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1915 on Film
As a nation steeled itself for a long war, cinemas offered desperately wanted information - and welcome distraction. Find out what Britain watched a century ago.
Despite promises, the War clearly wasn't over by Christmas 1914, so the cinema business dug in for the long haul. Newsreels, comedies, animation and dramas all covered war subjects, though producers made sure audiences could enjoy more escapist fare, too. Meanwhile the still-young feature film continued its inexorable advance. With 20 million people visiting cinemas each week, exhibitors could have a real impact, recruiting and raising funds - notably for ambulances to go to the Front – and organising community screenings of Roll of Honour films to commemorate local men lost or wounded. Inevitably, film producers focused on war subjects, and although newsreel cameras were still banned from the fighting, images of allied troops away from the Front were a regular feature of newsreels - and of course the home front was covered extensively. The war profoundly affected drama too. The first ever version of the Edith Cavell story, Nurse and Martyr, was rushed out only a month after her death at the hands of a German firing squad, and the cinema offered escape through the new long features, which continued to grow in popularity with historical subjects like Jane Shore, a lavish medieval spectacle.

Patrol in the Desert Patrol in the Desert
Non-Fiction 1915 3 mins Silent
Shades of Lawrence of Arabia in a worn but often beautiful film of WWI desert exercises in Egypt.

Outposts of Empire Outposts of Empire
Non-Fiction 1915 1 mins Silent
British troops try to coax and cajole their pack animals on to a military supply train, but they're stubborn as mules...

Anti-German War Cartoons Anti-German War Cartoons
Trick film 1915 5 mins Silent
Follow the lightning-quick hand of the artist behind a series of comic cartoon sketches poking fun at the enemy during WWI.

Preston and District Roll of Honour, 6th, 7th, 5th Series Preston and District Roll of Honour, 6th, 7th, 5th Series
Non-Fiction 1915 14 mins Silent
A rare surviving WWI memorial film, featuring poignant images of men killed or injured serving in the armed forces.

Little Pippin Little Pippin
Drama 1915 14 mins Silent
An abandoned baby girl is found in an apple barrel and adopted by a humble grocer in this sentimental wartime fiction.

In Ancient Sussex In Ancient Sussex
Non-Fiction 1915 7 mins Silent Location: Chichester
Attractive travelogue exploring famous old Sussex landmarks, taking in views including Chichester, Lewes, Arundel and Bosham.

Alexandra Rose Day in Sheffield Alexandra Rose Day in Sheffield
Non-Fiction 1915 5 mins Silent Location: Sheffield
A rare film of Sheffield in 1915 with well-to-do women of the city out selling flowers on the streets to raise money for Alexandra Rose Day, and visiting recently wounded soldiers.

Preston and District Roll of Honour, 10th Series Preston and District Roll of Honour, 10th Series
Non-Fiction 1915 2 mins Silent Location: Preston
Moving record of relatives waving a fond farewell to departing loved ones during WWI.

E13 Avenged E13 Avenged
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1915 1 mins Silent
Pioneering visual graphics – with added cotton wool – recreate an incendiary WWI incident involving a stricken British submarine.

Conscription Conscription
Comedy 1915 8 mins Silent
The nation's menfolk try anything to avoid being 'called up' in this raucous WWI comedy.

Recruiting for the 5th Essex Recruiting for the 5th Essex
Non-Fiction 1915 5 mins Silent Location: Chelmsford
High-spirited and eager Essex lads go through their paces in a rush to serve for King and Country.

Heart of a Coster Heart of a Coster
Drama 1915 12 mins Silent
Follow the sibling rivalries of two cockney costermongers in this only surviving reel of a dynamic drama.

War Time Weddings War Time Weddings
Non-Fiction 1915 1 mins Silent Location: Westminster
The daughter of famed actor-manager Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree gets hitched to a military Captain during WWI.

Pimple's Uncle Pimple's Uncle
Comedy 1915 14 mins Silent
This daft comedy stars funny-duo Fred and Joe Evans in a battle to secure an inheritance from an insane uncle.

Scottie and the Frogs Scottie and the Frogs
Comedy 1915 7 mins Silent
A mischievous youth causes havoc with his amphibian-assisted antics.

First World War Cartoon - Joffre First World War Cartoon - Joffre
Trick film 1915 1 mins Silent
A cartoonist sketches out the grim stalemate of WWI through the metaphor of football.

Eyes of the Fleet: A Destroyer Flotilla Scouting Eyes of the Fleet: A Destroyer Flotilla Scouting
Non-Fiction 1915 0 mins Silent
A fleeting (sorry) but reassuring glimpse of a flotilla of Royal Navy destroyers on the skyline during WWI.

