This film is part of Free
D-Day Film
Amateur footage showing troops on deck in a buoyant mood ahead of the landings.
Overview
The opening scene might show some stiff drinks being taken, but these troops on board the HMS Wellington look relaxed. Idling ahead of D-Day, one man performs some gymnastics for the camera, another plays with a toy train, and a third fixates on a broken umbrella. Choppy sailing conditions might have delayed the landings by 24 hours, but here the weather appears as sunny as the men's spirits.
Filmed in a state of anticipation in the two days preceding the Normandy Invasions of 6 June, we don't know the fate of the men featured here. The actual landings footage in the latter stages of the film was captured four days after D-Day - even then, the Channel still appears clogged with ships, and there are clear signs of the carnage that had taken place on the French coast.
Related
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.