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Munitions workers down tools, weeks before Britain enters WWI.
Non-Fiction 1914 1 mins Silent
Just weeks before Britain entered WWI, thousands of munitions workers went on strike at Woolwich Arsenal - a major site of armaments manufacture. Characteristically, the British press were quick to lampoon the strikers. But, whatever their grievances, the jovial cloth-capped workers in this Topical Budget newsreel item show no sign or rowdiness or rioting - even the policemen are smiling.
The cause of the strike was a dispute around the Arsenal’s use of non-union labour. A few days after this film's release, The Spectator magazine disapprovingly reported the "sudden surrender of the Prime Minister (Herbert Asquith) to the demands of the strikers." Topical Budget's coverage of the Woolwich walk-out (probably choreographed for the camera) makes an interesting counterpoint to the common 'factory gate' film, as perfected by Blackburn-based filmmakers Mitchell and Kenyon.
Comedy 1914 14 mins Silent Location: Twickenham
The intrepid Lieutenant Pimple thwarts foreign enemies in an action-packed wartime spy spoof.
Travelogue 1914 5 mins Silent
On the brink of invasion, holidaymakers promenade while refugees shelter in beach huts on the Belgian coastline in 1914.
War 1914 7 mins Silent
Inventive WWI propaganda in which a rejected volunteer foils a German plot to blow up Parliament.
Fantasy 1914 23 mins Silent
A well-acted early version of Charles Dickens' much loved Christmas story, featuring some impressive ghost sequences.
Travelogue 1914 10 mins Silent
Cairo street scenes, the pyramids, the majestic Nile and a visiting Lord Kitchener in a gorgeous tinted travelogue.
Fantasy 1914 9 mins Silent
A mysterious pair of gloves from an ancient Egyptian tomb cause chaos in this silent 'trick' comedy.
Documentary 1959 23 mins Location: Castle Donington
Light bulbs, television tubes and nuclear power stations: electrifying the world with AEI.
Documentary 1939 16 mins Location: Woolwich
Documentary on the history of the Royal Arsenal Co-operative Society’s and its education programme inspired by the Rochdale Pioneers.
Amateur film 1962 16 mins Silent Location: Woolwich
The good folks of Woolwich & Plumstead appear busiest at their leisure, even finding time to put this film together
Non-Fiction 1929 1 mins Silent Location: Woolwich
Charging horses and blazing guns at the Woolwich Garrison tattoo, leading to a toy soldier massacre.
Non-Fiction 1917 1 mins Silent Location: Woolwich
Women workers receive a visit from Queen Mary, as she inspects their work at the munitions factory in Woolwich.
Non-Fiction 1927 1 mins Silent Location: Woolwich
Hat-waving, barely controlled crowds surge around the Prince of Wales as he pops into Beresford Square market in Woolwich.
Travelogue 1953 21 mins Location: York
The Stationmaster at York guides us through a typical day, from dawn to dusk.
Industry sponsored film 1960 24 mins
A new luxury express is put through its paces. This film looks over the shoulders of the select band of craftsmen, engineers and operators, whose combined skills try to ensure that a train journey is a delightful experience.
Industry sponsored film 1957 20 mins
Illustrating the efficiency of express freight trains, and how they link manufacturers with their customers at the other end of Britain.
Documentary 1952 30 mins
Examining a day in the life of what was then the busiest railway system in the world – British Railways.
Documentary 1973 15 mins
British Transport Films record the varied daily lives of their neighbours as seen from the high roof of their building in London’s Marylebone.
Industry sponsored film 1957 9 mins
A 1957 film examining the future for British Railways, and some of the opportunities provided by a new modernisation plan.
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