Title:SONS OF OUR EMPIRE EPISODE 5 : Attacking hard [Main Title]
Film Number:IWM 130-09+10
Other titles:ATTACKING HARD [Alternative Title]
Summary: The wounded, prisoners and captured ground from the British Somme offensive, Western Front, autumn 1916.
Description: (Reel 9) A bombardment in progress. Mk I tanks move up. Fatigue parties (described as "doctors") move forwards. Prisoners are brought in and the captured area mopped up. The German Crown Prince's headquarters at Péronne shows shell damage. A Guards Division dressing station. The formal search of prisoners by Australians, "the Intelligence officer returns an Iron Cross to a prisoner". The troops return to their rest camps. A chaplain takes a message from a wounded man on a stretcher. Tanks and soldiers return. (Reel 10) The remains of Trones Wood and the unidentifiable rubble of villages. German dead in their trenches. A ditched Mk I tank. "Australians", "London Irish" and "Civil Service Rifles" (of 56th Division) return. An open air funeral service, "the inevitable price of victory". Mk I tanks of 'D' Company H/MGC being serviced and maintained. Aircraft return from their observation flights. An observation kite balloon lands. Men of 35th (Bantam) Division and the New Zealand Division rest. A final shot of Prime Minister Lloyd George on a balcony with H Samuel Homer Stacy, with a policy speech: "our sword was not lightly drawn, and will never be sheathed until our terms - Restitution, Reparation and Guarantees - are fully assured".
Alternative Title:ATTACKING HARD [Alternative Title]
Production Details: War Office Cinema Committee (Production sponsor)
Topical Film Company (Production company)
Jury, William F (Production individual)
Raymond, H C (Production individual)
McDowell, J B (Production individual)
Personalities, Units and Organisations: Lloyd George, David (person)
Stacy, H Samuel Homer (person)
British Army, Div, Guards (regiment/service)
British Army, London Regiment, Bn 1/18 (regiment/service)
British Army, London Regiment, Bn 15 (regiment/service)
Australian Army, Australian Imperial Force (regiment/service)
British Army, Machine Gun Corps, Heavy Branch (regiment/service)
British Army, Royal Tank Corps (regiment/service)
British Army, Div 35 (regiment/service)
New Zealand Military Forces, New Zealand Div (regiment/service)
Keywords: destruction, French military - area: artillery bombardment (object name)
defences, German - emplacement: trenches & [captured] (object name)
armour, British - tank: Tank Mark I Male (object name)
armour, British - tank: Tank Mark I Female (object name)
weapons, British - gun: 18-pounder field gun (object name)
weapons, British - gun: 4.5-inch howitzer (?) & [Australian] (object name)
weapons, German - gun: 77mm field gun & [captured] & [wrecked] (object name)
weapons, British - gun: 9.2-inch howitzer (object name)
aircraft, British - balloon: observation kite balloon (object name)
buildings, German - military: headquarters (Crown Prince) & [captured] (object name)
prisoners of war, German - movement (object name)
prisoners of war, German - reception (object name)
arts, German - fine arts: medal (Iron Cross) (object name)
intelligence, military, Australian - interrogation (object name)
medical, British military - emergency (object name)
religion, Christianity - military, British (object name)
operations, British military - return (object name)
casualties, British dead [disposal] (object name)
casualties, German dead - battlefield (object name)
operations, British military - maintenance: tanks (object name)
politics, British - institutional: war aims (object name)
combat, British - artillery bombardment (object name)
propaganda, British - inspirational (object name)
01/3(4-15).57 (event)
31/3(41) (event)
Péronne, Somme, France (geography)
Trones Wood, Somme, France (geography)
Courcelette, Somme, France (geography)
London, England, UK (geography)
Physical Characteristics: Colour format: B&W
Sound format: Silent
Soundtrack language: None
Title language: English
Subtitle language: English
Technical Details: Format: 35mm
Number of items/reels/tapes: 2
Footage: 1741 ft; Running time: 32 mins
IWM 123 (WESTERN FRONT (rough material) [Allocated Title])
IWM 233 (LA GUERRE ANGLAISE : grand film documentaire en 4 parts - les tanks anglais a la bataille de la Scarpe [Main Title])
IWM 349 (GERMAN PRISONERS - SCENES AT LA BOZELLE (sic) [Main Title])