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

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  • Title: SONS OF OUR EMPIRE EPISODE 3 : the King's message to his troops [Main Title]
  • Film Number: IWM 130-05+6
  • Other titles: THE KING'S MESSAGE TO HIS TROOPS [Alternative Title]
  • Summary: British preparations during the later Somme offensive, Western Front, autumn 1916.
  • 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.
  • Alternative Title: THE KING'S MESSAGE TO HIS TROOPS [Alternative Title]
  • Colour: B&W
  • Digitised: Yes
  • Object_Number: IWM 130-05+6
  • Sound: Silent
  • Access Conditions: IWM Attribution: © IWM
  • Featured Period: 1914-1918
  • Production Date: 1917
  • Production Country: GB
  • 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: British Army, Devonshire Regiment (regiment/service) British Army, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment (regiment/service) British Army, Black Watch (?) (regiment/service) British Army, Machine Gun Corps, Heavy Branch, Coy A (regiment/service) British Army, Machine Gun Corps, Heavy Branch, Coy C (regiment/service) British Army, Machine Gun Corps, Heavy Branch, Coy D (regiment/service) British Army, Royal Tank Corps (regiment/service) British Army, Div, Cavalry, 4 (regiment/service) Indian Army, Div, Cavalry, 1 (?) (regiment/service) British Army, Div, Cavalry, 5 (?) (regiment/service) Indian Army, Div, Cavalry, 2 (?) (regiment/service) British Army, West African Labour Contingent (regiment/service) Canadian Army, Canadian Expeditionary Force, Bn 15 (regiment/service) British Army, Div 35 (?) (regiment/service) British Army, Scots Fusiliers, Royal, Bn 17 (?) (regiment/service) British Army, Durham Light Infantry (regiment/service) British Army, Sussex Regiment (regiment/service) British Army, Lancashire Regiment, North Loyal (?) (regiment/service) British Army, Northamptonshire Regiment (regiment/service) Australian Army, Australian Imperial Force, Div 2 (?) (regiment/service) Australian Army, Australian Artillery, Siege Battery 55 (?) (regiment/service) New Zealand Military Forces, New Zealand Div (regiment/service) British Army, Royal Flying Corps, Squadron 20 (regiment/service) British Army, Div, Guards (regiment/service) British Army, Royal Artillery, Royal Garrison Artillery (regiment/service)
  • Keywords: weapons, British - gun: 12-inch (railway mounted 'Boche Buster') (object name) weapons, British - gun: 18-pounder field gun (object name) weapons, British - gun: 6-inch Mark VII (object name) weapons, British - gun: 60-pounder (object name) weapons, British - gun: 9.2-inch howitzer (object name) armour, British - tank: Tank Mark I Male (object name) armour, British - tank: Tank Mark I Female (object name) aircraft, British - combat: Royal Aircraft Establishment FE2b (object name) aircraft, British - combat: Royal Aircraft Establishment FE2d (object name) aircraft, British - combat: Royal Aircraft Establishment RE7 (object name) aircraft, British - balloon: observation kite balloon (object name) transport, British military - rail (object name) combat, British - artillery bombardment (object name) operations, British military - movement: march (object name) supplies, British, storage [FA] - munitions (object name) 01/3(4-15).57 (event) Somme, France (geography) Race (concept) mud (concept)
  • Physical Characteristics: Colour format: B&W Sound format: Silent Soundtrack language: None Title language: None Subtitle language: English
  • Technical Details: Format: 35mm Number of items/reels/tapes: 2 Footage: 2172 ft; Running time: 35 mins
  • HD Media:Yes
  • Link to IWM Collections page:

    IWM 130-05+6

  • Related IWM Collections Objects:

    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])
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