Description
Object description
An edition of the British official newsreel "War Pictorial News", produced by the Ministry of Information, Middle East.
Full description
I. 'KING OF YUGOSLAVIA ARRIVES IN M.E.' King Peter of Yugoslavia reviews units of the Royal Yugoslav Air Force and Royal Yugoslav Navy at port facilities in Alexandria, Egypt. King Peter, dressed in Royal Yugoslav Air Force uniform, reviews a guard of honour drawn from the Royal Yugoslav Navy. The commentary states that King Peter has arrived in Egypt to set up his Yugoslavian Government-in-Exile. King Peter receives a bouquet of flowers from a small girl wearing traditional Yugoslav dress. Later at his royal villa on the outskirts of Cairo, King Peter meets Mr R.G. Casey (Minister of State Resident in the Middle East), Admiral Sir Andrew Cunningham, Air Chief Marshal Sir Sholto Douglas, and General Moorehead.
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II. 'BURMA FRONT.' Indian Army artillery crews fire Ordnance QF 25-pounder field guns at a Burmese mountain ridge held by the Japanese. Indian infantry move cautiously through jungle foliage armed with Thompson M1928 .45-in sub-machine guns and Lee-Enfield Mk III .303-in rifles. A Universal carrier drives at speed across a forest clearing. The commentary stresses that the advance proves to be hard going as the jungle holds many concealed Japanese snipers and booby traps. British troops fire an Ordnance smooth bore muzzle loading 3-in mortar at an unseen target. Sikh troops attempt to clear the enemy held ridge-line under fire from concealed Japanese snipers. Sikh troops clear a small jungle hamlet.
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III. 'PERSIA.' The commentary outlines the role of British and Indian medical services working in remote regions of Persia. The units operate as mobile clinics from the back of soft-skinned vehicles. Panoramic views show a Persian village in a rugged mountain region. Men arrive at the isolated village location on foot and by donkey. Persian women carry children to the travelling dispensary as other civilians wait patiently for treatment. A Colonel in the Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) examines children. Persian land workers separate chaff from wheat using the traditional wind separation method. Persian women cook food on open fires.
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IV. 'DOGS OF THE ARMY.' An Australian Army dog-handler walks his dog near kennel enclosures. Dogs are trained to pull supplies on improvised carts. An army vet gives his reluctant canine patient a thorough medical inspection prior to it being accepted by the army dog-handling unit. Dogs are groomed and fed by their handlers at kennel enclosures. Some dogs are later trained in attack methods using their new found skill to savage a dog-handler dressed in protective padded clothing.
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V. 'NEWS FROM ENGLAND.' An item outlining the various leisure activities enjoyed by the British public taking short breaks away from their usual occupations. Panoramic views of the interior of a London railway station (Waterloo ?) shows very long queues of civilians waiting to board the few trains that are still operating in a civilian capacity. A railway sign reads "Queue here for Plymouth, Camelford, Wadebridge, Padstow and Bude." A large number of bicycles are chained outside the railway concourse illustrating the stringency of civilian petrol rationing in force at this time. A comically dressed "special investigator" sets off to discover what the British get up to on their time off. Hundreds of holidaymakers crowd the short stretches of South Coast beaches still open to the public. Young women wearing floral print dresses walk along a seafront promenade notable for the fact that many of the commercial outlets that traditionally catered for the holiday trade are deserted and boarded up. A dog show held in the shadow of St Paul's Cathedral draws civilian crowds. A large crowd of civilian spectators (25,000) watch an England versus Dominions cricket match held at Lords Cricket Ground in St John's Wood. The "special investigator" is shown limping along a country road dressed in hiking boots and shorts, apparently making his way from Lords to the Serpentine Lido in Hyde Park. Londoners enjoy swimming, boating and sunbathing at the Serpentine Lido. Civilians wait to embark on the Thames riverboat "Queen Elizabeth" at its mooring near Richmond Bridge in Surrey. Courting couples walk along the riverbank near Richmond.
Physical description
35mm