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Bluejackets' Drill and Exercises - Volley Firing (1898)
 

BFI

Main image of Bluejackets' Drill and Exercises - Volley Firing (1898)
 
35mm, black and white, silent, 88 feet
 
Production companyWarwick Trading Company

Naval exercises on a Portsmouth quayside

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In 1899 the Warwick Trading Co., by special permission of the Admiralty, shot a series of films of Royal Navy troops running exercises. Bluejackets' Drill and Exercises - Volley Firing, an intriguing historical document, was shot at the Portsmouth Naval Depot and records the exacting marching and firing drills that the sailors underwent. With the three-deck gunboat 'Duke of Wellington' as a backdrop, and rifles at the ready, a group of sailors form two ranks. A surprising moment occurs as the sailors fire; smoke suddenly fills the screen and for a moment it appears as though they have aimed straight at the camera. 'Bluejacket' was a term given to naval ratings who not uncommonly were required to fight on land.

This film was made during the time of the Second Boer War (1899-1902), suggesting that these troops were in preparation for deployment in South Africa. This is further suggested by a similar film shot by the Warwick Trading Co., Bluejackets' Field Gun Drill At Durban, made the same year and featuring sailors running exercises in South Africa.

Christian Hayes

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Complete film (0:56)
GALLERY / SCRIPTS / AUDIO
SEE ALSO
Bluejackets' Field Gun Drill at Durban (1898)