OUR HOLIDAYS IN THE BALTIC [Main Title]

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  • Title: OUR HOLIDAYS IN THE BALTIC [Main Title]
  • Film Number: MGH 2629
  • Other titles: AMATEUR FILM BY SIDNEY CARTER [Allocated Title]
  • Summary: Filmed account of a holiday by Sidney B Carter and his wife to Germany and the Free City of Danzig in 1933, with captions (shown here in double inverted commas).
  • Description: "Loading merchandise at London Bridge". The ship Baltonia, on which the Carters will be making their way to Germany, loads at a wharf near London Bridge. The bridge is not filmed, although Tower Bridge and the Tower of London are shown. A crane is used to bring crates and drums into Baltonia's hold from both the quayside and from a barge moored alongside. A car chassis is also lifted on board. Close up of crate marked "Warsaw via Gdansk". The ship gets underway; woman tries on life jacket. "Deck games are the order of the day". Passengers amuse themselves on deck during the voyage, playing deck tennis (with a quoit) and cards. A boy in a cricket sweater uses a skipping rope. Deckhands tie knots in rope. "The Elbe - The Pilot Comes On Board". On the river Elbe, the elderly pilot (wearing a bowler hat) comes alongside in a small boat and climbs on board via a rope ladder. "The Wreck of the Guildford Castle". Baltonia passes the sunken Union Castle liner SS Guildford Castle; only the tips of the two masts and funnel visible above the water. (Guildford Castle was sunk on 31 May 1933 after colliding with the Blue Funnel liner Stentor.) A small boat (the Wrack) is moored nearby , monitoring traffic around the wreck. "Cuxhaven". Views from the Baltonia as she approaches the harbour at Cuxhaven, Lower Saxony; a ship passes. "Entering the Kiel Canal". Baltonia passes a lighthouse at the entrance to the Kiel Canal, and navigates into the locks at Brunsbüttel. Lockmaster salutes from the lockside. Nearby is the British cargo ship SS Baltallinn. Some people disembark. Views of the lock gates both closed and open; in the distance ahead is the Brunsbüttel High Bridge. Baltonia passes through the canal; a canoeist can be seen in the water alongside. Brief scenes on board. "Sunbathing". Passengers pose on deck in their swimming costumes. One man playfully puts a woman over his knee and "spanks" her. A nurse (with red cross on her cap) sits in a chair and smiles for the camera. Steward rings the dinner gong. "Entering Danzig Harbour". Views from on board as Baltonia is towed by a tug into the harbour of Danzig (modern day Gdansk). "Street scenes in Danzig". Riverside view beside the Mottlau (Motlawa) river with a close-up of the medieval port crane. General views on various streets, including a shot of the Town Hall spire and a glimpse of a man in uniform. Women go about their shopping. A man in a white coat carries out a demonstration of some sort (although many of the spectators look directly at the camera). "The Nazi 'League of Youth'". Brief shot showing a march by members of the Hitler Youth, both male and female. Cinema showing "Lichter der Großstadt" (Charlie Chaplin's 1931 film "City Lights"). Close-up of town hall main entrance; camera pans up to show clock tower. "The Local W H Smith and Sons". Newspaper vendor in the street (the title a humorous reference to the British chain of newsagents). "A Jewish Shop Closed by Herr Hitler". A shop with its windows neatly boarded up and no signage to indicate what type of shop it had been. Nazi Party poster on the wall with a large swastika and the slogan "Liste 1" (the first on the list). "Entering Prussia". Bridge with gates. Building marked "Danziger Zollamt Kalthof" (the German customs house at Kalthof in East Prussia). Group of people, including two men in Nazi caps (possibly Sturmabteilung), stand outside gateway where an older Prussian official in dark formal uniform - possibly a customs officer in dark uniform - stands. Courtyard with small gazebo. Open air drinking fountain; relaxed members of the Hitler Youth gather and drink water. "We Visit a Polish Farm". Across the border in Poland, the Carters visit a working farm: general views of the farmyard, where a carriage is being pushed into a stable. Two inquisitive dogs approach the camera. Fully-laden horse-drawn haycart passes; various other (unused) carts are seen in the farmyard. One of the tourist group, a bellows camera around her neck, stands with local people and holds up something unidentified. Farmer leads cattle through the farmyard. Haycart and woman workers. Man with horse by the stable. Horse-drawn ploughs in field. "Loading paraffin wax for soap-making". In Poland, before Baltonia makes her return journey, her cargo hold is replenished, here with bales of paraffin wax. "We loaded 500 tons of eggs". Large egg crates are loaded on board by cranes. "We also took on 500 tons of bacon" - the bacon sides are also craned aboard. "The Kiel Canal Again". On her return journey, the ship makes her way through the canal. General canalside views with shots of numerous craft, and transit through the locks. "More sunbathing". Bare-chested man lies on the deck; he smiles at the camera. General views of deck activity, including women posing for the camera in swimming costumes. "The Thames - The Pilot Comes On Board". He climbs up a rope ladder from a small boat that has pulled alongside. "We pass a sailing barge". Views of a Thames sailing barge in full sail. "The Ausonia in which we Cruised Last Year". The Cunard liner RMS Ausonia is seen moored nearby. "Going Through Customs". On the quayside, customs inspectors examine cargo and personal luggage. Cargo is off-loaded by crane. "London Again!" Views of streets and bridges, including a shot of St Paul's Cathedral. [Abrupt end.]
  • Alternative Title: AMATEUR FILM BY SIDNEY CARTER [Allocated Title]
  • Colour: B&W
  • Digitised: No
  • Object_Number: MGH 2629
  • Sound: Silent
  • Access Conditions:
  • Featured Period:
  • Production Date: 1933
  • Production Country: GB
  • Production Details: Mutual Publicity Films (Production company) Carter, Sidney B (Production individual) Carter, Sidney B (Production individual)
  • Personalities, Units and Organisations:
  • Keywords:
  • Physical Characteristics: Colour format: B&W Sound format: Silent Soundtrack language: English
  • Technical Details: Format: 16mm Number of items/reels/tapes: 1 Footage: 353 ft; Running time: 9 mins
  • HD Media:
  • Link to IWM Collections page:

    MGH 2629

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