SONS OF OUR EMPIRE EPISODE 3 : the King's message to his troops [Main]


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  • Other title(s): the KING'S MESSAGE TO HIS TROOPS [alternative]
  • Year: 1917
  • Runtime: 35 mins
  • Description: I. (Reel 5) Impressionistic to the point of incoherence. Starting with troops disembarking at a harbour. Marching columns, some of them identified: the Devonshire Regiment, some Scots, the Bedfordshire Regiment, the Black Watch (?), joined by 18-pounders and a Mark I female tank of 'A' Company H/MGC. British Cavalry move up along a road. A Mark I female tank, identified by the caption as HMLS 'Créme [sic] de Menthe' of 'C' Company H/MGC. West Africans of the Labour Corps unload shells at a dump. Other shells, from 15-inch to 18-pounder, are distributed. Another tank, a Mark I male, possibly HMLS 'Devil's Own' of 'D' Company H/MGC. A 60-pounder stuck in mud. Canadian 15th Battalion (Royal Highlanders of Canada) (?) and 17th Battalion, Royal Scots Fusiliers of 35th (Bantam) Division (?) on the march. An observation kite balloon is raised. Two 6-inch guns fire. Pioneers of the Royal Sussex Regiment, Durham Light Infantry and "Northants" (? possibly Loyal North Lancashire Regiment) march along. Australians (?) on the march. A Mark I female tank moving up. II. (Reel 6) Indians of 4th or 5th Cavalry Division relax at their camp. "New Zealanders" (? possibly Australian 2nd Division) entraining. 6-inch howitzers being pulled forwards by their teams. An 18-pounder shell dump. FE2b and FE2d bombers, probably 20 Squadron RFC, take off on patrol. Men of the Guards Division march to their positions. A 12-inch railway gun, probably 'HMG Boche Buster', fires. More men of the Guards Division. 9.2-inch howitzers of 55th Royal Australian Siege Artillery (?) fire. The bombardment includes also 60-pounders, 6-inch Mk VII guns, 18-pounders and 8-inch howitzers. The Cavalry wait to move up. An RE7 observation plane takes off, showing the view down onto the waiting battlefield.
    British preparations during the later Somme offensive, Western Front, autumn 1916.
  • Keywords: EFG1914 / World War I / British Army, Devonshire Regiment / British Army, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment / British Army, Black Watch (?) / British Army, Machine Gun Corps, Heavy Branch, Coy A / British Army, Machine Gun Corps, Heavy Branch, Coy C / British Army, Machine Gun Corps, Heavy Branch, Coy D / British Army, Royal Tank Corps / British Army, Div, Cavalry, 4 / Indian Army, Div, Cavalry, 1 (?) / British Army, Div, Cavalry, 5 (?) / Indian Army, Div, Cavalry, 2 (?) / British Army, West African Labour Contingent / Canadian Army, Canadian Expeditionary Force, Bn 15 / British Army, Div 35 (?) / British Army, Scots Fusiliers, Royal, Bn 17 (?) / British Army, Durham Light Infantry / British Army, Sussex Regiment / British Army, Lancashire Regiment, North Loyal (?) / British Army, Northamptonshire Regiment / Australian Army, Australian Imperial Force, Div 2 (?) / Australian Army, Australian Artillery, Siege Battery 55 (?) / New Zealand Military Forces, New Zealand Div / British Army, Royal Flying Corps, Squadron 20 / British Army, Div, Guards / British Army, Royal Artillery, Royal Garrison Artillery / weapons, British - gun: 12-inch (railway mounted 'Boche Buster') / weapons, British - gun: 18-pounder field gun / weapons, British - gun: 6-inch Mark VII / weapons, British - gun: 60-pounder / weapons, British - gun: 9.2-inch howitzer / armour, British - tank: Tank Mark I Male / armour, British - tank: Tank Mark I Female / aircraft, British - combat: Royal Aircraft Establishment FE2b / aircraft, British - combat: Royal Aircraft Establishment FE2d / aircraft, British - combat: Royal Aircraft Establishment RE7 / aircraft, British - balloon: observation kite balloon / transport, British military - rail / combat, British - artillery bombardment / operations, British military - movement: march / supplies, British, storage [FA] - munitions / 01/3(4-15).57 / Somme, France / Race / mud
  • Provider: Imperial War Museums
  • Rights: In Copyright / Imperial War Museums
  • Production company: Topical Film Company
  • Colour: Black & White
  • Sound: Without sound