Royal Scots Regiment at Edinburgh Castle (1901)

Edinburgh Castle
1901
Silent
2m

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

A distinct lack of military discipline is evident in these murky pictures of the oldest and most senior infantry regiment in the British Army. It's worth persevering with the clunky camerawork to catch the rare and unusually humanising close-ups of the men at ease. One young man steals the show, luxuriantly chewing a piece of toffee before theatrically blowing kisses at the camera.

M&K 798: The image quality is poor due to mould. Pan of troop lined up. Could be the castle grounds. Orders are read out from a sheet. Another shot of close-up of soldiers. A soldier blows kisses to the camera. Another shot of soldier holding up a boy. Another shot of dignitaries. Shot of soldiers walking past camera. Another shot of a lady getting out of a carriage. She inspects the troops. Final pan of some of the troop.

Back from the War

Britain's troops return from war in South Africa to a rapturous welcome - despite more ambivalent public attitudes to the Boer War itself.

A few adventurous film companies journeyed to South Africa to capture (mostly heavily sanitised) film documents of the Second Boer War (1899-1902). Mitchell and Kenyon, like most others, stayed at home, choosing instead to film reconstructed or dramatised war stories. But as they visited towns and cities across the North, M&K also captured the jubilation that greeted homecoming troops.

There's no sign here of public misgivings about what had been a brutal and hard-won war, nor any hint of disrespect for the military commanders who appear in several films. Instead, the overwhelming focus is the ranks of ordinary soldiers, and the collective joy and relief for their safe return.