SCENES ON HMS BIRMINGHAM DURING HER COMMISSION OF 1957 - 1958 [Allocated Title]

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  • Title: SCENES ON HMS BIRMINGHAM DURING HER COMMISSION OF 1957 - 1958 [Allocated Title]
  • Film Number: MGH 6887
  • Other titles: AMATEUR FILM BY SUB-LIEUTENANT KEITH FROST [Alternative Title]
  • Summary: Amateur film shot by Sublieutenant Frost RNVR, while on National Service and serving on HMS Birmingham in the Mediterranean, records scenes on board and shore leave in various ports.
  • Description: Reel 1: (33 mins) “HMS BIRMINGHAM: CHATHAM 26th JANUARY 1957 COMMISSIONING CEREMONY” General views of Chatham (some rolling of DVD image) followed by scenes of the ceremony , beginning with a parade featuring the crew and Royal Navy band. The parade is reviewed by a senior officer standing on saluting base. The crew march onto the dockyard, where they board the vessel. Shots from shore as the White Ensign is raised. Views on board (very dark, due to natural light) showing a formal service during the ship’s commissioning. HMS Birmingham in dock, accompanied by the tugs Ballista and Obus (taken from small craft passing the vessel). Scenes on deck as supplies and ammunition are loaded on board – shells are loaded one by one, with great care, by a human chain. Ratings scrub the ship’s superstructure and swab the decks; officers watch. Visit of Lord Mayor (of Chatham?) and his wife; they tour the ship. Also seen visiting are senior naval officers who inspect officers and honour guard. Presentation of medals to members of the crew. The crew remove their hats for formal inspection; also some informal shots. Brief views of the West End of London at night : neon signs outside cinemas in Leicester Square ( “The Opposite Sex” and “Ill Met by Moonlight”) and Piccadilly Circus. Shot of HMS Birmingham from dock, smoke is pouring from her funnel (?). She prepares to embark; a crane removes the boarding ramp. Tugs, including Perseverance, are in attendance. Views on board as she is pulled away from the quayside. General views over deck. Aldis lamp and semaphore flags are used for signalling; pennants are raised. Scenes at sea off the coast. General scenes and maintenance activities on board as the ship sails for Gibraltar. Protective covers are put on guns. Scenes on the bridge. The Rock of Gibraltar can be seen on the horizon. Final preparations (polishing of ships sign and smartening of uniforms) as the ship approaches Gibraltar. On arrival, HMS Birmingham docks. Street scenes in Gibraltar. Navy soccer match. Children on streets and on broad steps. Members of the crew (in civilian clothes) ascend the Rock and play with the Barbary apes. At the summit, they enjoy the views from the top of the Rock. At sea again. The ship pulls into Malta and anchors at a floating mooring. Officer waves at local people standing at the quayside. Officers go ashore in small launch (camera position still on board ship). Crew and guard march to positions on ship line up ready to receive senior officer. Men work on preparing the anchor chains as senior officers watch. Small band plays as the anchor chain is wound tight on the capstan (atmosphere is informal). The anchor is raised. A Royal Navy Westland Dragonfly helicopter approaches and hovers over the water before approaching the ship; people are winched down and winched up. Eventually the helicopter briefly touches down (very hesitantly) before taking off again. Officer photographs the proceedings. Brief scenes showing officer being transferred from a destroyer using a bosun’s chair. Football match on shore in Malta: ship’s bell is rung and men dress in humorous costumes. Dghajsa, seen from on board Birmingham; it comes alongside and cameraman goes ashore on the small boat. Street scenes, including signs for old haunts on shore: Britannia Lodging House, Golden Fleet Lodging House, Splendid Cafe, Old Land and Sea Bar. Poster “Kristu Sultan”. Views of Grand Harbour and other locations in Valletta: Grand Siege Square, Palace Square (street sign only), Palace Armoury. Further street and tourist scenes. Headquarters Allied Forces Mediterranean. Rural scenes outside Valletta followed by further street scenes and views of sights and of local people (including children playing). Views of churches and statues. Return by dghajsa to Birmingham. Reel 2: (31 mins) Scenes on board Birmingham at sea. Gun crews launch test torpedoes, whaler is lowered over side and the crew rows out to retrieve the torpedo which is winched back aboard. Various ship’s guns are trained, fired and reloaded. (Shots from various angles.) Brief shots of aircraft flying overhead are edited in to simulate “targets”. Sequence ends with an iris effect. Ship’s bell is rung; a priest comes on board, and a Christian service is held. Further torpedo test. Sunset shot is followed by flashes of night firing of guns. Visit by Maltese (?) dignitary. RIB (Rigid Inflatable Boat) speeds past. Small craft goes ashore at Cannes. Views of Cannes including film posters, hotel, water skiing, beach, glamour. Members of Birmingham’s crew get on board coaches and visit some of the sights inland from Cannes, including waterfalls and streams. Reception on board for celebrities attending the Cannes Film Festival: these include Anna Neagle and Herbert Wilcox, James Robertson Justice, Richard Todd, Dinah Sheridan. Views of the sea, and of Mediterranean landscape (Greece ?) with local man. Mountains and buildings. Ruins. Crew in their white uniform visit the ruins. Back at sea: fuel replenishment from Royal Fleet Auxiliary tanker. Hose is moved across by jackstay and bolted into place. Also seen is a transfer of personnel via bosun’s chair with another vessel (D25) and a jackstay transfer of nets full of supplies. Shots on board Birmingham in convoy with a large number of other vessels. The convoy sails into Istanbul (?) harbour; Birmingham drops anchor and a small craft goes ashore. Dignitary comes on board. Ship is cleaned and gun salute is