This film is part of Free
Embarkation of the C.I.V. For South Africa
City Imperial Volunteers head for the Boer War battleground
Overview
The City Imperial Volunteers sailed for South Africa in January 1900, aboard the Garth Castle, returning in October and being disbanded in December. Such 'embarkation' films were a staple around this time and no doubt helped get patriotic juices flowing.
More interesting than the film's content, however, is its provenance from among the films handled and distributed by Philipp Wolff. The dominating middle-man of early film, Wolff acquired the rights to much of the product emerging from France. This film, however, is a reminder that Wolff had a thumb in several pies, and any sort of footage of the war could be profitable.
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