SCENES ON AND OFF-DUTY WITH THE ROYAL SUSSEX REGIMENT IN SOUTH KOREA, 1956-1957 [Allocated Title]

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  • Title: SCENES ON AND OFF-DUTY WITH THE ROYAL SUSSEX REGIMENT IN SOUTH KOREA, 1956-1957 [Allocated Title]
  • Film Number: MGH 6856
  • Other titles: AMATEUR FILM BY PRIVATE ARNOLD SCHWARTZMAN [Alternative Title]
  • Summary: Amateur film by Private Arnold Schwartzman, shot while serving as a National Serviceman with the 1st Battalion, The Royal Sussex Regiment, records British Army life and the unveiling of the Gloster Hill war memorial with temporary plaques, as well as scenes of village life, in South Korea in the period between July 1956 and June 1957, when the last British Army unit left.
  • Description: Reel 1: Camp Kohima, headquarters of Arnold Schwartzman’s unit, the 1st Battalion, The Royal Sussex Regiment. General views inside camp, showing Nissen-style huts; close up of UN flag, panning across to other flags (regimental, Union flag) flying on poles. US Army (?) truck drives into camp, white star on door (some US forces were also based at the camp). D Company of 1st Battalion on parade. Soldiers march off in formation (one breaks away and walks in the opposite direction). Centurion (?) tank drives past in middle distance. Helicopter flies overhead and lands in the camp. Mountain views possibly from Mount Kormak-San, which was adjacent to the Camp Kohima. Panoramic shots of Camp Kohima, with its neat rows of huts, in the valley below; this footage demonstrates the size of the camp. Various views in the camp area. South Korean soldier walks past along a road, snow-covered hillside in background. Mountain stream and waterfall. Local villagers wash clothes by the side of the stream; one of them wears a yoke with two containers for carrying water. View from the back of a lorry as it drives along a valley road, showing hillsides; drive continues through a village, possibly Solma-Ri, which was near Camp Kohima. Villagers go about their business; some look towards the camera as it passes. Interior of small, cluttered village workshop. Children stare at the camera; one wears a cap with UN written on it in red letters; shop/stall selling fruit and vegetables in the background. Underexposed scene shows a child on a makeshift toboggan in the snow, pushing himself along with sticks. A group of people stand at the roadside (possibly soldiers, but the image here is dark and difficult to make out). Wide shot: man in traditional white robe and hat walks along the road; he stops and poses for the camera. Two young Korean boys also pose; they are accompanied by their mother, who is carrying her baby on her back in the traditional Korean fashion. At a house on the outskirts of the village, a woman retrieves a large bundle of tree branches (many with the leaves still on), which she takes inside; a small child follows her. Further village scenes show groups of people walking around. Behind a barbed wire fence, two women with giant mallets pulverise grain (?) held in a large pot. People pass the camera on the road at the outskirts of the village: these include a bearded man and two women, one carrying her baby on her back, the other wearing a white apron and head covering. Bearded man poses smoking a long pipe. Local agriculture; a man gathers straw with a fork, pitching it into a large open container, apparently attached to a chige (a traditional Korean pack frame used for carrying goods on the back). He poses for the camera, and walks down the road with the chige on his back, smiling as he passes. Bullock cart, led by a man and with a group of small boys sat in the back. Woman winnows wheat grain; a group of women scoop water out of a well. Two men walk past (speeded up). Two locals, a youth an a man, stand by the roadside with a chige laden with various materials; the older of the two is also balancing a large package on his head. Private Schwartzman assists them by carrying the chige on his back, walking past the camera and along the road. (Identity of cameraman at this point is not known.) Drive through of the city of Seoul, firstly through the outskirts, where the buildings are more makeshift; colourful vehicles and roadside stalls are passed. Entry into the city itself, passing a large brick archway. Street scenes, initially shaky and underexposed but then clearer, show traffic, trams and large numbers of people. Static shots of the SAC Main PX, the US Army’s Seoul Area Command main post exchange and commissary. The façade is adorned with a Santa Claus figure, indicating that this is November/December 1956; a large number of American cars are parked outside. Further street scenes from moving vehicle show the bustling heart of Seoul, including the pagoda-like Namdaemun (Great South Gate). Very dark shots and indistinct scenes of traditional buildings; the fountain outside signifies that this is Deoksugung, one of Seoul’s Five Grand Palaces. It is a wet day, and one man scurries past with umbrella raised. Further scenes of traditional architecture at a different (unidentified) location: pagodas, exterior and interior, small roadside shrine and tomb (?) guarded by soldier. Film posters on wall. Further scenes shot whilst driving through Seoul, including Namdaemun again. Buses and trams pass by. Also passed is the large Seoul Government-General Building, former administrative based during the Japanese occupation. Panning shot over roofs, taken from a high elevation, probably from within the Government-General building. Further street scenes in and around Seoul and surrounding villages, both from moving vehicle and on foot. Near a railway station, a group of around thirty people are gathered with their possessions. Locals walk past, bullock cart, general activities, children play on the street, etc. Reel 2: Camp Kohima: signage, recreation area with chairs, tables and parasols. Local women walk past on road; another bullock cart passes. Rural scenes; children play in fields. Lorry convoy: the lorries are marked “Kohima Bus”, and were the vehicles used to transport the soldiers in and out of the camp. Off duty, members of the Sussex Regiment soldiers swim in the Imjin River. More