Dicky Dee's Cartoons No.3 Dicky Dee's Cartoons No.3
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1915 5 mins Silent
An edible bomb is cooked by the Kaiser in this fun WWI cartoon, which mixes propaganda with fantasy as a boy's dreams turn into nightmares.

Rogues of London Rogues of London
Drama 1915 51 mins Silent
Charismatic silent star Fred Paul is cast against type as a real rotter preying on innocents in the big city, in an enjoyably lurid London melodrama.

John Bull's Animated Sketchbook No. 4 John Bull's Animated Sketchbook No. 4
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1915 5 mins Silent
An animated recreation of the sinking of the Lusitania is the centrepiece of this pioneering mix of comedy, satire and outrage in cartoon propaganda.

Salving a Steamer Salving a Steamer
Non-Fiction 1915 1 mins Silent
“Chicago’s Titanic” the S.S. Eastland, a Great Lakes passenger ship in which 844 people lost their lives, is brought up from the seabed.

More Canadians Coming! More Canadians Coming!
Non-Fiction 1915 1 mins Silent
Welcome help from the Empire! And Pathé's newsreel cameraman is on the spot.

The Man Who Came Back The Man Who Came Back
1914 14 mins Silent
The son of a wealthy merchant fakes his own death to join up, but his heroic act at the Front is wrongly attributed to his cowardly cousin.

Christmas Eve Christmas Eve
Drama 1915 17 mins Silent
A heart-tugging moral melodrama with echoes of Dickens' A Christmas Carol.

A Pencil and Alick P.F. Ritchie A Pencil and Alick P.F. Ritchie
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1915 7 mins Silent
More chalk-talker than pencil-pusher, this popular artist recreates his cartoons for the screen with flashes of added animation.

Tommy's Tinder Box Tommy's Tinder Box
Non-Fiction 1915 2 mins Silent
How to light your fag the old-fashioned way: tinder boxes are made for soldiers at the Front, replacing matches in the rain-soaked trenches.

Asquith Wedding Asquith Wedding
Non-Fiction 1915 1 mins Silent Location: Westminster
Violet Asquith, daughter of the Prime Minister Herbert Asquith, arrives at church to marry Maurice Bonham Carter.

In the Track of the Zepps In the Track of the Zepps
Non-Fiction 1915 2 mins Silent
Our chaps can do it again! Meet the brave men who tackled Zeppelin airships for a living during WWI.

Wife the Weaker Vessel Wife the Weaker Vessel
Comedy 1915 10 mins Silent
A henpecked husband plots revenge on his boastful bachelor friend by marrying him to a seemingly meek girl who turns out to be anything but.

Kite Balloons Kite Balloons
Non-Fiction 1915 2 mins Silent
A Lilliputian army battles with a giant wartime observation balloon before it's towed out to sea.

G.P. As Basil the Brainless G.P. As Basil the Brainless
Comedy 1915 30 mins Silent
The comic capers of upper-class wastrel Basil the Brainless - thrown out by his father and sent to the country, where he tries to get a job on a poultry farm...

Russia's Idol Russia's Idol
Non-Fiction 1915 2 mins Silent
Glimpses of Russia's doomed aristocracy - walking tall, before the revolution brought them low.

The Lure of Drink The Lure of Drink
Drama 1915 37 mins Silent Location: Ealing
A lurid temperance tale warning of the evils of wicked women and the demon drink.

To Aid the Motherland To Aid the Motherland
Non-Fiction 1915 1 mins Silent Location: Salisbury Plain
Poignant scenes capture a moment’s relaxation for a Canadian cavalry unit on Salisbury Plain.

Peasantry around Smyrna before the War Peasantry around Smyrna before the War
Non-Fiction 1915 7 mins Silent
Spellbinding scenes of peasant life in the remote and rural villages of Western Anatolia, modern-day Turkey.

Russia's Great Haul Russia's Great Haul
Non-Fiction 1915 4 mins Silent
Striking visual record of a prisoner-of-war camp on World War One’s Eastern Front.

Fight for the Dardanelles Fight for the Dardanelles
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1915 9 mins Silent
Witness the birth of motion graphics in news reporting amid the ongoing Gallipoli campaign during WWI.

Vengeance of Nana Vengeance of Nana
Drama 1915 11 mins Silent
Only a fragment survives of this lurid tale of an Indian girl's revenge against her English lover.

Nurse and Martyr Nurse and Martyr
Biopic 1915 11 mins Silent
The moving true story of wartime heroine Nurse Edith Cavell, recreated in the aftermath of her execution.

