Royal Scots Regiment at Edinburgh Castle (1901)
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.
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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
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Coldstream Guards Embarking on Troopship Gascon
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H.M.S. "Powerful" Arriving in Portsmouth Harbour
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Lord Roberts Presenting Medals to Boer War Volunteers in Liverpool (1901)
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Wooden Walls of Old England
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Royal Scots Regiment at Edinburgh Castle (1901)
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Battle of Spion Kop: Ambulance Corps Crossing the Tugela River (1) (1900)
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A Skirmish with the Boers near Kimberley by a Troop of Cavalry Scouts Attached to General French's Column
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Band Marching down a Street
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Warships at Sunset
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Dispersing the Troops at Windsor after Parade
12
Norton No. 57
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Trafalgar Day London 1900
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Lancers Crossing the Modder River
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Sailors on H.M.S. Black Prince Firing Cannon and Rifles
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Train Load of C.I.V.s Leaving Southampton
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War Balloon and Transport Crossing the Vaal River
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Colonial Troops and Cavalry on the March
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French Military Procession
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Gymnasts on Parallel Bars
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Lord Roberts Hoisting the Union Jack at Pretoria
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Military Parade
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Bluejackets' Field Gun Drill at Durban
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Soldiers March along a Road
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The Arrival and Reception of Lord Roberts at Capetown
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The Gordon Highlanders
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Parade of Troops with Band and Crowds Following
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1st Volunteer Battalion, East Lancashire Regiment - Blackburn Rifle Volunteers (1900)
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The 5-inch Siege Guns Crossing Vaal River
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Artillery Crossing a River
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The Australian Mounted Rifles Marching through Cape Town
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Bayonet Drill
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Duke and Duchess of York at Conway
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Entry of the Scots' Guards into Bloemfontein
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Field Ambulances Crossing the Vaal River
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The Fifth Northumberland Fusiliers Digging Entrenchments at Orange River, South Africa - The passing of the armoured train
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Gordon Highlanders Leaving for the Boer War
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Indian Army Parade
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Infantry at Pretoria (c.1900)
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Mounting and Dismounting a 3-ton Gun
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Troopship Nubia Leaving Harbour
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King's Liverpool Regiment
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Lord Roberts' Arrival in London
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Lord Roberts Leaving for South Africa
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C.I.V. Procession. Cyclists and Infantry
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Lord Roberts' Visit to Manchester (1901)
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Manchester's Welcome to the Imperial Yeomanry (1901)
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Military Sunday in Newcastle
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President Kruger
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Ralph Pringle Interviewing Private Ward V.C. Hero in Leeds (1901)
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Sir George White Leaving the London Hippodrome
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The Return of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment (1901)
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Return of the Brave Manchester Volunteers (1901)
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The Seaforth Highlanders' Return to Cairo after the Fall of Omdurman and Khartoum
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The Surrender of Kroonstad to Lord Roberts
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