Editing Gilbert Taylor (section)

==Early life==
The son of a Hertfordshire builder, Taylor grew up in [[Bushey|Bushey Heath]]. A paternal uncle was a newsreel cameraman and contact with him from the age of ten gave Taylor early experience of working with cameras and developing film stock.<ref name="Hilton">{{cite web|last=Hilton|first=Kevin|url=https://britishcinematographer.co.uk/all-time-greats-gilbert-taylor-bsc/|title=Shadows Make Good Movies|work=British Cinematographer|date=4 May 2015|access-date=10 April 2017}}</ref> As a teenager, he studied architecture before deciding to pursue a career in film.<ref name="Ellis73">{{cite book|last=Ellis|first=David A.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uA8DdKZSD0YC&pg=PA73|title=Conversations with Cinematographers|location=Lanham, Maryland & Plymouth, England|publisher=Scarecrow Press|year=2012|page=73|isbn=9780810881266 }}</ref> While his father disapproved of the film industry, populated he thought by "harridans, whores and gypsies", it was his mother who consented to their son's altered career plans.<ref name="Telegraphobit2013">{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/culture-obituaries/film-obituaries/10265404/Gilbert-Taylor.html|title=Gilbert Taylor|work=The Daily Telegraph|date=25 August 2013|access-date=9 April 2017}}</ref>

A neighbour offered Taylor, aged 15, a job as a camera assistant to William Shenton, a cinematographer working for [[Gainsborough Pictures|Gainsborough Studios]] at their Islington base. In 1929, Taylor worked on the studio's final two silent films.<ref name="Ellis73"/> Shenton took Taylor to Paris where he worked on two more silent films, before returning to Gainsborough.<ref name="Ellis74">Ellis, p. 74</ref> He then worked at [[Elstree Studios (Shenley Road)|Elstree]] for [[Associated British Picture Corporation|British International Pictures]], where he was clapper loader on the [[Alfred Hitchcock]] film ''[[Number Seventeen]]'' (1932). Despite his junior status, formally a second camera assistant, Taylor was entrusted with some of the special effects work, including the use of [[Matte (filmmaking)|mattes]], to disguise the roofs of <!-- Source: "dilapidated". -->poorly-maintained buildings.<ref name="Hilton"/><ref name="Ellis74"/>

During six years service in [[World War II]] as an officer in the [[Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve]], he became an operational cameraman flying in [[Avro Lancaster]] [[bomber]]s, documenting the damage after British bombing raids.<ref name="Bergan">{{cite news|last=Bergan|first=Ronald|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/aug/25/gilbert-taylor|title=Gilbert Taylor obituary|work=The Guardian|date=25 August 2013|access-date=9 April 2017}}</ref> Taylor recalled: "This was requested by [[Winston Churchill]], and my material was delivered to 10 Downing Street for him to view. He was keen for the public to see what our lads were doing. I did 10 of those operations, including raids on Cologne and Dresden".<ref name="Newbold">{{cite news|last=Newbold|first=Mark|url=http://www.jedinews.co.uk/misc/articles/gilbert-taylor-interview/|title=Gil Taylor Interview|work=Jedi News|date=24 July 2005|access-date=10 April 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170411140633/http://www.jedinews.co.uk/misc/articles/gilbert-taylor-interview/|archive-date=11 April 2017}}</ref>