THE AFTERMATH OF V1 FLYING BOMB STRIKES IN LONDON [Allocated Title]

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  • Title: THE AFTERMATH OF V1 FLYING BOMB STRIKES IN LONDON [Allocated Title]
  • Film Number: BTF 53
  • Other titles: RAILWAYS IN BRITAIN, 1935-1976 [Allocated Series Title]
  • Summary: The aftermath of V1 flying bomb strikes outside Waterloo Station in London and at Charing Cross Bridge. Further damage from V1 flying bomb strikes are also featured at Victoria Station, the Wimbledon flyover and the Bricklayers Arms.
  • Description: (14-17 June 1944) A Southern ‘N15’ or 'King Arthur' class (?) 4-6-0 (No. 744) hauls carriages from a storage shed at Southampton Docks, a young railway worker casually hangs-off the front of the engine. The scene then cuts to a Hospital Ship, the DINARD, in the dry dock for repairs on its mine damaged hull. Underneath the hull, the full extent of the damage is revealed. Dock workers and British service personnel are involved with the unloading of munitions and other cargo from railway wagons by dockside crane. Inside of a cargo hold, munitions are being loaded aboard. SH339 (19 June 1944) The Charing Cross railway bridge (Hungerford Bridge), London, having incurred severe damaged from a V1 flying bomb raid. The remaining railway tracks hang over the edge of the collapsed bridge section and into the River Thames below. Close to the edge of the bomb damaged tacks, a Southern Railway carriage has also incurred damage from the blast. St. Pauls Cathedral features in the distance, through the warped girders of the bomb damaged bridge. A railway crane and a group of workers undertake repairs. (1 min 30 sec) SH340-341 (23 June 1944) Blast damage from a V1 flying bomb raid near Waterloo Station. Smoke is rising-up from behind some railway carriages, from a rooftop perspective. The damage has occurred primarily along York Road, outside of Waterloo Station, demonstrated in a sequence ranging from blown-out windows to areas where multiple buildings have been flattened. Standing amongst the wreckage, a team of firemen (NFS – National Fire Service?) direct their hoses towards the wreckage. Emergency workers and civilians are on the scene, some of the blast damaged stretches to inside the station. The wounded are being loaded into the back of LCC (London County Council) ambulances (Technical: underexposed). Scenes looking out at the wreckage through windows obscured by shards of shattered glass. (Technical: out of focus). SH341 (2 min 39 sec) (26-27 June 1944) More V1 flying bomb damage, at the Bricklayers Arms in West London. A large group of workers have gathered to repair the damaged railway tracks, manually lifting and hammering what they can. The signal box has been reduced to its wooden framework, with the internal leavers clearly visible from the outside. Cuts to shots of damage to Victoria Station, a mobile water pump and a crane are on hand. Layers of wall have been stripped back by the bomb blast, but much of the building still stands. Timbers are strewn about from a collapsed roof and a “JERSEY AIRWAYS – CHANNEL ISLANDS” sign remains on one of the walls. On the main concourse, the roof is severely damaged, and debris covers the floor. At the Wimbledon flyover, more damage from a V1 flying bomb raid has destroyed a row of railway carriages. The carriages are far beyond repair, as workmen start to sort through the debris. SH342-344 (5 min 14 sec)
  • Alternative Title: RAILWAYS IN BRITAIN, 1935-1976 [Allocated Series Title]
  • Colour: B&W
  • Digitised:
  • Object_Number: BTF 53
  • Sound: Silent
  • Access Conditions: IWM Attribution: © IWM (BTF 53)
  • Featured Period: 1939-1945
  • Production Date: 1944-06
  • 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: 684ft ; 7 min 15 sec
  • HD Media:
  • Link to IWM Collections page:

    BTF 53

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