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Summary: Series of races at the sports day of Alder Hay hospital in Britain, probably 1918.
Description: Most people in the races are wounded soldiers. A wheelchair race for cripples or amputees (one man falls out of his chair). A three legged race for nurses and patients in pairs, with the patients facing backwards. A joke bookmaker's stand. A donkey race. The watching crowd, mostly of wounded soldiers. Two heats of a carrying race. A treacle bun race, in which men on crutches have to eat a treacle bun without using their hands. A nurses' bicycle race. Another donkey race. A blindfold boxing match. An officers' donkey race. A race on crutches for one legged men. A confused drill demonstration by blindfold men. A nurses' donkey race. Prizes are awarded. The ending shows the British and American flags with the Red Cross flag suspended between them.
Production Details: Pathe (Production company)
Cooper, F (Production individual)
Personalities, Units and Organisations: British Red Cross (regiment/service)
Keywords: medical, British military - hospital (object name)
recreation, British military - sport: athletics (object name)
31/3(41) (event)
GB, England & Liverpool, Lancs <Alder Hay hospital> (geography)
Technical Details: Format: 35mm
Number of items/reels/tapes: 1
Footage: 412 ft; Running time: 7 mins
Notes: Title: this is taken from the shotsheet.
Production: Cooper was employed by British Pathé but worked for the Ministry of Information from time to time, and it is hard to tell if this is merely a record film or a deliberately and officially made piece of propaganda intended (to judge from the ending) for the US market.
Remarks: the gaiety seems a little too slick, and sick, for modern tastes.
