CIVILIAN PASSENGERS ARRIVE INTO NEWHAVEN ABOARD A FORMER TROOPSHIP [Allocated Title]

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  • Title: CIVILIAN PASSENGERS ARRIVE INTO NEWHAVEN ABOARD A FORMER TROOPSHIP [Allocated Title]
  • Film Number: BTF 62
  • Other titles: RAILWAYS IN BRITAIN, 1935-1976 [Allocated Series Title]
  • Summary: A record of a former military vessel, reverted to carrying civilian passengers, running its first civilian service from Dieppe to Newhaven. Other content includes; Allied troops involved in D-Day returning to Britain on leave, new Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) recruits due to depart for Guilford, and a Southern Railway “roof spotter” in position at Waterloo Station.
  • Description: (15-17 January 1945) A Southern 4-6-0 locomotive hauls four 4-6-0 locomotives (including No. 79241 and 78611) at Redhill, South London, destined for shipment overseas. The scene cuts to Newhaven Harbour, the South coast of England, as the ISLE OF GUERNSEY passenger vessel comes into port. This is the first passenger service the ISLE OF GUERNSEY has run from Dieppe to Newhaven, since leaving military service. Still in military camouflage, the vessel slowly comes into dock and the civilian passengers begin to disembark. On the dockside, a mixture of service personnel and some photojournalists see them ashore, before the passengers move on to the “BAGGAGE EXAMINATION ROOM”. The sequence then switches to the Newhaven Harbour Station platform, where a British Army soldier gives instructions through a loudhailer. A mixture of Allied service personnel and civilians crowd the station. Passengers for the ISLE OF GUERNSEY disembark from train carriages, including a Southern locomotive (No. 2038), destined for Dieppe. Cargo is then loaded aboard the ISLE OF GUERNSEY, and the sequence finishes with the vessel leaving the harbour. SH386-387 (26 January 1945) D-Day troops on leave visit the Southern Railway canteen carriage, where two female members of staff serve refreshments (including soldiers from the British Army 3rd Division). The scene cuts to the arrival of the PRINCESS MAUD vessel into Dover with D-Day troops aboard. The troops disembark, predominantly dressed in army greatcoats, throwing items into the back of a military truck as they pass. The troops move down the quayside and passing through the train station, many are in high spirits. The locomotive then pulls out of the station, and the troops wave from the windows of the passing carriages. (4 min 9 sec) SH388 (26 January 1945) Newhaven Harbour Station, service personnel (British and American) are on the platform, followed by a high angled shot of a train pulling away from the station (from SH386). (8-9 February 1945) Waterloo Station, London, a long queue of women joining the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) are due to depart for Guilford. An ATS sergeant talks with two of the women, taking down notes on a clipboard. They are led through a departure gate, flanked by adverts for; “OSRAM, THE WONDERFUL LAMP”, and a “WH SMITH & SONS” to the right. Close-ups of the new recruits’ bedside their train carriages ready to depart. As the train departs the platform, many of the passengers lean out of windows and wave as they pass. (6 min 43 sec) SH389 (9 February 1945) A Southern Railway employee, (or “roof spotter”) on the roof of Waterloo Station, surveying the scene through a set of binoculars before quickly turning to scramble inside. A second scene of the same employee, along with two other men, on the roof top follows. St. Pauls Cathedral is in the far distance behind them. The final part of the sequence gives a high angle perspective of a railway bridge crossing the River Thames. (8 min 10 sec) SH390
  • Alternative Title: RAILWAYS IN BRITAIN, 1935-1976 [Allocated Series Title]
  • Colour: B&W
  • Digitised:
  • Object_Number: BTF 62
  • Sound: Silent
  • Access Conditions: IWM Attribution: © IWM (BTF 62)
  • Featured Period: 1939-1945
  • Production Date: 1945-01
  • 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: 815ft ; 8 min 44 sec
  • HD Media:
  • Link to IWM Collections page:

    BTF 62

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