Summary: Scenes of the RAF Regiment on exercise and the construction of new airfields at Red Barn and East Manton: note that Reel 7 only (out of nine reels) is catalogued below.
Description: (Reel 7) Shot by Sergeant Taylor and Towler on 6/3/1943. 15 cwt Bedford lorries are seen camouflaged in the woods. At RAF Lasham personnel queue for lunch at the open air cookhouse. In another scene a despatch rider arrives with a column of Morris armoured cars. After general establishing shots of Middle Wallop airfield, two men are seen shaving after drawing water from a lorry. Another despatch rider arrives and sounds the alarm. Men in full kit stand-to. Men are shown being ordered to their Morris armoured cars, which then drive off. Cooks are shown at work in the wooded bivouac. Air Marshal Sir Trafford Leigh-Mallory, OC Fighter Command, makes an inspection of the site. Officers are seen in their tented mess at night. The final shots show more of Leigh-Mallory, cyclists running for and mounting their bicycles officers at lunch and men shaving in the woods. There are good close-ups of Bren gun, Sten gun and rifle mounted onto cycles.
Production Details: RAF Film Production Unit (Production company)
Baird, E (Production individual)
Challis, Christopher George (Production individual)
Wright, J (Sergeant) (?) (Production individual)
Taylor (Sergeant) (Production individual)
Towler (Sergeant) (Production individual)
Pollard (Production individual)
Personalities, Units and Organisations: Royal Air Force, RAF Regiment (regiment/service)
Royal Air Force, Sqdn (regiment/service)
Royal Air Force, Sqdn (regiment/service)
Royal Air Force, Sqdn (regiment/service)
Keywords: aircraft, British - combat: Supermarine Spitfire Mk (object name)
aircraft, United States - combat: North American P-51 Mustang Mk (object name)
operations, British air - preparation: bombing up/refuelling/rearmi ng (object name)
operations, British air - briefing (object name)
operations, British air - routine (object name)
transport, British military - truck: 15 cwt Bedford GS (object name)
transport, British military - truck: 3 ton Thornycroft (object name)
armour, British - armoured car: Morris (object name)
weapons, British AT - gun: 2 pounder (object name)
weapons, British - smallarm: Lee-Enfield (object name)
transport, British military - 2/3 wheel: bicycle (object name)
weapons, British - smallarm: Sten (object name)
weapons, British - smallarm: Bren (object name)
engineering, military, British - airfield construction (object name)
GB, England & Red Barn <Airfield> (geography)
GB, England & East Manton <Airfield> (geography)
GB, England & Lasham <124 Airfield> (geography)
GB, England & Norman Court <229 Air Stores Park> (geography)
GB, England & Middle Wallop <121 Airfield> (geography)
Physical Characteristics: Colour format: B&W
Sound format: Silent
Soundtrack language: None
Title language: English
Subtitle language: None
Technical Details: Format: 35mm
Number of items/reels/tapes: 9
