59 THE ESSEX REGIMENT ANTI-AIRCRAFT BATTERY [Allocated Title]

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  • Title: 59 THE ESSEX REGIMENT ANTI-AIRCRAFT BATTERY [Allocated Title]
  • Film Number: MGH 6356
  • Other titles: AMATEUR FILM BY CAPTAIN HAROLD GOOD [Alternative Title]
  • Summary:
  • Description: [10:00:00] - "TotaliTerritorialisM. An uncensored fable in 2 parts concerning our activities during the past year. Part 1. Why we prepare for action. This happy band of men - this little world. This precious stone set in the silvery sea. This pleasant plot - this earth - this realm. This England. England. Shores, Castles, Houses and gardens of the past. Her countryside and sports. Josselyns - Nr. Colchester. Various ground shots of a Tudor house. The house is large with black beams and white wattle. [10:01:41] - "Dartington Hall - Devon." Dartington Hall, Totnes, Devon. Single exterior shot and pan of the outside of the hall. Also a shot of a tree in the gardens. [10:02:15] - "The Twelve Apostles - planted by Sir Walter Raleigh." Twelve Irish Yew trees planted in the grounds of Dartington Hall. Slow pan of the twelve trees with the hall just visible in the BG. There are also shots of the tops of the trees, a flowerbed stuffed with hundreds of pink flowers. Also a shot of a church tower through the trees. Finally there are several more wide shots of the hall. [10:03:51] - "Stanley Hall - Pebmarsh, Essex." Ground shot, slow pan along the front of Stanley Hall, Halstead, Essex. The hall is a wood framed Tudor design. Slow tilt up from the reflections of trees in an ornamental pond up to show the front of the house. A second slow pan of the front of the house follows. [10:04:31] - Ground MS of a fox hunter riding past camera on his horse. He is dressed in traditional red jacket and has a large pack of hounds following him. Next we see a young couple (man and young woman riding along behind the hounds, they too are followed by another man in red jacket on horseback. [10:04:48] - Ground shot of a cricket match at Lords Cricket Ground. First we see a batsman being bowled out and walking away from the crease. The next shot is of a batsman surveying the field which cuts quickly to a bowler running up and delivering the ball. The final shot is a sillhouette of the famous Lords weathervane depicting Old Father Time. [10:05:13] - "Rhuddland Castle - Wales." (Actually the castle is in Rhuddlan, near the North Wales coast.) Ground shot, slow pan of one of the walls of Rhuddlan Castle finishing on the twin gatehouse towers. There follows a CU of one of the towers. The next shot is of a herd of sheep shot through a hole in the wall of the castle. The final shot is a WS of tha castle from the distance. [10:06:02] - "Carmarthen Castle." This section begins with various CU shots o the castle exterior, mostly details of the towers. Next is an attempt to film the stainglass windows from the inside which fails. ext we go outside again and see more exterior shots mostly fairly CU shots of the towers. [10:07:16] - "Scenes taken in the Colonies and on the way to them." The first shot is looking back from a boat as it leaves Dover Harbour. We can see the white cliffs in the background. The boat flies the Red Ensign and a seaman lowers the flag as they leave port. The next shot shows sunset over a harbour full of boats. [10:07:55] - "Flying Fish and Dolphins playing round the bows." (This seems to be the end of the film.) [10:08:02] - This segment of film shows the official opening of a new headquarters for 59th (The Essex Regiment) Anti-Aircraft Regiment Royal Artillery Territorial Army. The regiment had had to leave their old HQ because it was not big enough to hold their new Anti-Aircraft equipment. The new HQ, Forest Lodge in Whips Cross was opened on May 19th 1939. The gentleman opening the building is Sir Edward Charles FitzClarence, the 6th Earl of Munster and Under Secretary of State for War. Opening shot is of the Earl's car driving past. We can see sodiers ranked behind the car waiting for the parade. [10:08:02] - The regimental flag is then seen being brought across the parade ground with a two man guard. They pass in front of a brass band playing. [10:08:08] - The Earl's car pulls up and out steps the Earl himself and a high ranking officer (from the collar and cap badge possibly a General of the regiment). They shake hands with several people who are out of shot. [10:08:24] - We see the Earl walking between ranked troops standing to attention. [10:08:37] - Next we see the Earl and the General inspecting a row of elderly looking gentlemen in civilian clothing but wearing rows of medals. Possibly retired soldiers of the regiment or home guard. [10:08:59] - More shots of the General and another dignitary. [10:09:06] - The Earl is then introduced to a vicar and more dignitaries and officers before climbing the steps of the new building and opening the door. (The key was