Dorman-Smith's car arrives at Rangoon Cathedral and he gets out. Lady Dorman-Smith with the Rt Rev the Lord Bishop of Rangoon. Lieutenant-General Sir Montagu Stopford, commander 12th Army, enters the cathedral with an unnamed Air Commodore. A group of naval officers doff their hats before entering.

Government House, Rangoon: a good view of a battery of 25-pounder field guns of 27 Field Regiment Royal Artillery firing a royal salute. A contingent of the Burma Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve presents arms. Dorman-Smith inspects them.

Sir Reginald Dorman-Smith, the pre-war Governor of Burma, returns to Government House, Rangoon, after years of government-in-exile.

Notes

Dorman-Smith had been forced to evacuate from Rangoon in February 1942 and again from Myitkyina to India later that year, spending the war in Simla. This film therefore represents a pivotal moment, with Britain regaining the civil administration of a country lost in such embarrassing circumstances in 1942, though one which would be independent in a little over two years.

Given the importance of these proceedings, they were extensively covered by British and Indian Army cameramen. See related items.