Gaumont Graphic No. 438

War is declared in Italy, while a returning hero is welcomed in London.

Crowd scenes in Rome and London: a study in contrast between exuberant Italians and starchy Brits. It's not a like-for-like comparison, though. The Romans are reacting to Italy entering WWI, which she did on 23 May 1915 (with the support only of a sizeable minority, not that you'd know it from this coverage). While the Londoners are welcoming a returning hero, some nine months into Britain's war.

These are the only two surviving stories out of eight produced for the 3 June 1915 issue of the Gaumont Graphic newsreel. Sir Edward Henry, seen in the London story, was head of the Metropolitan Police. It's not immediately obvious why he should be the presiding figure here: perhaps Lieutenant Orwin, the returning soldier, was a police officer in peacetime?