WAR OFFICE OFFICIAL TOPICAL BUDGET 318-1 [Main Title]

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  • Title: WAR OFFICE OFFICIAL TOPICAL BUDGET 318-1 [Main Title]
  • Film Number: NTB 318-1
  • Other titles:
  • Summary: I. Members of the Womens Legion depart for France. II. A review of US troops in France. III. Household Cavalry execute troop manoeuvres. IV. Salonika is destroyed by fire.
  • Description: I. 'WOMEN FOR THE FRONT. Girls of the Womens Legion leaving London to take up their duties in France. They are as plucky as the men and march like soldiers.' MS as uniformed women leave building to fall in on street outside. They march off. II. 'AMERICAN FIGHTING MEN IN FRANCE. Thousands of American troops are already in France. General Pershing Commanding, and the French President and General Pétain, French Commander-in-Chief reviewed a great number of them.' Pershing and French delegation pass camera to take up their positions. US troops march past. III. 'HOUSEHOLD CAVALRY IN FRANCE. This famous Corps is here seen in billets. Training of men and horses is complete. They only await their chance.' Cavalry troop rides out from farm yard. Column in 2's walks around a muddy pond then turns into line abreast. After a moment every other mount is walked forward to create two lines, the men then taking rifles from their buckets and dismounting to stand to their horses. IV. 'THE SALONIKA HOLOCAUST. The great fire at Salonika will be remembered as one of the most disastrous in history. The town was almost entirely destroyed and thousands rendered homeless.' HA.LS over gutted and still-smouldering buildings. MS as people pass along a street, smoke billowing up in the background, damaged buildings to right of frame. A hose is played on a burning building. LS down a smoke-filled street to destroyed buildings at one end - in the foreground stand some barrels which have been dragged out onto the kerb. LSs over the rooftops to the dense curtain of smoke rising from burning buildings, and pan to show the extent of the devastation - jets of water from hoses play on some of the roofs, but generally the fire seems to have the upper hand. A fire-fighting team of Italian (?) sailors carrying axes and picks stand in a street awash with water from the hoses - thick smoke drifts across the scene. 'THE CITY OF DESOLATION. There were distressing scenes when the inhabitants tried to save their goods and when the Allied army had to provide the starving with food.' Locals carry bedding, bundles of possessions, even wooden chests and cupboards along a street. Some of the more fortunate have carts. Crowds mill about near the harbour. LS pan over an impromptu tented encampment littered with rescued furniture and goods.
  • Alternative Title:
  • Colour: B&W
  • Digitised: Yes
  • Object_Number: NTB 318-1
  • Sound: Silent
  • Access Conditions: IWM Attribution: © IWM (NTB 318-1)
  • Featured Period: 1914-1918
  • Production Date: 1917-09-26
  • Production Country: GB
  • Production Details: War Office (Production sponsor) Topical Film Company (Production company)
  • Personalities, Units and Organisations: Pershing, John Joseph (person) Pétain, Philippe (person) Clemenceau, Georges Benjamin (person) Women's Legion (regiment/service) United States Army (regiment/service) British Army, Household Cavalry (regiment/service)
  • Keywords: operations, British military - movement: march (object name) ceremonies, United States - display: review of troops (object name) training, British military - specialist: equestrian (object name) destruction, Greek: fire in Salonika (object name) refugees, disaster, Greek - flight: Salonika fire (object name) refugees, disaster, Greek - settlement: Salonika fire (object name) operations, Greek civilian - relief: fire fighting (object name) London, England, UK (geography) France (geography) Greece & Salonika, Macedonia (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: 1 Footage: 325 ft; Running time: 3 mins
  • HD Media:Yes
  • Link to IWM Collections page:

    NTB 318-1

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