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England Expects

The military loomed large in Victorian society - and filmmakers were naturally eager to satisfy public interest in military subjects.

In the hierarchy of Victorian celebrity culture, military heroes came second only to the Queen herself. With the British Empire at its peak, filmmakers jostled for glimpses of conquering heroes like Lord Kitchener and Field-Marshal Roberts.

The second Boer War was the first major conflict of the film era, and a few intrepid pioneers travelled with their cameras to South Africa. Military commanders kept them away from the front lines, meaning they rarely captured anything of the fighting, the footage they sent home gave filmgoers an unprecedented window on the war. Other filmmakers, meanwhile, were content to re-enact skirmishes at home, or to film processions of departing or returning troops to excite patriotic audiences.

56 videos in this collection

A surprisingly languid scene shot far from the Boer War battlefields.

Ambulance Crossing the Modder

  • 1899
This close view of departing troops gets up close and personal with soldiers off to the Boer War.

Coldstream Guards Embarking on Troopship Gascon

  • Southampton
  • 1899
A mighty naval cruiser returns home to Britain, covered in glory - and Nelson's ship is there to welcome it

H.M.S. "Powerful" Arriving in Portsmouth Harbour

  • Portsmouth
  • 1900
The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces recognises war heroes old and new in front of crowds on a wet day in Edwardian Liverpool.

Lord Roberts Presenting Medals to Boer War Volunteers in Liverpool (1901)

  • Liverpool
  • 1901
Panorama of two wooden battleships, both by this time used as training ships for naval cadets

Wooden Walls of Old England

  • 1899
Troops play up for the camera in the shadow of Edinburgh Castle.

Royal Scots Regiment at Edinburgh Castle (1901)

  • Edinburgh Castle
  • 1901

Battle of Spion Kop: Ambulance Corps Crossing the Tugela River (1) (1900)

  • 1900
A Boer War re-enactment with a ring of authenticity

A Skirmish with the Boers near Kimberley by a Troop of Cavalry Scouts Attached to General French's Column

  • 1900
A uniformed marching band takes to the street in this early film by pioneer cinematographer Birt Acres

Band Marching down a Street

  • Barnet
  • 1897

Warships at Sunset

  • 1900
The senior regiment of the British Army, the Life Guards, are dismissed after a Royal Review

Dispersing the Troops at Windsor after Parade

  • Windsor
  • 1899
Come face to face with the Victorian age in this Boer War-era parade film with an unexpected ending

Norton No. 57

  • 1900

Trafalgar Day London 1900

  • Trafalgar Square
  • 1900
British cavalry advance after the Battle of Modder River in the Boer War

Lancers Crossing the Modder River

  • 1899
Naval trainees show off their weapons prowess for the camera

Sailors on H.M.S. Black Prince Firing Cannon and Rifles

  • 1900

Train Load of C.I.V.s Leaving Southampton

  • Southampton
  • 1900
A Boer War poser: how do you get a balloon and a train of carts drawn by mules and oxen across a river with no bridge?

War Balloon and Transport Crossing the Vaal River

  • 1900
A dispatch from South Africa? Or an elaborate deception?

Colonial Troops and Cavalry on the March

  • 1899
Military processions could usually be relied on to draw a crowd, both in the streets and later in the cinemas.

French Military Procession

  • 1900
An impressive eight-some performs some Victorian gymnastics for the camera.

Gymnasts on Parallel Bars

  • 1898
A triumphant moment in the Boer War

Lord Roberts Hoisting the Union Jack at Pretoria

  • 1900
An enigmatic bit of film rescued from history's dustbin

Military Parade

  • 1900
Boer war sailors fire, dismantle, move and reassemble a pair of heavy guns in a contest of skill and dexterity.

Bluejackets' Field Gun Drill at Durban

  • 1900
Troops on the move - but are they destined for the battlefield?

Soldiers March along a Road

  • 1900
A military supremo takes command of British forces in South Africa

The Arrival and Reception of Lord Roberts at Capetown

  • 1900

The Gordon Highlanders

  • 1897
For Britons during the Boer War, a welcome opportunity to support the troops - and march alongside them

Parade of Troops with Band and Crowds Following

  • 1900
An impressive display of numbers from the local volunteer force as part of the Blackburn Easter Fair.

