SHIP'S BRING TROOPS & EQUIPMENT BACK TO SOUTHAMPTON DOCKS FROM FRANCE [Allocated Title]

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  • Title: SHIP'S BRING TROOPS & EQUIPMENT BACK TO SOUTHAMPTON DOCKS FROM FRANCE [Allocated Title]
  • Film Number: BTF 10
  • Other titles: RAILWAYS IN BRITAIN, 1935-1976 [Allocated Series Title]
  • Summary: Troops and equipment arrive into Southampton Docks from France. Evacuees from the British island of Jersey, and the impact of early Luftwaffe bombing raids in England.
  • Description: (18 June 1940) The BEF (British Expeditionary Force) arrive into Southampton Docks (South coast of England), having been evacuated from France. Barrage balloons in the background. A steamboat comes into dock, its decks overcrowded with troops. An “Alt. Goole” plaque below the bridge indicates the ship was built by 'GOOLE SHIPBUILDERS LTD'. The troops disembark onto the Southampton dockside. MH65 (19 June 1940) Military vehicles and equipment and are being lifted from cargo ships onto the dockside by crane; including Morris-Commercial CS8 15cwt trucks and a flat railway wagon. Chaotic scenes of British and French troops gathered in a storage shed waiting to be processed. Many choose to sit on floors and equipment is strewn about. Some are having chow and smoking cigarettes. A collection of smaller vessels ('little ships'?) moored together. Service personnel disembarking onto the dockside, the “CLAN MACBEAN – GLASGOW” is prominent in the background. More small vessels coming into harbour. Equipment being unloaded onto the dockside, including mobile 3.7-inch anti-aircraft guns and more Morris-Commercial trucks. A new sequence begins at 6 minutes; with a convoy of British Light Mk VI tanks, followed by shots of dispatch riders heading out in convoy. (1 min 50 Sec) MH66 – 70 (20 June 1940) Evacuees from the island of Jersey (a British Crown dependency in the English Channel), prior to the German occupation. Whole families, including young children, look well prepared. They appear relaxed, most carry luggage and some have even brought a pet dog. Men in civilian clothes assess air raid damage at Redbridge Station, Hampshire. Smouldering stacks of sleepers are extinguished by fire hoses. Close-up of one “AFS (Auxiliary Fire Service) – Southern Railway” workers overalls, before he runs to join colleagues. (6 min 51 Sec) MH71 (20 June 1940) Men of the Royal Air Force march into the Southern Railway Docks through a pillared entrance. Close-up shots of French sailors. (8 min 36 Sec) MH72 (21 June 1940) Patients evacuated from the Margate Hospital arrive at Windsor Station, Berkshire. A shot of the locomotive pulling into the station, before stretcher bound patients are unloaded onto the platform. Nurses watch from the carriages. (9 min 25 Sec) MH73
  • Alternative Title: RAILWAYS IN BRITAIN, 1935-1976 [Allocated Series Title]
  • Colour: B&W
  • Digitised:
  • Object_Number: BTF 10
  • Sound: Silent
  • Access Conditions: IWM Attribution: © IWM (BTF 10)
  • Featured Period: 1939-1945
  • Production Date: 1940-06
  • Production Country: GB
  • Production Details: Southern Railway Film Unit (Production company)
  • Personalities, Units and Organisations:
  • Keywords:
  • Physical Characteristics: Colour format: B&W Sound format: Silent
  • Technical Details: Format: 35mm Number of items/reels/tapes: 1 Footage: 971ft
  • HD Media:
  • Link to IWM Collections page:

    BTF 10

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