This film is part of Free
A hospital ship is tragically wrecked off the North Yorkshire coast during World War I.
Non-Fiction 1914 1 mins Silent
Though often guilty of a trivialising, 'light entertainment' approach, newsreel Topical Budget was capable of covering disaster stories with poignancy. This item records the wreckage of the hospital ship HMHS Rohilla, which ran aground on its way to aid wounded soldiers at the front. The wreck sat just 500 metres from the shore at Whitby, making possible these haunting images.
The Rohilla is remembered as one of Whitby's worst and most tragic shipwrecks (85 doctors lost their lives) and as a renowned lifesaving story. Six lifeboats were involved in the rescue, including Whitby's no. 2 lifeboat (seen here) which suffered severe damage after being dragged by hand over the beach and rocks. The three-day rescue operation succeeded in saving 145 people from the stranded ship, among them was Miss Mary Roberts, a nurse who had already survived the sinking of the RMS Titanic two years earlier.
Comedy 1914 14 mins Silent Location: Twickenham
The intrepid Lieutenant Pimple thwarts foreign enemies in an action-packed wartime spy spoof.
Travelogue 1914 5 mins Silent
On the brink of invasion, holidaymakers promenade while refugees shelter in beach huts on the Belgian coastline in 1914.
War 1914 7 mins Silent
Inventive WWI propaganda in which a rejected volunteer foils a German plot to blow up Parliament.
Fantasy 1914 23 mins Silent
A well-acted early version of Charles Dickens' much loved Christmas story, featuring some impressive ghost sequences.
Travelogue 1914 10 mins Silent
Cairo street scenes, the pyramids, the majestic Nile and a visiting Lord Kitchener in a gorgeous tinted travelogue.
Fantasy 1914 9 mins Silent
A mysterious pair of gloves from an ancient Egyptian tomb cause chaos in this silent 'trick' comedy.
Amateur film 1968 7 mins Location: Whitby
The bicentenary of Captain James Cook’s first epic naval voyage is celebrated by Whitby townspeople in this jubilant short film.
Non-Fiction 1945 10 mins Silent Location: Whitby
Despite being shot during the closing stages of the Second World War, Whitby appears full of tranquillity and peace.
Amateur film 1958 19 mins Silent Location: Redcar
A nostalgic dip and drive around the North Yorkshire coast in the sun-kissed 50s.
Home movie 1964 31 mins Silent Location: Leeds
Eating, dancing in the front room, playing football in the garden, walking around Whitby, a birthday party, a wedding – just being common people, only with a Jewish twist.
Documentary 1965 23 mins Silent Location: Whitby
Whitby seen through the work of Frank Meadows Sutcliffe.
Short documentary 2016 11 mins Location: Whitby
The second in Michael Smith and Maxy Bianco's trilogy of films on Britain's coastal edgelands, in which they explore the spooky enchantment of Whitby.
Charity appeal 2020 2 mins
Beautiful NHS fundraiser, setting Michael Rosen’s poem to powerful archive images.
Non-Fiction 1924 1 mins Silent Location: Woking
The UK's first purpose-built mosque welcomes a huge crowd of worshippers - and newsreel cameras!
Comedy 1914 9 mins Silent
A vicar is caught flirting with an improperly-dressed chorus girl in this saucy silent comedy.
Non-Fiction 1901 4 mins Silent Location: Manchester
A volunteer cavalry regiment is enthusiastically welcomed home after active service in South Africa.
Non-Fiction 1901 2 mins Silent Location: Liverpool
All ashore! Passengers disembark and crew offload after a long Atlantic crossing.
Non-Fiction 1902 3 mins Silent Location: Weston Park
A stroll in the park for civilised city-dwellers in Edwardian South Yorkshire.
Do you recognise a place, building or location in this film?
Help us populate the Britain on Film map by spotting and plotting the street or location you know. This is a BFI project and anyone can help.
Go to our Britain on Film crowdsourcing site and contribute to our mapping mission – to identify locations within our archive films.
Add a location
