Very jumbled film of British forces, mainly on the Palestine Front, otherwise Mesopotamian or Salonika Fronts, 1917-1918.

Some of the film comes directly, including the captions, from IWM 17 NEW CRUSADERS. Most of the segments are of only a few seconds' duration. Most of the film is of ancient ruins like Babylon and Baalbec. Unique material includes (Reel 1) A party of Highland soldiers dancing a fling, a bullock-drawn sledge threshing corn, and a Stokes trench mortar being fired from a trench - probably at a training school in Mesopotamia. (Reel 2) Further scenes of 4.5-inch howitzers of the Indian Army in Mesopotamia (?) and a long sequence of Turkish prisoners of war and refugees from the desert. The Australian Light Horse, or possibly the single British Cavalry regiment in Mesopotamia, 7th Hussars, appear in several scenes. (Reel 3) A further panorama of the city of Baghdad, salt pans and fish drying on racks, and another panorama of a shell-damaged town. Also included is a long sequence of a town on fire, possibly the great fire at Salonika on 18 August 1917. Arab camels are inspected by a British vet. Further scenes of Turkish prisoners. (Reel 4) This reel begins with a panorama of El Arish, and a sequence of a Highland battalion led by a pipe band, "the Palestine highlands is now occupied by Scottish Highlanders" (one of the few captions in the film). It also includes part of the Siwa expedition from IWM 17 THE NEW CRUSADERS, a 6-inch howitzer being fired at the Battle of Ramadi, 8-inch howitzers being transported and unloaded from railway flatcars in Mesopotamia, and a 1-pounder Vickers Mk III anti-aircraft gun being fired from a railway flatcar not far from Baghdad.

Notes

Title: this is taken from the shotsheet.

Summary: see also IWM 5, IWM 6, IWM 11, IWM 17, IWM 21, IWM 39, IWM 65, IWM 80, IWM 81 and IWM 131.

Remarks: this film is a typical example of the very confused material obtained as a result of the wartime habit of keeping stockshots and short segments together in one can, and of regarding Palestine and Mesopotamia as interchangeable locations.