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1915 on Film
As a nation steeled itself for a long war, cinemas offered desperately wanted information - and welcome distraction. Find out what Britain watched a century ago.
Despite promises, the War clearly wasn't over by Christmas 1914, so the cinema business dug in for the long haul. Newsreels, comedies, animation and dramas all covered war subjects, though producers made sure audiences could enjoy more escapist fare, too. Meanwhile the still-young feature film continued its inexorable advance. With 20 million people visiting cinemas each week, exhibitors could have a real impact, recruiting and raising funds - notably for ambulances to go to the Front – and organising community screenings of Roll of Honour films to commemorate local men lost or wounded. Inevitably, film producers focused on war subjects, and although newsreel cameras were still banned from the fighting, images of allied troops away from the Front were a regular feature of newsreels - and of course the home front was covered extensively. The war profoundly affected drama too. The first ever version of the Edith Cavell story, Nurse and Martyr, was rushed out only a month after her death at the hands of a German firing squad, and the cinema offered escape through the new long features, which continued to grow in popularity with historical subjects like Jane Shore, a lavish medieval spectacle.
Patrol in the DesertPatrol in the Desert
Non-Fiction19153 minsSilent
Shades of Lawrence of Arabia in a worn but often beautiful film of WWI desert exercises in Egypt.
Outposts of EmpireOutposts of Empire
Non-Fiction19151 minsSilent
British troops try to coax and cajole their pack animals on to a military supply train, but they're stubborn as mules...
Anti-German War CartoonsAnti-German War Cartoons
Trick film19155 minsSilent
Follow the lightning-quick hand of the artist behind a series of comic cartoon sketches poking fun at the enemy during WWI.
Preston and District Roll of Honour, 6th, 7th, 5th SeriesPreston and District Roll of Honour, 6th, 7th, 5th Series
Non-Fiction191514 minsSilent
A rare surviving WWI memorial film, featuring poignant images of men killed or injured serving in the armed forces.
Little PippinLittle Pippin
Drama191514 minsSilent
An abandoned baby girl is found in an apple barrel and adopted by a humble grocer in this sentimental wartime fiction.
In Ancient SussexIn Ancient Sussex
Non-Fiction19157 minsSilent Location: Chichester
Attractive travelogue exploring famous old Sussex landmarks, taking in views including Chichester, Lewes, Arundel and Bosham.
Alexandra Rose Day in SheffieldAlexandra Rose Day in Sheffield
Non-Fiction19155 minsSilent Location: Sheffield
A rare film of Sheffield in 1915 with well-to-do women of the city out selling flowers on the streets to raise money for Alexandra Rose Day, and visiting recently wounded soldiers.
Preston and District Roll of Honour, 10th SeriesPreston and District Roll of Honour, 10th Series
Non-Fiction19152 minsSilent Location: Preston
Moving record of relatives waving a fond farewell to departing loved ones during WWI.
E13 AvengedE13 Avenged
Animation & Artists Moving Image19151 minsSilent
Pioneering visual graphics – with added cotton wool – recreate an incendiary WWI incident involving a stricken British submarine.
ConscriptionConscription
Comedy19158 minsSilent
The nation's menfolk try anything to avoid being 'called up' in this raucous WWI comedy.
Recruiting for the 5th EssexRecruiting for the 5th Essex
Non-Fiction19155 minsSilent Location: Chelmsford
High-spirited and eager Essex lads go through their paces in a rush to serve for King and Country.
Heart of a CosterHeart of a Coster
Drama191512 minsSilent
Follow the sibling rivalries of two cockney costermongers in this only surviving reel of a dynamic drama.
War Time WeddingsWar Time Weddings
Non-Fiction19151 minsSilent Location: Westminster
The daughter of famed actor-manager Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree gets hitched to a military Captain during WWI.
Pimple's UnclePimple's Uncle
Comedy191514 minsSilent
This daft comedy stars funny-duo Fred and Joe Evans in a battle to secure an inheritance from an insane uncle.
Scottie and the FrogsScottie and the Frogs
Comedy19157 minsSilent
A mischievous youth causes havoc with his amphibian-assisted antics.
First World War Cartoon - JoffreFirst World War Cartoon - Joffre
Trick film19151 minsSilent
A cartoonist sketches out the grim stalemate of WWI through the metaphor of football.
Eyes of the Fleet: A Destroyer Flotilla ScoutingEyes of the Fleet: A Destroyer Flotilla Scouting
Non-Fiction19150 minsSilent
A fleeting (sorry) but reassuring glimpse of a flotilla of Royal Navy destroyers on the skyline during WWI.
Dicky Dee's Cartoons No.3Dicky Dee's Cartoons No.3
Animation & Artists Moving Image19155 minsSilent
An edible bomb is cooked by the Kaiser in this fun WWI cartoon, which mixes propaganda with fantasy as a boy's dreams turn into nightmares.
