Launching the Queen Mary and the opening of Southampton's Graving Dock

From the collection of

Wessex Film and Sound Archive
Wessex Film and Sound Archive is based in Winchester. Providing the opportunity to see and hear history, the archive contains nearly 40,000 film, video and sound recordings relating to Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire, ranging from late Victorian times to the present day. It includes both amateur and professional material, local newsreels, military and maritime subjects, as well as footage produced by individuals, businesses and organisations.

Launching the Queen Mary and the opening of Southampton's Graving Dock


William Craven-Ellis' stunning film shows three connected events. We start with the 1934 launch of the Queen Mary on Clydebank. Filmed from across the river, crowds of spectators watch as the huge liner slides down the slipway. We next see an event in 1933 - where King George V and Queen Mary arrive on the Royal Yacht to open Southampton's Graving Dock. Finally, we see the liner Queen Mary sail into the dock, getting glimpses of her luxury interior before she departs once more.


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