SS Mongolian Leaving the Clyde (1906)
- Glasgow
- 1906
1st Volunteer Battalion, East Lancashire Regiment - Blackburn Rifle Volunteers (1900)
An impressive display of numbers from the local volunteer force as part of the Blackburn Easter Fair.
The call to form volunteer army reserves in 1859 met a huge response in Lancashire, and Blackburn was no exception. The volunteers were an important part of Britain's South African War forces, becoming increasingly consolidated and professional. The diverse ages of the privates and officers is interesting - as is the small cycle corps which heads the march, outnumbering the horses.
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.
26 videos in this collection
SS Mongolian Leaving the Clyde (1906)
All Saints Church with Parade of the Northamptonshire Regiment (1902)
Baden-Powell Opening Accrington's Ambulance Hall (1904)
Return of the Brave Manchester Volunteers (1901)
Royal Scots Regiment at Edinburgh Castle (1901)
Torpedo Flotilla Visit to Manchester (1901)
Return of the Lancaster Volunteers (1901)
Parade of the Bolton Artillery Volunteers (1901)
Fleet in the Tyne (1901)
Regiments Returned from Boer War to Victoria Barracks, Cork (1902)
On the March with the Bradford Artillery at Buckhaw Brow, Settle (1902)
Lieutenant Clive Wilson and Tranby Croft Party (1902)
1st Volunteer Battalion, East Lancashire Regiment - Blackburn Rifle Volunteers (1900)
The Return of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment (1901)
Parade of the Blackburn Territorials (1909)
The Military Tournament at Batley Football Ground (1902)
Visit of Earl Roberts and Viscount Kitchener to Receive the Freedom of the City, Liverpool (1902)
Scenes in a Manchester Park (c.1901)
General French at Tranby Croft (1902)
Infantry at Pretoria (c.1900)
Lord Roberts Presenting Medals to Boer War Volunteers in Liverpool (1901)
Royal Visit to Barrow and Launch of H.M.S. Dominion (1903)
Ralph Pringle Interviewing Private Ward V.C. Hero in Leeds (1901)
Return of Kitchener (1902)
Return of the East Lancashire Regiment at Preston (1902)
