The South West Film and Television Archive (SWFTA) is the regional film archive for the South West of England. Established in 1993, SWFTA's core collection comprises of the combined programme libraries of Westward Television and TSW (Television South West). The archive also cares for a significant number of donated film collections, both amateur and professional, dating back to the early 1900s.
This film is part of Free
Bombing of the Torrey Canyon
RAF jets drop bombs and aviation fuel in an attempt to burn off shorebound crude oil.
From the collection of:
Overview
Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson and his Government with Roy Jenkins as Home Secretary took the decision to bomb the oil slicks from the Supertanker SS Torrey Canyon. Blackburn buccaneers from RNAS Lossiemouth and Hawker Hunter jets from 54 Squadron RAF West Lynham, 234 Squadron RAF Chivenor and RAF St Mawgan dumped bombs and aviation fuel over three days but the operation failed to ignite the oil sufficiently. The oil slicks drifted towards France and the UK.
The Torrey Canyon ran aground on Seven Stones Reef fifteen miles west of the Cornish coast and ten miles from the Isles of Scilly within the contiguous zone but there were fears of acting outside of British territorial waters. The aims were to limit pollution and safeguard the summer tourist season so South West MPs including John Nott met Housing and Local Government Minister Tony Greenwood. The disaster had consequences for the international law of the sea with regulations to ensure corporate responsibility for salvage and clean up operations, tighter regulation of shipping and the right of a country to intervene outside of its territorial waters if it is threatened by an environmental disaster.
Related
Watch for free
Jubilee Jubilee
Current affairs 1977 13 mins Location: Bath
A special report looks into the preparations for the Queen’s Silver Jubilee and her subsequent tour of the South West.
Watch for free
Jeremy Thorpe and Peter Bessell 1964-1967 Jeremy Thorpe and Peter Bessell 1964-1967
News 1964 15 mins Location: Devon
The 1964 election of Liberal MPs in the South West is celebrated but beneath there is another side to the high level affairs of the Liberal Party.
Watch for free
Just the Job Just the Job
News 1980 29 mins Location: Devon
If you weren’t a yuppy you were a yoppy on the government Youth Opportunities Programme aimed at placing sixteen to eighteen year-olds in the workplace.
Watch for free
Friday the Thirteenth Friday the Thirteenth
News 1963 2 mins Location: Cornwall
On the eve of Friday the 13th the camera captures Cornish thoughts about superstitions.
Watch for free
Holiday in Catalonia and Beach Scenes Holiday in Catalonia and Beach Scenes
Home movie 1950 12 mins Silent Location: Cornwall
Catalonia is one of the destinations in Lewis Rosenberg's original home-movie which features beaches, bullfights and Barcelona
Watch for free
The Big Board at Newquay The Big Board at Newquay
Home movie 1929 10 mins Silent Location: Cornwall
This historic masterpiece, from Lewis Rosenberg, records one of the earliest Cornish surfing holidays ever captured on film
Watch for free
Getting it Back: The Story of Cymande - Q&A Getting it Back: The Story of Cymande - Q&A
Inside Film 2024 22 mins
The director of a documentary about British funk pioneers Cymande joins the band at BFI Southbank to talk about the film.
Watch for free
The West Case The West Case
Action and Adventure 1923 28 mins Silent Location: Tilbury
Plotting world domination, Devil Doctor Fu-Manchu steals plans for a new aero-torpedo in this earliest surviving thrill-a-minute serial instalment.
Watch for free
Enter the Scala!!! Enter the Scala!!!
Inside Film 2024 16 mins
Filmmakers Jane Giles and Ali Catterall discuss their documentary Scala!!!, revisiting the legendary and inspirational cinema venue and some of the most notorious films that screened there.
Watch for free
Smith Smith
Charity appeal 1939 10 mins
Long thought lost, this Powell-directed promotional short for a veteran’s charity was only rediscovered in 2003.
Watch for free
An Airman's Letter to His Mother An Airman's Letter to His Mother
Documentary 1941 6 mins
A poignant, stirring letter from a recently deceased pilot to his mother is read by John Gielgud.
Watch for free
The NHS75 Celebration The NHS75 Celebration
Short documentary 2023 3 mins
Former Bristol Poet Laureate, Miles Chambers reads a poem specially commissioned for the 75th anniversary of the NHS.