made of solid silver according to the Regiment Museum records). Note the officer follwing him takes a trip up one of the steps but gathers himself well. [10:09:49] - In this shot we see the senior officers all entering the building one by one. There are also shots of the lower ranks milling around outside with their wives and friends. [10:10:27] - The Earl can now be seen chatting to a couple of women in Army uniforms at the foot of the steps to the building. He is chatting and laughing. He then walks between serveral rows of women in uniform. [10:10:50] - Next the Earl can be seen emerging from a doorway set into the side of the building below ground level. [10:11:15] - Captain Good's penchant for cars is shown next as he takes a long, lingering shot of the Earl's staff car (Rolls Royce?). [10:11:18] - Here we see a wide shot of the exterior of the new building. [10:11:26] - Next we have a close-up pan of the letters on the wall of the building. They read: 59th (The Essex Regiment) Anti-Aircraft Regiment Royal Artillery Territorial Army. [10:11:50] - The next sequence of shots shows anti-aircraft target practice in the countryside. We see a target banner dropping to the ground then a Westland Wallace (presumably the target towing plane) landing in front of a row of uniformed soldiers at ease. [10:12:07] - (The next sequence of shots in the coutryside could be the Regiment at camp in Cleave in Somerset in June 1939.) Next we have close up shots of soldiers eating sandwiches and chatting. [10:12:17] - Here we see a group of soldiers relaxing in the sun. They are eating a looking towards camera. This is folowed by shots of a larger group, again relaxing in the sunshine. As the camera pans from right to left two of the men can be seen giving a fascist salute. At the end of the pan one man knocks off the hat of another man. [10:12:46] - Next we see a group of women in uniform in front of a tent fooling around and trying to drink from a single cup of tea at the same time. They are encouraged and cajoled by a man in uniform. [10:13:05] - Close up of a woman in her full uniform stading to attention in front of a tent. She salutes. 10:13:11] - Now we see three uniformed sodiers resting against a tent. They smile at the camera. There is a young girl with them and one of the soldiers encourages another to put his arm around the girl after placing his hat on her head. They all pose in a close huddle. [10:13:37] - Wide shot with pan along a row of four Westland Wallace aircraft parked up in a field in front of a (temporary tent?) hanger. [10:13:50] - Various shots of officers and soldiers in small groups chatting. There is also some inspection of various pieces of equipmkent relating to Anti-Aircraft guns, rangefinders etc. [10:14:38] - Two flypasts of a Vickers Wellington shot from the ground. [10:15:09] - Various bad quality shots of a traget banner being towed throught the sky. We can see puffs of Anti-Aircraft fire going off around the banner. [10:16:37] - Two soldiers stand in front of camera, one is looking through a pair of field glasses and the other is standing at ease smiling at the camerman. [10:16:42] - C/U pan of women in various states of uniform doing washing up and drying. [10:16:56] - C/U of three women. One is drying up, one is mixing something in a enamel mug and the other watches and chats with them. [10:17:19] - Various B&W shots of a ballet/dance performance. There are also shots of behind the scenes in the dressing rooms. [10:23:37] - A shot of a penguin swimming. B&W. [10:23:42] - Several shots of a polar bear in a zoo. B&W. [10:23:53] - Several colour shots of a dog and cat fighting quite aggressively. [10:24:21] - Colour shots of several members of a ballet being posed for photographs. [10:24:52] - Shots of a topless lady with a man in a towel. The topless lady laughs as another (larger) lady tries to pull off the man's towel. He runs away. [10:25:09] - Various pans, tilts, C/U and W/S of a continental castle and the surrounding town. [10:27:55] - C/U of two men in uniform eating. They both wear tin hats and laugh at the camera.
  • Alternative Title: AMATEUR FILM BY CAPTAIN HAROLD GOOD [Alternative Title]
  • Colour: Colour (Kodachrome)
  • Digitised:
  • Object_Number: MGH 6356
  • Sound: Silent
  • Access Conditions: IWM Attribution: © IWM
  • Featured Period:
  • Production Date: 1942
  • Production Country: GB
  • Production Details: Good, Harold L (Production individual)
  • Personalities, Units and Organisations:
  • Keywords:
  • Physical Characteristics: Colour format: Colour (Kodachrome) Sound format: Silent Soundtrack language: None Title language: None Subtitle language: None
  • Technical Details: Format: 16mm Number of items/reels/tapes: 1 Footage: ft; Running time: mins
  • HD Media:
  • Link to IWM Collections page:

    MGH 6356

  • Related IWM Collections Objects:

    PHO 136 ()
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