WAR PICTORIAL NEWS NO 69 [Main Title]

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  • Title: WAR PICTORIAL NEWS NO 69 [Main Title]
  • Film Number: WPN 69
  • Other titles:
  • Summary: An edition of the British official newsreel "War Pictorial News", produced by the Ministry of Information, Middle East.
  • Description: I. 'NEWS FROM ENGLAND.' The commentary stresses that "Britain's victory production drive is in full swing" and that tank production in particular is increasing in volume. Female factory workers brush anti-corrosion paint into vulnerable areas of an early production Valentine tank's superstructure, prior to shipment overseas. Crusader and Matilda Mk I tanks drive onto railway flatcars where their tracks are chocked by a railway worker using a sledgehammer. The commentary states that the tanks are bound for the Eastern front over views of Valentine tanks bearing Cyrillic script on their front glacis plate loaded on railway flat cars. II. 'FIGHTING FRANCE.' Free French Armée de l'Air officers and men parade at Wellington Barracks in London on Bastille Day (14th July 1942). General Charles de Gaulle inspects a guard of honour made up of Free French infantry and then goes on to award an officer of the submarine arm of the Free French Navy the Cross of Liberation. United States General Dwight D Eisenhower and Admiral Harold Raynsford Stark (Commander United States Naval Forces Europe) for part of the crowd of dignitaries that are spectators at the ceremony. Elsewhere, General de Gaulle, accompanied by General Catroux, decorates the defenders of Bir Hacheim. General de Gaulle salutes the French tricolour held by a Foreign Legionnaire as the commentary outlines the role of the French defenders of Bir Hacheim and stresses de Gaulle's "unshakeable faith in Fighting France." III. 'BRITAIN DELIVERS THE PLANES.' An outline of RAF aircraft ferry procedures. The commentary stresses the importance of the Meteorological Office in predicting weather and planning for long range ferry flights. Activity in a Met office shows a mixed contingent of civilian and RAF personnel scanning maps and table plots in preparation for a Lockheed Hudson sortie to an undisclosed location. RAF flying crews wearing Irvin jackets and smoking cigarettes assemble for an evening briefing prior to an early morning ferry operation. The Station commander gives a last minute briefing to which the men listen attentively. Ground operations crews chalk up crew names on a blackboard, apparently making note of aircrew destined for an early morning call. RAF men retire to their bunks setting alarm clocks for the following morning. During the night sandwiches are made and coffee is placed into Thermos flasks by NAAFI personnel. In the morning, RAF groundcrews work on Hudson aircraft as aircrew in Irvin jackets enjoy a hearty English breakfast. Evident in the background of the mess is a sign bearing the legend "All mess bills should be settled now!" A montage of RAF aircraft starting engines and taxiing follows including Bristol Blenheim Mk IV, Vickers Wellington, Consolidated B-24 Liberator and Bristol Beaufighter aircraft. Elsewhere, black West African workers cut down Rubber plants and Palm trees while constructing an airfield out of the jungle to bridge the air route across Africa to the Middle Eastern battlefronts. Black workers lay Tarmacadam by hand and cover this using earth as a top coat. Crated Hawker Hurricane aircraft parts are off loaded by crane from a merchant ship and placed on RAF low-loader trucks for transport to a construction area. The commentary highlights that "scientific" methods of crating saves time and effort during aircraft assembly. Native workers unpack the fuselage of a Hurricane fitted with a Vokes filter. A Hawker Hurricane IIc starts its Merlin XX engine (BN 122 Service Allocation Number, sixth production batch). Native fire crews wearing distinctive tarboosh hats, stand ready in case of accident. Air to air views of a Blenheim Mk IV bomber aircraft acting as a guide aircraft to Hurricane IIc fighters on the first leg of the long delivery flight to the Middle East.
  • Alternative Title:
  • Colour: B&W
  • Digitised: Yes
  • Object_Number: WPN 69
  • Sound: Sound
  • Access Conditions: IWM Attribution: © IWM
  • Featured Period: 1939-1945
  • Production Date: 1942-08-31
  • Production Country: GB
  • Production Details: Ministry of Information, Middle East (Production sponsor) War Pictorial News (Production company) Martin, Charles (Production individual) Keating, Rex1910-02-142005-01British newsreel commentator, WW2 period (Production individual)
  • Personalities, Units and Organisations: Eisenhower, Dwight David (person) Stark, Harold R (person) Gaulle, Charles André Joseph Marie de (person) Catroux, Georges (person) Royal Air Force (regiment/service)
  • Keywords: operations, British air - movement (object name) engineering, military, British (object name) ceremonies, French - event-related: Bastille Day (object name) delegations, French national - military (object name) industry, British - vehicles (object name) GB, England & London <Wellington Barracks> (geography) Egypt & Western Desert (geography) Sierra LeoneFreetown (geography)
  • Physical Characteristics: Colour format: B&W Sound format: Sound Soundtrack language: English Title language: English Subtitle language: French & Arabic
  • Technical Details: Format: 35mm Number of items/reels/tapes: 1 Footage: 917 ft; Running time: 10 mins
  • HD Media:Yes
  • Link to IWM Collections page:

    WPN 69

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