World War One Troops Inspection World War One Troops Inspection
Non-Fiction 1915 1 mins Silent Location: London
Brigades of stretcher-bearers and Cyclist Corps soldiers straighten their spines for parade. But who? And where?

Midnight Mail Midnight Mail
Crime 1915 9 mins Silent
Knowledge of Morse code and having a train driver as a sweetheart come in handy in this ‘race to the rescue’ crime thriller.

Belgian Congo Native Troops Belgian Congo Native Troops
Non-Fiction 1915 1 mins Silent
World War One reportage from intrepid filmmaker Cherry Kearton - glimpsed in an early 'selfie'.

British Nurses in Serbia British Nurses in Serbia
Non-Fiction 1915 1 mins Silent
Powerful newsreel images of displaced Serbians seeking help at a British military base during WWI.

Memorial Procession in English Country Town Memorial Procession in English Country Town
Non-Fiction 1915 0 mins Silent Location: Stratford-upon-Avon
Top-hatted gents (one Japanese) parade through the streets of Stratford-upon-Avon to mark Shakespeare's birthday and St George's Day.

Seeing the New Year In Seeing the New Year In
Non-Fiction 1915 1 mins Silent
A boisterous band of Allied troops makes merry in the face of an uncertain future.

Citizen Army Inspected Citizen Army Inspected
Non-Fiction 1915 1 mins Silent Location: Beckenham
Colonel Lord Harris provides appropriate decorum and formality for a volunteer inspection in Beckenham during WWI.

Merrie Territorials Merrie Territorials
Non-Fiction 1915 1 mins Silent
Boisterous Territorial soldiers put on a show in Islington.

His Birthday Present His Birthday Present
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1915 1 mins Silent
Was the root of Kaiser Wilhelm II’s power his 'Imperial Moustache'?

More Ammunition More Ammunition
Non-Fiction 1915 1 mins Silent
Children witness soldiers stockpiling weapons for war in this edition of the Topical Budget newsreel.

Garibaldians Help Recruiting Warriors of 1867 at the Head of a Recruiting March Garibaldians Help Recruiting Warriors of 1867 at the Head of a Recruiting March
Non-Fiction 1915 1 mins Silent
Veterans of the 1867 Garibaldi campaign lead a WWI recruiting march in Walham Green near Fulham Broadway.

Munition Workers at Play Munition Workers at Play
Non-Fiction 1915 1 mins Silent Location: Tottenham
A large crowd of munitions workers take a break from the factory to watch Arsenal beat Spurs 2-0 during the First World War.

Battlefield Romance Battlefield Romance
Non-Fiction 1915 1 mins Silent Location: Crabbet Park
Picturesque scenes as war-time sweethearts tie the knot at the beautiful Crabbet Park country estate.

On the March On the March
Non-Fiction 1915 1 mins Silent
Soldiers troop down a leafy Surrey lane in this intriguing wartime newsreel item.

Ramsgate Zeppelin Raid. Showing Damage Done to the Bull and George Hotel. Ramsgate Zeppelin Raid. Showing Damage Done to the Bull and George Hotel.
Non-Fiction 1915 1 mins Silent Location: Ramsgate
Public anxiety about war from the air is all too real for the people of Ramsgate in this newsreel footage of the aftermath of a Zeppelin raid.

Ireland Welcomes O'Leary V.C. Ireland Welcomes O'Leary V.C.
Non-Fiction 1915 1 mins Silent
In Dublin the newsreel cameras capture a hero’s welcome for a decorated Irish Guardsman.

World War One Motor Ambulance Inspection World War One Motor Ambulance Inspection
Non-Fiction 1915 1 mins Silent
A curious display of new ambulance vehicles specially built for war service.

Gaumont Graphic No. 438 Gaumont Graphic No. 438
Non-Fiction 1915 1 mins Silent Location: London
War is declared in Italy, while a returning hero is welcomed in London.

German Trenches after Three Day's Bombardment German Trenches after Three Day's Bombardment
Non-Fiction 1915 1 mins Silent
All quiet on Germany's Western Front, but the ferocity of Allied artillery bombardment is plain to see in these eerie scenes of carnage.

Red Cross Barges Red Cross Barges
Non-Fiction 1915 1 mins Silent
Travelling with the Red Cross ambulance flotillas through Montereau in central northern France.

Heroes of Neuve Chapelle Heroes of Neuve Chapelle
Non-Fiction 1915 1 mins Silent Location: Shorncliffe Camp
Casualties from the Battle of Neuve Chapelle enjoy their recuperation in Kent.

Funeral at the Front Funeral at the Front
Non-Fiction 1915 1 mins Silent
Sombre and moving World War I newsreel story.

