Man behind the lens at Kent’s most iconic events
Across four decades Arthur Palmer captured some of the most iconic moments in Kent. The former KM Group photographer, who has died aged 95, was on the frontline of local news for more than 30 years, a familiar and reassuring face with his trademark pipe.
From visits to the county from royalty and the Pope, to the opening of the M2 and arrival of the first gas turbine warship, Arthur captured it all.
And his photos adorn the walls of hundreds of families given his seasoned side-career as a wedding snapper.
Now, following his death, his many friends and colleagues have been recalling the way he went about his work in such a calm, collected and gentlemanly manner – and his keen eye for a good picture.
Arthur was a former RAF photographer who came to Canterbury to work for the W Fisk Moore portrait studio before joining the city’s Kentish Gazette in the early 1950s. It was there he would cover everything from weddings and flowers shows to Kent cricket, disasters and theatre celebrities.
He recorded the Riceman’s department store fire, and further afield was in the first convoy of cars to cross the Medway Bridge at the official opening of the M2 and travelled up the River Medway on HMS Kent as she made history as the first gas turbine warship to visit Chatham Dockyard. He photographed the Pope’s visit to Canterbury, as well as the many stars who performed at the Marlowe Theatre. He even got a letter from King Fredrick of Denmark thanking him personally for a set of photographs he sent following a visit to Canterbury in 1955. Former Gazette editor Malcolm Mitchell said: “Over the years we worked on many stories together.
“Arthur was always coming up with just the right shot and in the face of difficulty always maintaining his cool. It was a