How I Filmed the War: A Record of the Extraordinary Experiences of the Man Who Filmed the Great Somme Battles, etc.Malins, Geoffrey H.
History
How I Filmed the War: A Record of the Extraordinary Experiences of the Man Who Filmed the Great Somme Battles, etc.
Malins, Geoffrey H.
Malins, Geoffrey H.; Motion pictures; World War, 1914-1918 -- Personal narratives, British
The King and Prince of Wales and their suite entered their respective
cars and, amidst the cheers of the civilian populace, we left the
village on the hill. The red and gold of the little Royal Standard on
the King's car glittered bright in the morning sun.
Away we went. How my old "bus" did go; every ounce was being obtained
from it; she fairly rocked and roared on the tails of the high-power
machines ahead. I knew the road only too well; many a time in the early
part of the war had I traversed it, and passed through these self-same
gates.
On we tore to where, in an unostentatious little villa, lived the King
and Queen of the Belgians.
By the time I arrived King George had alighted, and the Belgian Guard of
Honour was playing the national hymn. I hurried through the villa gates,
ignoring the guards stationed there who tried to hinder me. I wanted to
film the meeting. But I was too late, for by the time I had my machine
on the stand the two Kings had passed along the line of troops, crossed
the sand-dunes and entered the villa. I had unfortunately missed the
meeting by a few minutes, but I vowed I wouldn't move far away from them
during the afternoon. I heard that after lunch King George, assisted by
Prince Alexander of Teck, was going to award decorations and medals to
Belgian officers, and during the afternoon I obtained many good scenes.
The Queen was there, and with her the two Princes and little Princess
Josephine. They were all most interested in the proceedings.
I filmed the King visiting a 6-inch Howitzer Battery. I noticed
specially how keen he was in enquiring about every little detail. Not a
single thing seemed to miss his eye, from the close examination of the
gun's breech, to inspecting the dug-outs of the men. He then left, and
knowing he was going to inspect the Canadians I hurried off in order to
get there ahead.
When I arrived the Canadian Generals and staff were there waiting. Here
I met many old friends of the St. Eloi battle and, curiously enough, it
was at this very spot that I filmed the scene of the Northumberland
Fusiliers, or Fighting Fifth, returning from battle, fagged out, but
happy.
General Burstall was there, and as soon as he saw me he came up and
said:
"Hullo, Malins, you here? Why I thought you would have been killed long
ago."
"No, sir," I said, "I don't think I am much of a corpse, though really
Brother Fritz has tried very hard to send me West."
"You must have a charmed life," he said. "Have you come to film our
show?"
"Yes," I replied. "The King will be along shortly. Ah! here he comes
now."
And down the road, stretching away in the distance, a line of cars came
tearing along in our direction. Everybody came to attention. I got ready
my camera. The King drew up, and from that moment, until he passed
through the camp, lined with thousands of cheering Canadians, I filmed
his every movement.
[Illustration: HER MAJESTY, THE QUEEN OF THE BELGIANS, TAKING A SNAP OF
ME AT WORK WHILE FILMING THE KING]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account