An original Associated Press radiophoto showing a Vietnamese refugee family fleeing fighting near Xuân Lộc during the final weeks of the Vietnam War.
A barefoot woman carries bedding, cooking vessels and household goods in large baskets suspended from a shoulder pole. A young child walks beside her carrying water containers, while another family member follows with further possessions.
The photograph provides an immediate record of the practical burden of civilian displacement, showing the family transporting almost everything it could retain by hand.
The original Associated Press caption printed along the right-hand margin is headed:
“ON THE MARCH”
It states:
“All its valuable possessions carried on poles and in baskets, a family flees fighting along Route 1 in a contested area east of Saigon Wednesday. The fighting forced villagers in the area to seek safety nearer Xuan Loc town.”
The photograph is dated 9 April 1975.
This date coincides with the beginning of the Battle of Xuân Lộc, one of the final major battles fought by South Vietnamese forces before the fall of Saigon. Xuân Lộc stood on the strategically important Route 1 approach east of the capital, and the fighting displaced residents from villages throughout the surrounding area.
The reverse bears the Shields Gazette Library archive stamp and a receiving or filing date of 13 April 1975.
This is a genuine period Associated Press radiophoto produced for contemporary newspaper publication. It is not a modern reproduction.
Good condition for an original working press photograph. There is light overall toning, minor surface marking and normal newsroom handling wear. Small marginal creases and pressure marks are present, with slight wear near the upper edge and corners. Contemporary crop indicators or broken editorial lines appear along the upper margin.
The reverse has light age toning and minor handling marks, together with the Shields Gazette Library stamp and receiving date. The original Associated Press caption remains substantially complete and legible. The main image retains good clarity and contrast.
Please study the photographs carefully as they form part of the description.
Caption title: On the March
Agency: Associated Press
Photographer: Uncredited
Date: 9 April 1975
Archive date: 13 April 1975
Location: Near Xuân Lộc, east of Saigon, South Vietnam
Subject: Vietnam War; Battle of Xuân Lộc; civilian refugees
Provenance: Shields Gazette photographic archive
Size: 25.8 × 19.7 cm
Format: Original black-and-white Associated Press radiophoto
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Hornseys – Established 1976
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