Story behind Roger Bamber's picture of Margaret Thatcher

Roger Bamber, an award-winning press photographer who died earlier this month, took the snap of Mrs Thatcher on an election tour in May 1983.

She went to pose for a picture holding a pile of straw at a farm but was met with a nasty surprise.

Shan Lancaster, Roger's wife, was speaking about his life following his death on Sunday, September 11, at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton.

They first met at the Green Dragon pub in Sydney Street, Brighton, almost 40 years ago.

Roger Bamber with his cat Noggin. Picture from Jim Holden (Image: Jim Holden)

She told the story of a rather disgruntled Maggie Thatcher who was in Cornwall as part of an election tour in May 1983.

Shan said: “He was working for The Sun, she was on the campaign tour. Everything was set up, it was a lovely farm with everything perfectly set up.

“Roger, who was terrible at wandering off and talking with people, realised he had missed the photo opportunity of Mrs Thatcher holding a chicken or something like that.

“He floated round, he was going to take a picture of something being set up for the TV cameras.

Mrs. Thatcher getting her hands dirty. She was in Cornwall in a May 1983 election tour and plunged her hands into a pile of straw for some TV cameras, expecting to grasp wholesome wheat. Instead it was a pile of dung (Image: Roger Bamber)

“It was a big pile of beautiful golden straw just by her.

“She turned around towards it and must have thought ‘this is going to be a good picture, I’ll get a glorious handful of straw and show it to the TV cameras. British farming at its best, glorious countryside’.

“Mrs Thatcher shoved her hands in and the farmer had just put a handful of straw over the top of it to hide the fact it was a dung heap.

“Roger was facing her flat on so he got this great picture of her grimacing. The Sun didn’t run it because they were really backing her at the time.

“But he has used it loads of times over the years.”

Several of Roger’s pictures featured in The Argus over the years, including one of his most famous on Brighton seafront of the Punch-and-Judy man the late Sergeant Stone.

He won several awards for his pictures in Brighton and around the world over a career that spanned five decades.

Dozens of tributes also poured in from people who knew Roger or had seen his pictures.

Roger Bamber's photo on Brighton seafront of Punch and Judy in July 1992 (Image: Roger Bamber)

Shan also had a career in the media, working for The Argus before moving on to The Sun.

Roger’s career at The Sun spanned 19 years before he went freelance  and worked for The Observer, The Independent and several magazines.

His funeral will be held on October 11 as a private ceremony but there will be an opportunity for people to pay their respects to him in Brighton after the funeral.

Details for this will be confirmed.