Schoolchildren at Dalbeattie Public School (c.1901)

Dalbeattie
1901
Silent
1m

Scottish primary schoolchildren parade for the camera in well-regimented groups.

Although some of the boys at the rear of these groups of schoolchildren can't resist waving their caps as they pass the camera, for the most part the children are noticeably more disciplined than those in some other Mitchell and Kenyon films, parading in carefully-shaped blocks that seem almost as well-hewn as the granite that dominated the economy of the small Scottish rural town.

Originally opened in 1876 in Southwick Road, Dalbeattie Public School was replaced by nearby Dalbeattie High School in the 1960s. The new school unexpectedly made international headlines after film director James Cameron apologised for tarnishing the memory of local hero William Murdoch in his film Titanic (1997). Cameron also donated £5,000 to the school's William Murdoch Memorial Prize fund.

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.