1st Volunteer Battalion, East Lancashire Regiment - Blackburn Rifle Volunteers (1900)

  • Blackburn
  • 1900
Boer war soldiers play at cowboys, as long teams of oxen are harnessed to keep heavy siege guns moving

The 5-inch Siege Guns Crossing Vaal River

  • 1900
A menagerie of animals helps troops cross a river without getting their feet wet

Artillery Crossing a River

  • 1900
Australia's contribution to the Boer War effort is glimpsed en route to the front.

The Australian Mounted Rifles Marching through Cape Town

  • 1899
A vigorous military drill is watched by a large crowd.

Bayonet Drill

  • 1900
The spectacle of a royal visit in Victorian Wales is captured by local showman Arthur Cheetham.

Duke and Duchess of York at Conway

  • Conwy
  • 1899
RW Paul's tactic of lending a camera to Walter Beevor of the Scots Guards pays dividends in this Boer War footage.

Entry of the Scots' Guards into Bloemfontein

  • 1900
Field ambulances attempt a tricky crossing of the Vaal during the Boer War.

Field Ambulances Crossing the Vaal River

  • 1900
British troops dig in during the Boer war campaign

The Fifth Northumberland Fusiliers Digging Entrenchments at Orange River, South Africa - The passing of the armoured train

  • 1899

Gordon Highlanders Leaving for the Boer War

  • Aberdeen
  • 1899
The British Indian Army present arms for the camera in this early actuality film

Indian Army Parade

  • 1900
First-hand footage of troops on parade in Boer War era Pretoria.

Infantry at Pretoria (c.1900)

  • 1900
Royal Marines demonstrate the fearsome artillery skills they would take to the Boer War - all without firing a shot

Mounting and Dismounting a 3-ton Gun

  • 1900

Troopship Nubia Leaving Harbour

  • Southampton
  • 1899
Another example of early amateur cinematography from Robert A Mitchell, yet to perfect his cranking technique.

King's Liverpool Regiment

  • 1898
A conquering Boer War hero enjoys a rapturous homecoming parade

Lord Roberts' Arrival in London

  • London
  • 1901
With grim news from the Boer War, a popular military commander is given a fond farewell as he leaves to take command

Lord Roberts Leaving for South Africa

  • Southampton
  • 1899

C.I.V. Procession. Cyclists and Infantry

  • 1900
The Boer War hero addresses a capacity crowd in Manchester's Piccadilly Gardens and unveils a statue to the late Queen Victoria.

Lord Roberts' Visit to Manchester (1901)

  • Manchester
  • 1901
A volunteer cavalry regiment is enthusiastically welcomed home after active service in South Africa.

Manchester's Welcome to the Imperial Yeomanry (1901)

  • Manchester
  • 1901
A marching band leads the parades with the Boer War still raging.

Military Sunday in Newcastle

  • Newcastle upon Tyne
  • 1900
An early film scoop, capturing the South African president on film

President Kruger

  • 1898
An ordinary hero of the Boer War in a curious silent 'interview'.

Ralph Pringle Interviewing Private Ward V.C. Hero in Leeds (1901)

  • Leeds
  • 1901
Londoners turn out in their thousands to greet the returning Boer War hero after his famous defence of Ladysmith

Sir George White Leaving the London Hippodrome

  • London
  • 1900
Soldiers returning from the Boer War get a warm welcome home from crowds in Edwardian Birmingham.

The Return of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment (1901)

  • Birmingham
  • 1901
Crowds throng the streets for the return of Manchester's Volunteers from South Africa.

Return of the Brave Manchester Volunteers (1901)

  • Manchester
  • 1901
The Scottish regiment filmed on their return from fighting in the Sudan

The Seaforth Highlanders' Return to Cairo after the Fall of Omdurman and Khartoum

  • 1898
British commander Lord Roberts takes possession of Kroonstad - a huge symbolic victory in the Boer War

The Surrender of Kroonstad to Lord Roberts

  • 1900
The might of the British Navy struts its stuff down the Manchester Ship Canal.

Torpedo Flotilla Visit to Manchester (1901)

  • Manchester
  • 1901