VILLAGES IN FLANDERS, THE SCENES OF HARD FIGHTING, NOW HELD BY THE BRITISH [Main Title]

Metadata

  • Title: VILLAGES IN FLANDERS, THE SCENES OF HARD FIGHTING, NOW HELD BY THE BRITISH [Main Title]
  • Film Number: IWM 209
  • Other titles: OFFICIAL PICTURES OF THE BRITISH ARMY IN FRANCE - THIRD SERIES [Series Title]
  • Summary: Damage done to the villages and churches in the Ypres area, Western Front, by March 1916.
  • Description: Scenes of damaged houses and churches, with British troops clearing away the rubble. The first church is late perpendicular with its roof missing, possibly Neuve Eglise. The second church, neo-Norman, has, in December 1915, its tower blown off and graveyard damaged. It is filmed again three months later "showing how completely it has been destroyed by German guns". A British soldier attends to a "blind" (unexploded) shell in a graveyard, possibly Voormezele. A nineteenth century Gothic church, showing both interior and exterior with roof missing, possibly Mont St-Eloi. More general damage to one village, including a destroyed brewery. A damaged railway station, possibly at Mont Kemmel. A church interior, possibly also Kemmel, showing damage to the Stations of the Cross. Finally the grave of Captain F O Grenfell, 9th Lancers, who won one of the first Victoria Crosses of the war and was killed doing trench duty in May 1915.
  • Access Conditions: IWM Attribution: © IWM
  • Featured Period: 1914-1918
  • Production Date: 1916-04-03
  • Production Country: GB
  • Production Details: War Office (Production sponsor) British Topical Committee for War Films (Production company) Malins, Geoffrey H (Production individual) Tong, Edward G (Production individual)
  • Personalities, Units and Organisations:
  • Keywords: destruction, Belgian military - area: artillery bombardment & [+] (object name) casualties, British graves - formal (object name) weapons, German - shell: [unexploded] (object name) 01/3(4-15).4 (event) 01/3(4-15).5 (event) Nieuwkerke, West Flanders, Belgium (geography) Voormezele, West Flanders, Belgium (geography) Mont Saint Eloi, West Flanders, Belgium (geography) Kemmel Hill, West Flanders, Belgium (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: 585 ft; Running time: 10 mins
  • Notes: Cameraman: this was either Malins or Tong. Summary: most of the village identifications are very uncertain. As the film makes clear, the appearance of a building could change completely in a few months' fighting.
  • Link to IWM Collections page:

    IWM 209

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