Sports on the Ice

Nannies and nippers compete with seasoned skaters on a frozen pond near London in this charming wintery newsreel.

The horror of the Western Front seems a world away from these innocent winter scenes captured by the Topical Budget newsreel in early 1917. The sense of freedom is infectious as skaters of all ages take to the ice on a frozen pond 'somewhere near London' - and not a health and safety inspector in sight. Though skating was popular across social classes, the crowd here appears relatively affluent.