National Screen and Sound Archive of Wales preserves and celebrates the sound and moving image heritage of Wales, making it accessible to a wide range of users for enjoyment and learning. Its film collection reflects every aspect of the nation’s social, cultural and working life across the 20th century, giving a fascinating insight into Welsh filmmaking, both amateur and professional.
This film is part of Free
The Shop Assistants' Outing to Ilfracombe
A tantalizing fragment of a Haggar film of an outing from Llanelli that included shots of “somewhat humorous incidents on board”.
From the collection of:
Overview
A day long-awaited, no doubt, by Llanelli’s army of shop assistants: a trip to Devon, July 1913, on one of P & A Campbell’s paddle steamers. Filmed by James Haggar for screening at ‘Haggar’s Theatre’ in the town, a cinema he managed for his father, the production included shots of “somewhat humorous incidents on board” (Llanelly Mercury 17/7/1913). Sadly, all that remains of this film is this recently discovered, damaged fragment, containing the opening shots in Llanelli.
The assistants gather in Llanelli, dressed in their best, complete with picnic paraphernalia. They then board a train bound for Cardiff or Penarth and the ‘White Funnel’ steamer that would bear them onwards. James Haggar, son of [Arthur] William Haggar (1851-1925), a travelling showman and film pioneer based in Wales from the 1880s onwards, shot a number of local topicals for showing on the big screen, to draw the crowds, for by July 1913, Llanelli supported 5 competing venues offering films, plays and variety acts. That summer attractions on offer included Fred Dyer - Cardiff’s singing boxer, a “Wrestling Alligator” from the Ganges, Hugo the “Sensational Chair Jumper” and illusionist Chung Ling Soo.
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