Sandy Gall, the legendary war correspondent and long-time ITN broadcaster who brought some of the world's most dangerous conflicts into British living rooms, has died aged 97. He passed away on 29 June 2025 after a remarkable career spanning more than six decades and countless frontlines.
Gall covered wars from Vietnam to Afghanistan but never lost his journalistic integrity or his compassion. Whether dodging bullets in the field or delivering reports from the studio, he reported with clarity and conviction, becoming one of the most trusted voices in British journalism.
A Foreign Correspondent Forged in Conflict
Born in Penang, British Malaysia, in 1927, Gall moved to Scotland as a young boy. After serving in the RAF and earning a degree in modern languages from Aberdeen University, he joined Reuters in the early 1950s. He soon found himself in Nairobi, reporting on the Mau Mau uprising — the first of many assignments that would put him in harm's way.
His early work also took him to Berlin, Budapest, the Congo, and South Africa. In Uganda, he narrowly escaped being jailed again by one of Idi Amin's officers after responding to a threat with characteristic defiance: "Don't worry. I won't."
From ITN studio to the world's front lines
Gall joined ITN in 1963 and became one of the defining faces of News at Ten. But he never let his studio role keep him from the front lines. In 1965, he was in Vietnam when the first US troops landed at Da Nang, and he returned a decade later to witness the fall of Saigon. Even then, an ITV strike left much of his footage unseen.
He wasn't one to wait for official clearance. During the Gulf War, while Allied tanks advanced into Kuwait, Gall followed in their wake without permission — accompanied only by a cameraman and producer, navigating mine-laden roads.
Afghanistan: A Lasting Cause
Although Gall reported on nearly every major conflict of the Cold War era, Afghanistan left an indelible mark on him. In the 1980s, disguised in Afghan clothes and living on sardines and goat meat, he ventured deep into Panjshir to interview Ahmad Shah Massoud.
The suffering he witnessed there moved him profoundly. In 1983, he founded the Sandy Gall Afghanistan Appeal, a charity supporting landmine victims with medical care and prosthetics. He returned to Afghanistan often, publishing books and documentaries that captured both its resilience and heartbreak.
Later years and lasting impact
Gall stepped down from ITN in 1992 but never stopped working. He continued to write prolifically; his final book, Afghan Napoleon, published in 2021, profiled Massoud, who was assassinated in 2001. Gall's writing blended hard reporting with deep empathy, amplifying voices rarely heard.
Appointed CBE in 1988 and CMG in 2011, Gall also served as rector of Aberdeen University. Despite professional acclaim, his personal life had its challenges. His long marriage to Eleanor Smyth endured even after a highly publicised affair; Eleanor passed away in 2018.
He is survived by four children, including Carlotta Gall, a war correspondent for The New York Times.
