BRITISH EMPIRE AND AMERICAN SERVICES SPORTS, STAMFORD BRIDGE, SEPT 7TH 1918

This film is held by the Imperial War Museum (ID: IWM 633).

Synopsis

An athletics meeting for servicemen and women from Britain, the Imperial forces and the US Army at Stamford Bridge football ground, Fulham, London, 7th September 1918.

The film starts with a posed group of the RAF team. Three heats of the 100 yards sprint are shown, followed by the one mile race which is won by Corporal J Mason from New Zealand. (Mason is not shown clearly on the film.) Two competitors take part in the long jump. The women's auxiliary forces 440 yards relay is won by the RAF team, which is shown in a posed group. The 120 yards hurdles is won by Lieutenant Fraser RAF, who is shown posed afterwards. The one mile relay is won by the RAF team, as is the tug-of-war. At the end of the games Lord Beaverbrook presents prizes to the winners.

Notes

Production: probably an RAF film, if only on the grounds that most of the winners shown are RAF personnel

Remarks: an interesting film of a routine event, with some highly inventive camera angles. But one is left wondering why so many obviously very fit men were still in England while the armies in France were involved in winning the war

 

Titles

  • BRITISH EMPIRE AND AMERICAN SERVICES SPORTS, STAMFORD BRIDGE, SEPT 7TH 1918
 

Technical Data

Year:
1918
Running Time:
5 minutes
Film Gauge (Format):
35mm
Colour:
B&W
Sound:
Silent
Footage:
315 ft
 

Production Credits

Production Countries:
GB
Sponsor
[RAF] (?)