The Media Archive for Central England is the public screen archive for the East and West Midlands. An independent charity and company based at the University of Lincoln, MACE acquires, catalogues, preserves and makes widely available moving image materials that inform our understanding of the diverse cultures and histories of communities between the Lincolnshire coast and the Welsh border.
This film is part of Free
Regimental Sports
A last gasp for the British Army's cavalry: the skilled horsemen of the Leicestershire Yeomanry perform for a local audience.
From the collection of:
Overview
A display of mounted cavalry sports at Burleigh Park in Leicestershire laid on by the Leicestershire Yeomanry in June 1938. A large crowd has gathered to witness the ancient cavalry arts of tent pegging and races over jumps that celebrate a type of warfare already consigned to history. Musical chairs on horseback seems a particularly difficult skill to master and the layman may question its effectiveness on the battlefield.
A keen filmmaker, the commanding officer of the yeomanry, Sir Eric Gore-Browne (he was knighted in 1948) is unlikely to have been behind the camera as we see him watching proceedings with other officers. With the need for a cavalry regiment in steep decline the Leicestershire Yeomanry was reorganised into two field artillery units for the Second World War. Post-war the regiment became part of the Territorial Army and was combined with the Derbyshire Yeomanry in 1957 to form the Leicestershire and Derbyshire (Prince Albert's Own) Yeomanry. Around the same time the Burleigh estate was sold to Loughborough College of Technology eventually forming part of the campus of Loughborough University.
Related
To Build an Island's Future To Build an Island's Future
Promotional 1954 7 mins Location: Loughborough
Through blazing sun and monsoon rain new British built diesel locomotives keep communications open on the far off island of Ceylon.
Workforce of Brush Electric Co. Falcon Works, Loughborough (1900) Workforce of Brush Electric Co. Falcon Works, Loughborough (1900)
Non-Fiction 1900 2 mins Silent Location: Loughborough
A well-staged exit of workers from a Leicestershire manufacturer for the transport industry.
Workforce Leaving Cartwright & Warner Hosiery Works, Loughborough (1900) Workforce Leaving Cartwright & Warner Hosiery Works, Loughborough (1900)
Non-Fiction 1900 1 mins Silent Location: Loughborough
Victorian women workers (and a few men) hasten through the gates of the hosiery works after their shift.
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.