AEROPLANE SALVAGE AND US FORCES ON THE WESTERN FRONT, JULY 1918 [Allocated Title]

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  • Title: AEROPLANE SALVAGE AND US FORCES ON THE WESTERN FRONT, JULY 1918 [Allocated Title]
  • Film Number: IWM 261
  • Other titles:
  • Summary: I. Aeroplane salvage at Number 2 Army Salvage Depot, Western Front, 3 July 1918. II. British film of US forces celebrating Independence Day at or near Woirel, Western Front, 4 July 1918.
  • Description: Wrecks of crashed or damaged British aircraft arrive at the salvage depot on lorries, and the larger pieces are lifted off by crane. One almost complete fuselage is a Bristol F2B Fighter. The machines are stripped and the parts sorted. New engines are fitted to aircraft fuselages, and the results tested. Inside the sheds aeroplanes are rebuilt and the fabric doped. A group of officers watches a test flight (aircraft not shown) with binoculars, a telescope fitted to a bicycle wheel, and the naked eye. At another part of the dump the various items of salvage are thrown into bins marked "rubber", "brass", etc. Engines are removed from damaged aircraft bodies. A salvaged RE8 takes off. Wings are fitted to a rebuilt DH9. Men of US 12th Engineers receive medals from the British Major-General Solly-Flood (?) at an inspection parade at Woirel (?). Solly-Flood also decorates some British soldiers, probably of his own 42nd (East Lancashire) Division. The Americans march past, and the colour party returns the two American standards to their tent. Not far away from the parade site, at the Philadelphia Hospital of Transport, a large crowd of Allied soldiers and nurses watch a baseball game. Officers and nurses stroll around as the game progresses, and a nurse helps a patient to eat.
  • Alternative Title:
  • Colour: B&W
  • Digitised: Yes
  • Object_Number: IWM 261
  • Sound: Silent
  • Access Conditions: IWM Attribution: © IWM
  • Featured Period: 1914-1918
  • Production Date: 1918
  • Production Country: GB
  • Production Details: Ministry of Information (Production sponsor) Topical Film Company (Production company) Buckstone, Walter A (Production individual)
  • Personalities, Units and Organisations: Solly-Flood, Arthur (person) British Army, Army Salvage Depot 2 (regiment/service) British Army, Div 42 (regiment/service) United States Army & American Expeditionary Force (regiment/service) United States Army & Engineers 12 (regiment/service) American Red Cross (regiment/service)
  • Keywords: aircraft, British - combat: Bristol F2B Fighter & [wrecked] (object name) aircraft, British - combat: De Havilland DH9 & [damaged] (object name) aircraft, British - combat: Royal Aircraft Establishment RE8 (object name) supplies, British, storage [RA] - misc (object name) operations, British military - salvage: aircraft (object name) ceremonies, British - event-related: investiture (object name) ceremonies, United States - event-related: Fourth of July (object name) buildings, United States - military: hospital (object name) recreation, United States military - sport: baseball (object name) medical, United States military - hospital (object name) 01/3(4-15).8 (event) 01/3(4-15).8 (event) Number 2 Army Salvage Depot, France (geography) Philadelphia Hospital of Transport, Woirel, Somme, France (geography) (concept)
  • Physical Characteristics: Colour format: B&W Sound format: Silent Soundtrack language: None Title language: None Subtitle language: None
  • Technical Details: Format: 35mm Number of items/reels/tapes: 1 Footage: 661 ft; Running time: 11 mins
  • HD Media:Yes
  • Link to IWM Collections page:

    IWM 261

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