Title:SAPPERS COMMENCE CLEARANCE AND REPAIR WORK AT BOULOGNE (PART 1) [Allocated Title]
Film Number:A70 176-2
Other titles:
Summary: Devastated by RAF bombing and German sabotage, Boulogne, France's largest fishing port, awaits restoration by No 2 Port Construction and Repair Group RE.
Description: From the Quai d'echouage, the cameraman surveys the wrecked Gare Maritime and the Port de Maree, overlooked by the 'blitzed' Upper Town. From the Quai Gambetta (where a dockside crane still stands) near the Chamber of Commerce and the Folkestone Hotel, the extent of the devastation in the Upper Town can be clearly seen. The Fish Market and the Gare Maritime stand in ruins on the opposite side of the Port Maree; a sign on the Quai Gambetta in the foreground announces a ban on photography within the port precincts by order of the (German) port authority. An RB-33 mobile crane and Royal Engineers are seen at work on the Pont Marguet (?) and on railway lines nearby on the Quai Chanzy. From the Fish Market (note the scuttled blockship) and further along the Quai Thurot, the cameraman surveys the Bassin a Flot and the lock gates at its entrance. On the Quai de Gare Maritime (where a bulldozer is seen) cratered sections of the quayside are examined (Quai Gambetta and Upper Town in the background). The cameraman surveys German fortifications on Mont Lambert and the surrounding countryside.
Production Details: Directorate of Public Relations, War Office (Production sponsor)
Army Film and Photographic Unit (Production company)
Rudkin (Sergeant) (Production individual)
Personalities, Units and Organisations:
Keywords: Boulogne-sur-Mer, Pas-de-Calais, France (geography)