agriculture: a field is ploughed using oxen, women winnow the grain. Annual athletics meeting at Camp Kohima. Scenic views in the mountains: streams, pool, vegetation, waterfalls and rapids, thistles (with butterflies). Formal parade at Camp Kohima: this is the farewell parade of the Royal Sussex Regiment, the last British regiment to leave Korea. Members of the Regiment, and a military band clad in white, march part. A vehicle drives past the parade, carrying Syngman Rhee, the President of South Korea, along with the British Ambassador, Sir Hubert Evans (in top hat). The unveiling ceremony of the Gloster Memorial (more formally known as the Gloucester Valley Battle Monument) near to Solma-Ri, built to commemorate the heroism of the Gloucester Regiment during the Battle of the Imjim River in April 1951. Views of the ceremony, followed by shots of flags, wreaths and the memorial itself. Among those present and visible are General I D White, Commanding General, 8th US Army, His Excellency Hubert Evans, and Lieutenant Colonel R B de F Sleeman OBE MC, CO of 1st Battalion the Royal Sussex Regiment. Brief informal scenes at Camp Kohima: Private Schwartzman walks past camera. Various brief shots of members of the regiment. Brief visit to the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) at Panmunjom near the border with North Korea Scenes at the Freedom Bridge, which connects North and South. One soldier inspects an empty sentry box. Two others, including Private Schwartzman, pose for the camera. Reel 3: View from moving vehicle as members of 1 Sussex leave the camp for the last time; lining the road, standing to attention, are US Army troops, their armour and vehicles parked behind them. Montage of quick, miscellaneous shots: US and Korean soldiers, roadside views, mountains. Panning shot of mountains. Views from lorry travelling on high mountain roads. One of the trucks becomes stricken, half-on and half-off the road: it is winched back onto the flat. The journey continues: more views from moving truck. Hong Kong: night scenes in city, with neon signs. Daytime scenes: busy streets, many people wearing traditional conical hats. Crowds of covered boats and rowing boats/punts; numerous panning shots of boats in harbour. Men working on wooden boat hull. People lining up (for water? They have yokes carrying large open cans; many are barefoot). Street traders, children. Views of the bustling harbour with a floating community of small boats - Aberdeen floating village ?) intercut with street scenes. Large temple. General waterside activities (preparing fish etc) and more boats, including Tai Pak Fong, a colourful floating restaurant. Fishermen with baskets. More activity on the quayside; some is underexposed. (This Hong Kong footage appears to be out of chronological sequence: see below for more Hong Kong scenes.) Reel 4: Scenes at Port Inchon, port of departure from South Korea. A large gathering of troops, British, US and Australian. Officer with cigar. A band walks past with large tubas. Members of 1st Battalion the Sussex Regiment stand on the quayside, awaiting their departure. On board HMT Asturia, the troopship bringing them home to Britain; views of sea through porthole. Street scenes in Hong Kong. Panoramic view of harbour from high elevation, showing numerous buildings; the Bank of China Building is wisible in the middle of the frame. Mountain top with modern block of flats, followed by more harbour views, taken from on board a boat: ships at anchor, Star Ferry and K C Railway Station. Ferries sail past. Arrival in Singapore: view from Asturia’s guardrail looking down at the quayside, where a band of Gurkhas are assembled, playing for the new arrivals. Street views in Singapore; various landmarks, including the Victorial Theatre and Memorial Hall, the Old Supreme Court Building and the Raffles Hotel. Swimming pool at the Nuffield Club. Harbour shots. Local people pose for the camera; two men with coconuts, shot of shoes and parcel on ground. Local vernacular architecture. Tiger Balm Garden. Monkeys on lawn and in trees. Second (more open) garden/park, and blocks of flats. Snake charmer performs. Departure from Singapore. View from guardrail as Asturia sets off on the next leg of her journey; on the quayside; the Gurkha band play once again. Port of call Ceylon (now Sri Lanka): local traders in small boats come alongside Asturia. Street scenes in Colombo: traditional bullock carts, busy market (children stare at the camera). Rickshaws. Sea at night, with junk sailing past (there appears to be smoke in the background). Asturia sets sail again. Offshore near Aden – more local tradesmen’s boats come alongside, with various goods including carpets. Asturia transits the Suez Canal: the remains of various vessels, destroyed during the recent Operation Musketeer, are visible on the canal banks. Arrival in Gibraltar: view from the guardrail shows the quayside below, where there is a parade and a band playing. Street scenes in Gibraltar: various landmarks, including the Bristol Hotel, South Point Gate, and views of the rock itself. Views from a moving vehicle: Europa Point lighthouse is passed, as are various other buildings. Gibraltar port seen from high elevation. Back in England: brief final shot of platform sign at Southampton Central Station as a steam train passes.
  • Alternative Title: AMATEUR FILM BY PRIVATE ARNOLD SCHWARTZMAN [Alternative Title]
  • Colour: Colour (Ektachrome) (part B&W)
  • Digitised: Yes
  • Object_Number: MGH 6856
  • Sound: Silent
  • Access Conditions: IWM
  • Featured Period: 1945-1989
  • Production Date: 1956
  • Production Country: GB
  • Production Details: Schwartzman, Arnold (Production individual)
  • Personalities, Units and Organisations:
  • Keywords:
  • Physical Characteristics: Colour format: Colour (Ektachrome) (part B&W) Sound format: Silent Soundtrack language: English Title language: English
  • Technical Details: Format: Std 8mm Number of items/reels/tapes: 4 Running time: 15 mins
  • HD Media:Yes
  • Link to IWM Collections page:

    MGH 6856

  • Related IWM Collections Objects:

    MGH 6856X (THE MORNING CALM [Main Title])
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