan leader)
Abdul Haq was an Afghan Pashtun mujahideen commander who fought against the Soviets and Afghan communists during the Soviet-Afghan War...
with whom Gunston formed a close friendship and it was with Haq's mujahidin in and around Kabul that he spent most of his time. Including a clandestine mission into Kabul [1988] to meet Afghan Army Generals who wanted to work with Haq following the Soviet withdrawal.
Little has been written about Gunston's life before the Afghan war. Some relatively brief accounts of his exploits during the war can be found in Robert D. Kaplan
Robert D. Kaplan
Robert David Kaplan is an American journalist, currently a National Correspondent for the Atlantic Monthly...
's 1990 book, 'Soldier's of God - With the Mujahidin in Afghanistan.' Kaplan was a friend of Gunston, and also a journalist in Afghanistan during the 1980s. Also Rob Schultheis
Rob schultheis
Rob Schultheis is an author and journalist who lives in Telluride, Colorado. He has written books about the wars in Afghanistan and the 2003 Iraq War, as well as books about Colorado, the Western United States, and extreme sports such as mountain climbing...
's 1992 book, 'Night Letters - Inside Wartime Afghanistan.' More recently, David Loyn
David Loyn
David Loyn has been a foreign correspondent since the late 1970s, mostly with the BBC. He is an authority on Afghan history.Loyn worked as a Radio correspondent for IRN for 8 years, and in 1987 he joined the BBC as a TV correspondent...
's 2006 'Frontline: The True Story of the British Mavericks Who Changed the Face of War Reporting.' John Simpson also mentions meeting Gunston in Afghanistan in two of his memoirs.
In the 1990s Gunston set up a documentary production company with Juliet Peck, the widow of his good friend Rory Peck with whom he traveled inside Afghanistan during the 1980s. In 1995 Gunston was also co-founder with Juliet Peck of the Rory Peck Award
Rory Peck Award
The Rory Peck Award is an award given to freelance camera operators who have risked their lives to report on newsworthy events. It was set up in 1995 and is named after the Northern Irish freelance cameraman Rory Peck, who was killed while reporting on the siege of the Moscow White House in 1993....
& Trust.
Following the 9/11 attacks, Gunston was asked to join Abdul Haq in Rome who was then meeting with the late Afghan King Mohammed Zahir Shah. As a result Gunston led a small advisory team to Peshawar Afghanistan to assist Abdul Haq, as he put together a force of former mujahidin to cross back into Afghanistan and fight the Taliban. Gunston was also liaising on Haq's behalf with both British & US governments, as Taliban military leaders were keen to work with Abdul Haq in overthrowing the Taliban political leadership and their Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
allies. At the time of Haq's death Gunston was in Rome lobbying the king on Haq's behalf.
Following Abdul Haq's death Gunston was asked to join Haji Abdul Qadir
Abdul Qadir (Afghan leader)
Hajji Abdul Qadir Arsala was a former anti-Taliban leader in the United Islamic Front in Afghanistan...
at the Bonn peace conference where he was appointed a personal adviser to Qadir and the interim Eastern Shura. In late November Haji Qadir asked Gunston if he could assist his son, Haji Zahir Qadir
Zahir Qadir
Hajji Zahir Qadir is a member of parliament in Afghanistan.He formerly was a General in Afghanistan's Border Guard.Zahir Qadir is the son of Abdul Qadir a senior member of the anti-Taliban United Islamic Front , and one of the first Vice Presidents of the Afghan Transitional Administration...
, who was leading Qadir's former mujahidin in a sector at the battle of Tora Bora. Gunston took a small team of advisers to Jalalabad to help Haji Zahir. His advisory appointment continued up until Vice President Qadir's assassination in July 2002.
Since then, Gunston has continued to work closely with various Afghan leaders, NGOs, and companies involved in Afghanistan.