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Barnstaple's experimental concrete-hulled ship gets a visit from a jolly Italian admiral.
Non-Fiction 1918 5 mins Silent
Surprising as it sounds, reinforced concrete was the British Admiralty's first choice of material for shipbuilding when steel stocks ran low during the First World War. The experimental method saved 60% of the steel. This attractive newsreel visits the impressive timber-and-steel frame (no concrete yet) of one such vessel in her Barnstaple shipyard, in the rather jolly company of the Italian Navy admiral Sir Giuseppe de Lorenzi.
The Ill-fated Cretepath (referred to here as the Crepath) was completed later in 1918, but was wrecked on a sandbank after her launch. A follow-up attempt, the Cretepond, was more successful, but was completed after the war was over.
Biopic 1918 126 mins Silent
Morale-boosting exploits intended to inspire war-weary citizens.
Comedy 1918 25 mins Silent
Mr Butterbun presides over a tribunal dealing with cases of men presenting excuses to avoid the First World War draft.
Industry sponsored film 1918 8 mins Silent
Who wears the trousers while the men are at war? The women of Britain, who pick up a surprisingly wide range of jobs
Documentary 1918 24 mins Silent
Growing potatoes in Green Park plus some handy uses for your old tin cans – it’s all part of the war effort on the home front.
War 1918 5 mins Silent
Dramatic footage of Italian and British troops on the front line and airborne.
Fantasy 1918 17 mins Silent
Guests find things that go bump in the night.
Current affairs 1968 5 mins Location: Barnstaple
Children of a Devon primary school try to explain what happens on All Hallows Eve.
Non-Fiction 1915 3 mins Silent Location: Barnstaple
Roll up, the fair's in town - even with a war on.
Non-Fiction 1926 5 mins Silent Location: Barnstaple
Join the crowds in Barnstaple for fairground attractions
Non-Fiction 1898 2 mins Silent Location: Barnstaple
A 'phantom ride' along a fondly remembered Devon railway, crossing the distinctive Taw Bridge into Barnstaple on the way to Ilfracombe
Sport 1980 mins Location: Barnstaple
Barnstaple in pre-season friendly against Exeter City
News 1979 2 mins Silent Location: Barnstaple
Heavy snow fall in Barnstaple during the Winter of Discontent
Non-Fiction 1901 4 mins Silent Location: Manchester
A volunteer cavalry regiment is enthusiastically welcomed home after active service in South Africa.
Non-Fiction 1901 2 mins Silent Location: Liverpool
All ashore! Passengers disembark and crew offload after a long Atlantic crossing.
Non-Fiction 1902 3 mins Silent Location: Weston Park
A stroll in the park for civilised city-dwellers in Edwardian South Yorkshire.
Non-Fiction 1924 1 mins Silent Location: Woking
The UK's first purpose-built mosque welcomes a huge crowd of worshippers - and newsreel cameras!
Comedy 1914 9 mins Silent
A vicar is caught flirting with an improperly-dressed chorus girl in this saucy silent comedy.
Travelogue 1953 21 mins Location: York
The Stationmaster at York guides us through a typical day, from dawn to dusk.
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