The Box is a major cultural and heritage attraction and archive, which opened in Plymouth’s city centre in September 2020. Its collection, formally the South West Film and Television Archive (SWFTA), is the regional film archive for the South West of England, comprising the combined programme libraries of Westward Television and Television South West (TSW). It also includes a significant number of donated film collections dating back to the early 1890s.
This film is part of Free
Secret Royal Visit to Wartime Plymouth
Leatherby sneaks his camera into wartime Plymouth
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Overview
This rare film shows King George VI and Queen Elizabeth visiting Plymouth on 20 March 1941. Recordings are banned due to the sensitive nature of Plymouth's military and naval bases. Lady Mayoress Nancy Astor and Lord Waldorf Astor MP with Admiral and Mrs Dunbar-Nasmith welcome the Royal couple. The King visited Devonport Dockyard and inspected Civil Defence Servicemen in Guildhall Square while the Queen went to a Food and Rest Shelter at Virginia House.
Just hours after the King and Queen left for London, the Plymouth Blitz began with the loss of 1172 civilian lives in over 59 bombing raids. Charles Church, bombed on the night of 20 March 1941, still stands in ruins as a permanent memorial to the loss of life caused during the Plymouth Blitz. The film also shows an Air Raid Precautions fire and first aid drill and the aftermath of the bombing of St. Andrew's Church. Two cameras capture the visit on 8mm from the same angle. These are part of the Leatherby collection. Frank Leatherby became Lord Mayor in 1949 and filmed many private and civic events in the city.
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