THE WAR CLOUD [Main Title]

Partly reconstructed account of Britain on the outbreak of the First World War, concentrating on the Royal Navy.

The Stock Exchange in London "closes its doors" in 1914 - a crowd is clustered around it. "Germany mobilises," a pre-war German training exercise with the troops in Prussian blue, not field grey: a 77mm gun is fired and three resting soldiers are given food and drink by a girl. In Britain sailors arrive at Portsmouth railway station and join their ships. (The fleet in Portsmouth harbour is depicted using both pre-1914 and post-1918 film.) The flagship, HMS Iron Duke, is moored in the harbour, with the royal yacht Victoria and Albert behind it in the distance. King George V, in civilian clothes, inspects a line of old sailors. A silhouette view of HMS Queen Elizabeth (launched 1915) followed by a view of the bows and fore turrets of the same ship, and three sailors with a bulldog and a life belt bearing the ship's name. The Italian battleship Sardegna at anchor. The light cruiser (3 funnels) HMS Crescent semaphoring. HMS Hercules next to HMS Princess Royal with its awnings out. HMS Ajax, probably, with HMS Neptune in the far distance. The camera-ship tracks past HMS Indefatigable and then HMS Natal (Neptune in the distance again), and round the stern of HMS Saint Vincent with HMS Collingwood behind it. Submarines C35 and D2 are on the surface in the harbour. HMS Hibernia, with Short S38 T2 and Short S35 aircraft on launching ramp fitted over her turrets, flashes a signal - E Class submarines are visible in the distance. (The shot of Hibernia is pre-First World War footage; the S38 T2 aircraft shown was flown off from the vessel on 2 May 1912 in its first flights from a ship underway; the pilot was Lieutenant C R Samson.)A general view of the harbour including float planes landing. The camera ship comes round the stern of HMS Victory. A silhouette view of King Edward Class battleships in line.

35mm