Scenes At Croydon Aerodrome And Earl Haig’s Funeral, Croydon and Piccadilly (1928)

Traffic, planes, parks and coffins feature in this early collection of short films shot by Rosie Newman, who late filmed unique colour footage of WWII.

This 25-minute film consists of several short segments edited together by Rosie Newman, a pioneering amateur filmmaker who shot important colour footage during WWII. Much of this film is unexplained, showing family gatherings outside London, but there are great shots of Croydon Aerodrome, Green Park, traffic in London and Earl’s Haig funeral procession. Here she displays an eye for the important event, recording the coffin passing from a prominent elevated position.

As well as the above, the film also shows scenes of golf playing, tennis, shooting, stag hunting, horse racing, polo tea parties and other classic country-house pursuits, as befitting Newman’s privileged upbringing (she lived on Piccadilly). The film also features scenes in France and Scotland. Several scenes feature Newman herself.