More Men Wanted More Men Wanted
Non-Fiction 1915 1 mins Silent
An MP's stirring speech moves the crowd to rapturous applause and the occasional tear at a recruitment rally for Kitchener's New Army.

Gaumont Graphic No. 406 Gaumont Graphic No. 406
Non-Fiction 1915 5 mins Silent Location: Buckingham Palace
This intriguing and beautifully-shot newsreel features sea-faring heroes, feisty females and a generous lick of paint for a Mississippi steamship.

Labour's Recruiting Appeal Labour's Recruiting Appeal
Non-Fiction 1915 1 mins Silent Location: Trafalgar Square
Stirring scenes in Trafalgar Square as Labour MP Will Thorne rallies recruits for the war effort.

Gaumont Graphic No. 433 Gaumont Graphic No. 433
Non-Fiction 1915 4 mins Silent
Glory, injury, protest and death: aspects of war captured in a complete edition of the Gaumont Graphic newsreel.

Gaumont Graphic No. 440 Gaumont Graphic No. 440
Non-Fiction 1915 5 mins Silent Location: Epsom
A brave young soldier receives the Victoria Cross - just one stirring newsreel story on this complete WWI-era edition of Gaumont Graphic.

Frontiersmen Inspected by Sir Francis Lloyd Frontiersmen Inspected by Sir Francis Lloyd
Non-Fiction 1915 1 mins Silent Location: Westminster
Major-General Francis Lloyd, responsible for the defence of London during WWI, scrutinises a line of volunteers.

French Machine Gun in the Wooded Country of the Argonne French Machine Gun in the Wooded Country of the Argonne
Non-Fiction 1915 1 mins Silent
A small band of French soldiers take to the woods of the Argonne in this military exercise - probably staged for the camera.

St George's Day at Stratford-on-Avon St George's Day at Stratford-on-Avon
Non-Fiction 1915 1 mins Silent Location: Stratford-upon-Avon
Proud locals hold a double celebration in Shakespeare's home town.

War Scenes in Italy War Scenes in Italy
Non-Fiction 1915 1 mins Silent
In Milan's Piazza del Duomo a crowd gathers to hear news of Italy's entry into WWI.

Sharps and Flats Sharps and Flats
Comedy 1915 11 mins Silent
The Bamforth Company translate their saucy seaside postcard humour into film comedy.

A Trip through Bosnia A Trip through Bosnia
Travelogue 1915 6 mins Silent
Peaceful Sarajevo and the picturesque Pliva Falls at Jajce

The Otter The Otter
Interest film 1912 8 mins Silent
Pioneering early nature film with scenes of an otter swimming underwater

Studdy's War Cartoons Studdy's War Cartoons
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1915 6 mins Silent
Animated WWI-era comic highlights from the innovative cartoonist George Studdy, creator of Bonzo the dog.

Jane Shore Jane Shore
Historical drama 1915 79 mins Silent
Early attempt at medieval epic with impressive locations

Lord Kitchener at the Guildhall The Great War Minister Received by the Lord Mayor at the Ancient City Hall for the Opening of a Three Weeks' Recruiting Cam Aign Warwick Bioscope Chronicle No. 261-2 Lord Kitchener at the Guildhall The Great War Minister Received by the Lord Mayor at the Ancient City Hall for the Opening of a Three Weeks' Recruiting Cam Aign Warwick Bioscope Chronicle No. 261-2
Non-Fiction 1915 1 mins Silent Location: City of London
Horatio Herbert Kitchener, the face of WWI, takes a break from pointing his finger to inspect recruits at London’s Guildhall

Women Work While Men Fight Women Work While Men Fight
Non-Fiction 1915 1 mins Silent
British women didn't sit idly at home while their men fought in WWI – they got stuck in to useful work

Pimple Has One Pimple Has One
Comedy 1915 6 mins Silent
The mischievous Pimple takes to the bottle in this entertaining comedy

Music Hall Act Music Hall Act
Trick film 1915 1 mins Silent
Time for the Harlequinade: the traditional topsy-turvy act of the Christmas pantomime

The Mystery of a London Flat The Mystery of a London Flat
Crime 1915 11 mins Silent
A burglar confesses to killing a woman in this incomplete early crime drama.

Mysteries of London Mysteries of London
Crime 1915 49 mins Silent Location: London
Romantic melodrama about a woman who loses both her parents and innocently falls in with a bad crowd.

A Hero of the Trenches A Hero of the Trenches
War 1915 9 mins Silent
The first reel of a short film about two lonely people, a seamstress and a soldier, finding love over a shirt.
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The Sinking of RMS Lusitania
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