Spithead Review and Regatta

Eric Norman's fascinating film captures the 1937 Coronation Fleet Review – with Royal Navy warships, liners, yachts and submarines

This fascinating colour film starts with a variety of large yachts and small liners, all flying flags, moored in the Solent. Motorboats pass beside larger ships at anchor. A number of flying-boats can be seen as well as numerous ships of the Royal Navy - cruisers, destroyers and submarines. After a fly-past of aircraft and a Royal Marines band we see the destroyers HMS Wolfhound and HMS Vanquisher at anchor. The film ends with a glimpse of the cruiser HMS Hood.

Eric Norman was the managing director of Norcon Ltd, which was based in Challock, Kent. He filmed a variety of subjects including family scenes either at home or on holiday, scenes showing the Norcon Works in Chichester and football scenes featuring Wolverhampton Wanderers playing at their Molineaux Stadium.