At Wessex Film and Sound Archive you can see and hear history, from late Victorian times to the present day, through moving images and sound recordings. The Archive contains over 36,000 film and sound recordings relating to Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire, including film and tapes of local TV and radio.
This film is part of Free

Launching the Queen Mary and the opening of Southampton's Graving Dock
An historic gem of a film, in three sections, from William Craven-Ellis featuring Queen Mary and the fabulous luxury liner that bore her name
From the collection of:

Overview
William Craven-Ellis' stunning film shows three connected events. We start with the 1934 launch of the Queen Mary on Clydebank. Filmed from across the river, crowds of spectators watch as the huge liner slides down the slipway. We next see an event in 1933 - where King George V and Queen Mary arrive on the Royal Yacht to open Southampton's Graving Dock. Finally, we see the liner Queen Mary sail into the dock, getting glimpses of her luxury interior before she departs once more.
William Craven-Ellis was the Conservative MP for Southampton from 1931 until the General Election of 1945. His many home-movies, made with his daughter, Mrs D Campbell, often captured memorable and historic scenes like those seen in this film. Being the local MP, he would naturally have attended the official opening of Southampton’s Graving Dock by King George and Queen Mary, on the 26th July 1933. The huge dry-dock was built specifically to accommodate a new generation of very large liners like the Queen Mary and it remained the world's largest dock of its kind for almost thirty years. Interestingly, the first ship to use the dock was the White Star liner Majestic, which is also featured in this film.
Related

Cargo for Ardrossan Cargo for Ardrossan
Documentary 1939 18 mins Location: Islay
Oil arrives at the Ayrshire coast: this fine documentary by Ruby Grierson tells the story.

Visit to a Shipbuilding Yard Visit to a Shipbuilding Yard
1951 15 mins Silent Location: Clydebank
A party of children take an eye-opening tour of John Brown's Shipyard in Clydebank.

Clydebank. H.M. Ship 'Australia' Clydebank. H.M. Ship 'Australia'
Non-Fiction 1927 1 mins Silent Location: Clydebank
10,000 tons of steel slides into the Clyde in the form of HMAS Australia, a ship that would serve the Australian Navy well in WWII.

Ross Belch Ross Belch
Cinemagazine 1970 14 mins Location: Clydebank
"The Clydesiders are still a tough lot" - as evidenced in this behind-the-scenes tour of a 1960s Clydeside shipyard.

Launch of Canadian Pacific Steamship "Princess Elizabeth" Launch of Canadian Pacific Steamship "Princess Elizabeth"
Non-Fiction 1930 1 mins Silent Location: Clydebank
The steamship Princess Elizabeth glides down the slipway at Fairfield, Glasgow.

The Link Between The Link Between
Non-Fiction 1928 1 mins Silent Location: Clydebank
A majestic new passenger ferry, the Duke of Argyll, defies the winter weather and launches in style on the Clyde.

Alexandre Desplat (Masterclass) Alexandre Desplat (Masterclass)
Inside Film 2011 33 mins
Over 30 years and 150 projects, the composer shares, with humour and passion, the intricacies of making film music.

Ian Neil (Masterclass) Ian Neil (Masterclass)
Inside Film 2012 74 mins
Neil selected soundtracks for 127 Hours, Shame, Kick Ass, Control and many more. He discusses the job and its complexities, referencing his own work.

Screenwriters' Lecture: Peter Straughan Screenwriters' Lecture: Peter Straughan
Inside Film 2012 mins
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy's adapter reveals his quest for "the poem of the book" and the importance of simplicity: 'Drain the pond to find the fish'.

Gabriel Yared on composing for film Gabriel Yared on composing for film
Inside Film 2013 11 mins
Composer of The Lives of Others, The English Patient and Betty Blue on intimacy and experimentation.

Lois Burwell on movie makeup Lois Burwell on movie makeup
Inside Film 2013 17 mins
Lincoln, Braveheart and Magnolia make-up artist Lois Burwell explains how she created some of her most iconic looks, as part of a BAFTA Masterclass.

Barry Ackroyd (Masterclass) Barry Ackroyd (Masterclass)
2013 61 mins
British cinematographer of The Hurt Locker, Captain Phillips, Hillsborough and Riff Raff reviews the art of the moving image.