Other titles:BRITISH ARMY OPERATIONS IN THE SECOND WORLD WAR [Allocated Series Title]
Summary: 25 short lengths of film taken on Gibraltar on various dates from October 1941 to December 1942 (plus one short film dated February 1944) with a view to making a feature film on Gibraltar during the war, which was in fact never made.
Description: AYY 157/1. 3 Oct 1941. Shots taken en route with reinforcement convoy and the first sights of Gibraltar. Troops sunbathing and playing "housie housie". Spanish frontier scenes. Police examining papers.
AYY 157/2. 8 Oct 1941. Lord Gort inspecting the Canadian tunnellers, the No 2 Tunnelling Company Royal Canadian Engineers. Canadian ex-gold miners use water method of drilling instead of pneumatic drills.
AYY 157/3. 13 Oct 1941. Royal Engineers tunnelling, drilling and fuse setting in Monkeys Cave.
AYY 157/4. 15 Oct. 1941. Visit of the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester and Lord Gort, to inspect defences and troops. Black Watch party landing in punts and making way through beaches laying explosives on railway line. The Duke inspects new air base runways and French plane, three of which had recently landed, having come over to Free French side. The Duke visits "Gort's Hospital", an underground hospital under construction. The Duke takes salute of the 2nd Somerset Light Infantry. He walks in the gardens of Government House with the Marquesa de Povois, General Don Fernando Barróon y Ortíz (Governor of Algeciras), Colonel Gonzales (Chief of Staff), Marques de Vallicennati (Diplomatic Secretary) and Lord Gort and party. He inspects the 4th Battalion Devonshire Regiment and the 4th Battalion Black Watch and views ack-ack guns. Inspects guns. 178th Tunnelling Company, Royal Engineers. Sergeant Smith, company piper, plays to the men as they leave for lunch.
AYY 157/5. 6 Nov. 1941. Men at work and rest on the Rock of Gibraltar. 108th Tunnelling Company. Men cooking and playing darts.
AYY 157/6. 2 Dec. 1941. Lord Gort laying wreath. Food dump. Troops working Predictor. Ceremony of the Keys. Spanish defences. Gibraltar Aerodrome.
AYY 157/7. 7 Jan. 1942. Visit of the Prince of Greece and Major Randolph Churchill. They are shown around the wireless station and airport by Lord Gort.
AYY 157/8. 2 Jan. 1942. Sir Samuel and Lady Hoare witness the first Keys' ceremony at which all three services took part. Heavy gun barrel being hauled up the Rock by steam engine.
AYY157/9. 3 Feb. 1942. Visit of General Don Fernando Barróon y Ortíz (Governor of Algeciras). He inspects a battalion of the Somerset Light Infantry. Royal Engineers Tunnelling Company at work. Black Watch pipe band.
AYY 157/10. 17 Feb. 1942. Lord Gort at the Storm Platoon Competition, where regiments compete in rock climbing, the tunnels and an assault course. The 4th Battalion Devon Regiment, Somerset Light Infantry, Black Watch, 178th Tunnelling Company, Royal Engineers, the Independent Company and the 2nd Battalion Kings Regiment take part.
AYY 157/11. 10 Feb. 1942. Gibraltar street scenes. Spanish civilian workers being searched at Customs. Troops feeding the apes.
AYY 157/12. 4 March 1942. Lord Gort and staff lead Route March. Units are the 4th Battalion Devon Regiment, the 2nd Battalion Kings Regiment, the Somerset Light Infantry, Royal Artillery, the Black Watch and the Royal Army Service Corps Pack Transport Section.
AYY 157/13. 17 March 1942. King George of Greece and Sir Stafford Cripps visit Gibraltar with Captain Russell, Chief of Staff. They inspect the Somerset Light Infantry and visit the Southern Tunnel System, including the "Flat Bastion" underground hospital.
AYY 157/14/1. 13 April 1942. 4th Battalion Devon Regiment marching and deploying at practice air raid signal. 11 April - route march headed by regimental mascot of the 4th Battalion Devon Regiment.
AYY 157/14/2. 10 April 1942. Visit of General Ponte, he inspects the 2nd Kings Regiment and visits the underground hospital and the Glen Rocky underground water distillery. Inspects storm platoon and guns.