fired. Car is seen being craned over the side (unusual, because the ship is moored in the water, not at the quayside. Guard stands to attention and presents arms as band plays. Brief view of senior officer on deck; the then departs in a small craft. Views of buildings. Artisans at work and local streets scenes and views of mosques and minarets. Formal parade with Royal Navy bands in a public square (Istanbul ?). Flag lowering Back at sea: naval exercise which includes attacks by Sea Venom aircraft on targets in water. Sports in run-down stadium on shore: running, tug of war, high jump, discus. Medals, cups and shields are presented. Miscellaneous scenes on board HMS Birmingham: soldiers exercising in helmets, a rating eating a sweet, a rescue exercise with raft, the removal of a gun barrel for maintenance, the checking of the capstan. Maintenance is carried out on one of the ship’s boats, whose hull is primed and repainted. A playful race takes between various small craft, including a boat flying the Jolly Roger. Crewmen wolf whistle from the deck as one of the small boats rows past; other craft follow. Crewmen climb back on board to applause. Cups are presented to the crews of the various boats by woman dignitary. Reel 3: (33 mins) HMS Birmingham in Venice; views from the sea and also closer shots along the canals. Shots of clown figurines (Murano glass ?) intercut with further scenes on the canals and on foot in St Peter’s Square. High angle views across Venice, followed by further street and canal scenes. Wine and coffee at a cafe; kitten sits on the ground. Brief dramatic shot of water at Birmingham’s bow, followed by scenes in Split, Croatia (then part of Yugoslavia). Gas drill on deck of Birmingham. Shot of Birmingham and other ships moored in harbour, then further tourist scenes on streets, including traffic policeman at work and an Italian exhibition (cars, boats etc), possibly at Bari. One of the crewmen (in civilian clothes) capers around, climbing a ladder and walking along an elevated ropeway. Drinks reception for crew on board the deck of Birmingham. Monument in city. An old ship. Sailor has shoe repaired. Camping in the mountains, near striking rock formations: members of the crew walk through woodland and countryside, and look over sweeping vistas from the mountaintops. The group relax before climbing a sheer mountain face, linked together by ropes. At the summit is a metal cross. Beach scenes; the crew relax in their swimming trunks, swimming and sunbathing. Near the side of Birmingham, they hold a water polo match. Relaxation: fishing, writing, sleeping and sunbathing. On board HMS Birmingham, underway once again (another RN vessel brings up the rear). Birmingham docks in Naples. Various street scenes and tourist shots on shore. Street traders. Funeral procession. Local people. Views from moving coach on a trip; the destination is Rome, and there are views of the city including St Peter’s Square, the Colosseum and numerous other sights. Back on HMS Birmingham: at a stopover in Malta, routine maintenance is carried out on the ships exterior, including scraping pipes and painting various deck furniture (a cat watches). Socks drying on a line. Metal fittings are polished with Brasso. A small, brightly decorated dghajsa sits on the deck and is also maintained. Royal Navy ships at dock in Malta. C19. Views of Birmingham. Band and crew assemble on deck as senior officers come on board to inspect. Kit is also laid out and prepared for inspection, and rum (?) is prepared. The ornamental dghajsa is inspected. Brief views of Grand Harbour followed by activities of crew on deck in preparation for departure. (Black cat watches – not the same cat as in the previous scene.) Birmingham sets sail past the breakwater into open sea. Gibraltar is passed. Out at sea, spray streaming across the bow and against the sides of the ship during choppy weather. Views of the rough sea and high swell. Water rolls off the deck. Brief sunset scenes in calmer weather. HMS Birmingham returns to England, where family of crewmen wait on the dockside. The Union Jack is raised. Reel 4: (11 mins) Close-up of map illustrating a route to a volcano (Mount Etna). An expedition by members of the crew into Sicily; small group in mountaineering gear make their way along a snow covered road; one wears a false moustache. After a break at a ristorante, the men start climbing the mountains on foot, stopping for a meal and a mug of tea at a mountain hut. Views across the landscape (no snow at this point). The men relax with locals, and ease their blistered feet in bowls of water. They pose with local family before setting off again. They walk along country roads and through a local town; one rinses his head under a street fountain. One of the men tries riding a mule. Resting at the roadside before continuing. Beach scene near a small village: an al fresco meal is cooked and the group sets off again. Local fishermen tend their nets. A goatherd and his flock passes. The group climb rocks by the seashore and inspect local wildlife (lizards, cacti, lemons). On the road on the way to Messina, passing various sights. Scenes at the shore, where local fishermen are pulling in their nets. The trek continues, and they reach Messina, where HMS Birmingham is docked; they walk back on board.
  • Alternative Title: AMATEUR FILM BY SUB-LIEUTENANT KEITH FROST [Alternative Title]
  • Colour: Colour
  • Digitised:
  • Object_Number: MGH 6887
  • Sound: Silent
  • Access Conditions: IWM
  • Featured Period:
  • Production Date: 1957
  • Production Country:
  • Production Details:
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  • Keywords:
  • Physical Characteristics: Colour format: Colour Sound format: Silent
  • Technical Details: Format: Std 8mm Number of items/reels/tapes: 4 Footage: 1400 ft; Running Time: 78 mins
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  • Link to IWM Collections page:

    MGH 6887

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