Jack Lawson, Secretary of State for War in Clement Attlee's newly-elected Labour government, addresses an audience of troops on the subject of demobilisation in Rangoon, capital of reoccupied Burma.

At 208 Transit Camp Lawson, wearing a pith helmet, climbs a flight of stairs towards camera. He is saluted. At 206 Transit Camp he gets out of a jeep and is greeted by Lieutenant-Colonel Runciman, the camp's commanding officer. Lawson addresses an audience of troops; the men nearest camera are wearing the sword insignia of 20th Indian Division. Lawson's jeep, marked with the two stars of a major-general, approaches camera; he gets out and is greeted. Lawson with troops. Lawson leading three cheers.

Notes

1945 saw Clement Attlee's Labour Party withdraw from the wartime coalition government, prompting a General Election which they won in a spectacular landslide. Jack Lawson, MP for Chester-le-Street, was appointed Secretary of State for War and was tasked with demobilising Britain's large and far-flung armed forces. In doing so he completed a 35,000 mile round trip of India and the Far East, hosting sixty mass meetings such as the one seen in this film. The demobilisation of troops in the Far East was particularly pressing as many had been overseas without home leave for years.