This film is part of Free
Parachute Experiments, Pulham Airship Station
Soldiers of the Royal Naval Air Service make a leap of progress as new parachutes are put on trial
Overview
A leap of progress in parachute design sees several types on test at Pulham airfield. Some remarkable drone-like photography, from a very brave camera operator, records some of the best airborne scenes of an airship taken during WWI. Thankfully, many of the parachutes are tested with weights rather than people - but at least two of the drops are live.
Of particular interest is the C.17 Coastal Class airship in the early part of the film. This design patrolled the convoys of the North Sea against U-boat threat and maintained a constant airborne presence from 1916 until the end of the war. Powered by two Sunbeam engines in tractor and pusher formation, the canvas-sided gondola - effectively two seaplane fuselages spliced together - was large enough for a crew of five people. Lasting just eight months, C.17 was unfortunately destroyed by fire on 21 April 1917, with no survivors.
Related
No Mischief Here Can Satan Find for Idle Hands to Do No Mischief Here Can Satan Find for Idle Hands to Do
1917 1 mins Silent
Pathe's series on WWI turns its eye homeward in this edition about the interning of enemy aliens
The Production of a Map The Production of a Map
Non-Fiction 1917 7 mins Silent
Worlds within worlds: a maps and globes factory, expertly charted on celluloid
Metropolitan Police Ambulance Team Metropolitan Police Ambulance Team
1917 18 mins Silent
Metropolitan Police officers demonstrate their paramedic skills in this early training film
History of the War: The Birth Place of the Great War History of the War: The Birth Place of the Great War
1917 7 mins Silent
Episode of Pathé's series on WWI, focused on the outbreak of hostilities between Austria and Serbia
Mighty Atoms Mighty Atoms
1917 8 mins Silent
While mothers make guns, children have fun: take a peek inside the Woolwich Nursery for the Children of Munition Workers
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.