Title:VISIT OF THE HON W F MASSEY AND SIR J WARD TO THE WESTERN FRONT 30 JUNE-2 JULY 1918 [Main Title]
Film Number:IWM 269
Other titles:
Summary: W F Massey and Sir Joseph Ward, Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of New Zealand, visit the New Zealand Division near the Bois de Warnimont, St-Léger sector, Western Front, 30 June-2 July 1918.
Description: Massey and Ward are seen with the acting divisional commander, Brigadier-General F N Johnston (Major-General Russell was on sick leave in England) and accompanied by Brigadier-General G S Richardson, Commander NZEF (UK). They attend a church parade and address to 1st Brigade, the Engineers and the NZ (Maori) Pioneer Battalion. For the camera's benefit Ward gives a cigar to a giant Maori pioneer (Hemi) and they talk and smoke together. An inspection of the 2nd Brigade (the commander, Brigadier-General R Young, is visible), the divisional Artillery, the Squadron of Otago Mounted Rifle Regiment and the NZ Cyclist Battalion. At the 3rd NZ Rifle Brigade, accompanied by the brigade commander Colonel Stewart, they watch a demonstration of an aeroplane dropping a message and Ward takes part in a wireless demonstration. They inspect No 4 NZ Field Ambulance and talk to patients. They give speeches to the Rifle Brigade, the Entrenching Group, and to a reinforcement draft at the New Zealand Infantry and General Training Depot at Etaples. Finally, the divisional Machine Gun Battalion gives them a demonstration of setting up a Vickers machine gun at high speed. A posed shot of the battalion arranged in tiers behind the two men, while Massey, grinning broadly, menaces the camera with the Vickers and Ward acts as his loader.
Production Details: Sanders, Henry A (Production individual)
Personalities, Units and Organisations: Massey, William Ferguson (person)
Ward, Joseph (person)
Johnston, F N (person)
Richardson, G S (person)
Young, R (person)
Ross, Malcolm (person)
New Zealand Military Forces, New Zealand Div (regiment/service)
New Zealand Military Forces, Pioneer Bn (regiment/service)
New Zealand Military Forces, Engineers, Tunnelling Coy (regiment/service)
New Zealand Military Forces, Field Artillery (regiment/service)
New Zealand Military Forces, Otago Mounted Rifles (regiment/service)
New Zealand Military Forces, Cyclist Bn (regiment/service)
New Zealand Military Forces, Field Ambulance 4 (regiment/service)
New Zealand Military Forces, Rifle Bde (regiment/service)
New Zealand Military Forces, Engineers, Entrenching Group (regiment/service)
New Zealand Military Forces, Machine Gun Bn (regiment/service)
New Zealand Army & Infantry and General Training Depot (regiment/service)
New Zealand Military Forces, New Zealand Div & Bde 1 (regiment/service)
New Zealand Military Forces, New Zealand Div & Bde 2 (regiment/service)
Keywords: delegations, New Zealand national - state (object name)
training, New Zealand military (object name)
communications, New Zealand military - electronic (object name)
weapons, British - smallarm: Vickers machine gun & [New Zealand] (object name)
01/3(4-15).8 (event)
Bois de Warnimont, Saint Leger area, Pas-de-Calais, France (geography)
New Zealand Infantry and General Training Depot, Étaples, Pas-de-Calais, France (geography)
Race (concept)