AYY 157/14/3. 11 April 1942. Duke of Gloucester with Captain Russell.
AYY 157/14/4. 11 April 1942. Arrival of Italian repatriation ships, SS Guilio Cesare and SS Duilo, chartered to the Red Cross, en route to Abyssinia to fetch Italian civilians. Also English tanker RFA Brown Ranger alongside.
AYY 157/14/5. 11 April 1942. HMS Penelope at Royal Naval Dockyard, showing bomb damage sustained at Malta. Crew clearing debris from decks.
AYY 157/15. 29 April 1942. Visit of Mr R G Casey, representative of the British War Cabinet in the Middle East and of Mr and Mrs Yencken from the Embassy in Madrid. They visit Glen Rocky distillery and the Rest Camp at the Governor's cottage.
AYY 157/16. 17 May 1942. Acting Governor Vice Admiral Sir Frederick Edward Collins inspects the defences with Major General J H Davidson, Director of Military Intelligence. Also present are General Anders, Commander of the Polish forces in Russia and General De L'Ari Valin, Commander of the Free French Air Force and Major General Jardine.
AYY 157/17. 2 July 1942. Official visit of the Governor of Algeciras, General Don Fernando Barróon y Ortíz and inspection of defences with Major General Mason Macfarlan, Governor of Gibraltar. Pipe band of the 4th Battalion Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment).
AYY 157/18. 24 July 1942. Landing exercise from landing craft by Independent Company. They land in order to blow up a bridge and then re-embark and put to sea. The Company consisted of men drawn from the four infantry regiments on the Rock with small detachments of sappers and gunners. Arrival of food supplies. 6 Aug. Visit of Sir Alan Brooke, Chief of the Imperial General Staff.
AYY 157/19. 23 Sep 1942. Royal Army Service Corps No 3 Pack Transport Company horses carry ammunition over tracks and paths. A dog carries equipment. An ENSA party of women entertain the troops with the help of local troop talent.
AYY 157/20. 23 Nov 1942. RAF at Gibraltar. 524 TSR (Torpedo-Spotter-Reconnaissance) Swordfish Squadron aircraft - Liberator, Flying Fortress, Spitfire and Lockheed Lightning. Many take off for Africa.
Training at a "hardening camp" - log throwing, swimming, cliff climbing and unarmed combat. Men and officers mix for the week's course.
AYY 157/21. 12 Nov. 1942. Erection and maintenance of aircraft at Gibraltar (North front) including Spitfires and Hurricanes, Mitchell, Lightning, Liberator, Flying Fortress and Hudson, some in air.
Defences of Catalan Bay and Sandy Bay. Troops manning defences. Landing of stores. Destroyer HMS Westcott fuelling at sea. RFA Dingledale.
AYY 157/22. 1 Dec. 1942. General Ponté arrives at Government House. Inspection of Guard of Honour. The General in the garden of Government House accompanied by Lieutenant General Mason Macfarlane. The General with Major General Sir Colin Jardine and Major R Capurro (?), aide-de-camp to His Excellency. Firing practice with Valentine tanks.
AYY 157/23. 11 Jan. 1942. Visit to Rock Gun (Northern Peak) by an ENSA party, there to entertain the troops at the Theatre Royal, Gibraltar. The famous actors and singers are Beatrice Lillie, Jeanne de Casalis, Elizabeth Welch, Edith Evans, Phyllis Stanley, John Gielgud, Michael Wilding and Cyril Baker.
AYY 157/24. 27 Feb. 1944. Arrival at aerodrome of Lieutenant General Sir Thomas Ralph Eastwood to take up his appointment as Governor of Gibraltar. He is met by Major General Hyland (Acting Governor) and Vice Admiral Sir Harold Burrough. He inspects a guard of honour from the Hertfordshire Regiment.
AYY 157/A. An edited film made up from the preceding cuts to show Gibraltar at war. It was never finished. Includes shot of Mussolini in microplane.
Alternative Title:BRITISH ARMY OPERATIONS IN THE SECOND WORLD WAR [Allocated Series Title]
Production Details: War Office Film Unit (Production company)
Glendinning, Hone1912-08-161997-08-26 (Production individual)
Cotter, J R (Production individual)
Hutchinson (Sergeant) (Production individual)
