Parade of Schoolchildren (c.1902)

1903
Silent
2m

Can you identify this street corner, or perhaps a young face in the parade?

This film needs watching at least twice: the first time to take in the many fascinating faces and clothes of the children the camera focuses on, and the second to watch the world passing by behind them (perhaps you can even identify the location?). In between the coal trucks in the background you can see a painted caravan - probably belonging to the fairground that commissioned the film.

Parade of schoolchildren.

The Old School Yard

Children – unsung stars of so many Mitchell & Kenyon films – take the spotlight.

The more-or-less formal school parades (plus the odd sports day) collected here present a more regimented Edwardian childhood than the one which so often bursts into M&K's other films. The films capture a transitional moment in British education, with classroom provision extended in 1902's Education Act.

With a variety of educational models on display - local authority and church-run (Anglican or Catholic) - some schools are more formal or relaxed than others. As we watch them parade, it’s hard not to be reminded that much of this new generation, so full of life and hope, was destined for the trenches of World War I.