London’s Screen Archives enables Londoners see their past come alive on film. Managed by Film London, we are a unique network of historic film collections that cares for, collects and screens heritage film across the city. Together we preserve London’s rich film heritage from feature films to home movies, public information films, newsreels, and records of the capital’s many different industries.
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Techniques Of Bomb Disposal II
Fascinating, technical military film made during the Blitz showing how to deal with unexploded bombs in London.
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Overview
This film follows Mr Ambrose’s bomb disposal team dealing with unexploded ordinance during the Blitz, starting with a 1,000 kilo bomb in a damp pit in Victoria Park. It’s very technical, as you might expect given the explosive nature of what is being dealt with, and shows how much work each unexploded bomb required. The technical detail is extraordinary, showing this was challenging, exhausting and dangerous work, often taking place in very difficult conditions.
We see first how the team cope with a huge bomb in damp ground in Victoria Park, then a much smaller bomb, containing gas, in Richmond Park, followed by a bomb in 42 Avondale Square off the Old Kent Road, opposite a munitions factory. Each presents a different challenge to the men involved. Includes several good scenes of London during the war, including parks and the interior of a doomed terraced house in south London.
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