Scenes of Inland Water Transport operations on the River Irrawaddy in Burma.

A number of local rafts on the river. They are constructed of a bamboo frame structure with drums of petrol in between. Two Ramp Cargo Lighters (RCLs) cross shot. An RCL with a Sea Mule tug alongside. A Higgins barge and Unicraft tug. A Higgins barge (N-181) and Sea Mule laden with rolls of bitumenised hessian sheeting (bithess) for road and airstrip construction. Two RCLs laden with lorries and cranes. Higgins barge (N-197) with more rolls of bithess. A passenger steamer lies wrecked on the riverbank. Men unload a quantity of metal rods from a barge; they appear amused by the camera (one shot of this scene briefly out of focus). An RCL and Higgins barge. Higgins barge N-199 laden with oil drums. The barge is anchored to the riverbank with a large grappling hook. Drums unloaded. Local Burmese women carry boxes of 25-pound ammunition on their heads. Men lift more boxes of ammunition out of the boat. Men unload sacks of cement which they lift up with the aid of poles. Two men lift sacks out of the hold; they stand in a cloud of cement dust. Metal rods or bars are unloaded followed by a number of wooden crates apparently containing signalling equipment. An Irrawaddy Flotilla Company steamer at its mooring. A large steamer passes. Oil drums are unloaded from a bamboo raft of the type seen at the start of the reel. They are rolled up a slope towards a waiting lorry. Women carrying large bundles which are unloaded from a boat. One is marked 'Civil - (Upper Chindwin) C/O CAO (S) MOREN' (read: care of Civil Affairs Officer (Supplies)). Another is marked 'Lungi' and so probably contains clothing.

Notes

The location is not specified on the dopesheet and it is difficult to be any more precise than to say that this film was shot somewhere on the lower Irrawaddy.

The Irrawaddy Flotilla Company was an important pillar of the pre-war Burmese economy and the value of its transport led to its vessels being deliberately wrecked, in order to deny them to the Japanese, as the British withdrew in 1942. They then became a priority target for Allied air attack, before being again deliberately sabotaged by the retreating Japanese. The need to restore or replace river shipping led to the establishment of a riverside shipyard at Kalewa on the Chindwin, the operation of which can be seen in the film referenced below.