Rogues of LondonRogues of London
Drama191551 minsSilent
Charismatic silent star Fred Paul is cast against type as a real rotter preying on innocents in the big city, in an enjoyably lurid London melodrama.
John Bull's Animated Sketchbook No. 4John Bull's Animated Sketchbook No. 4
Animation & Artists Moving Image19155 minsSilent
An animated recreation of the sinking of the Lusitania is the centrepiece of this pioneering mix of comedy, satire and outrage in cartoon propaganda.
Salving a SteamerSalving a Steamer
Non-Fiction19151 minsSilent
“Chicago’s Titanic” the S.S. Eastland, a Great Lakes passenger ship in which 844 people lost their lives, is brought up from the seabed.
More Canadians Coming!More Canadians Coming!
Non-Fiction19151 minsSilent
Welcome help from the Empire! And Pathé's newsreel cameraman is on the spot.
The Man Who Came BackThe Man Who Came Back
191414 minsSilent
The son of a wealthy merchant fakes his own death to join up, but his heroic act at the Front is wrongly attributed to his cowardly cousin.
Christmas EveChristmas Eve
Drama191517 minsSilent
A heart-tugging moral melodrama with echoes of Dickens' A Christmas Carol.
A Pencil and Alick P.F. RitchieA Pencil and Alick P.F. Ritchie
Animation & Artists Moving Image19157 minsSilent
More chalk-talker than pencil-pusher, this popular artist recreates his cartoons for the screen with flashes of added animation.
Tommy's Tinder BoxTommy's Tinder Box
Non-Fiction19152 minsSilent
How to light your fag the old-fashioned way: tinder boxes are made for soldiers at the Front, replacing matches in the rain-soaked trenches.
Asquith WeddingAsquith Wedding
Non-Fiction19151 minsSilent Location: Westminster
Violet Asquith, daughter of the Prime Minister Herbert Asquith, arrives at church to marry Maurice Bonham Carter.
In the Track of the ZeppsIn the Track of the Zepps
Non-Fiction19152 minsSilent
Our chaps can do it again! Meet the brave men who tackled Zeppelin airships for a living during WWI.
Wife the Weaker VesselWife the Weaker Vessel
Comedy191510 minsSilent
A henpecked husband plots revenge on his boastful bachelor friend by marrying him to a seemingly meek girl who turns out to be anything but.
Kite BalloonsKite Balloons
Non-Fiction19152 minsSilent
A Lilliputian army battles with a giant wartime observation balloon before it's towed out to sea.
G.P. As Basil the BrainlessG.P. As Basil the Brainless
Comedy191530 minsSilent
The comic capers of upper-class wastrel Basil the Brainless - thrown out by his father and sent to the country, where he tries to get a job on a poultry farm...
Russia's IdolRussia's Idol
Non-Fiction19152 minsSilent
Glimpses of Russia's doomed aristocracy - walking tall, before the revolution brought them low.
The Lure of DrinkThe Lure of Drink
Drama191537 minsSilent Location: Ealing
A lurid temperance tale warning of the evils of wicked women and the demon drink.
To Aid the MotherlandTo Aid the Motherland
Non-Fiction19151 minsSilent Location: Salisbury Plain
Poignant scenes capture a moment’s relaxation for a Canadian cavalry unit on Salisbury Plain.
Peasantry around Smyrna before the WarPeasantry around Smyrna before the War
Non-Fiction19157 minsSilent
Spellbinding scenes of peasant life in the remote and rural villages of Western Anatolia, modern-day Turkey.
Russia's Great HaulRussia's Great Haul
Non-Fiction19154 minsSilent
Striking visual record of a prisoner-of-war camp on World War One’s Eastern Front.
Fight for the DardanellesFight for the Dardanelles
Animation & Artists Moving Image19159 minsSilent
Witness the birth of motion graphics in news reporting amid the ongoing Gallipoli campaign during WWI.
Vengeance of NanaVengeance of Nana
Drama191511 minsSilent
Only a fragment survives of this lurid tale of an Indian girl's revenge against her English lover.
Nurse and MartyrNurse and Martyr
Biopic191511 minsSilent
The moving true story of wartime heroine Nurse Edith Cavell, recreated in the aftermath of her execution.
World War One Troops InspectionWorld War One Troops Inspection
Non-Fiction19151 minsSilent Location: London
Brigades of stretcher-bearers and Cyclist Corps soldiers straighten their spines for parade. But who? And where?
Midnight MailMidnight Mail
Crime19159 minsSilent
Knowledge of Morse code and having a train driver as a sweetheart come in handy in this ‘race to the rescue’ crime thriller.
Belgian Congo Native TroopsBelgian Congo Native Troops
Non-Fiction19151 minsSilent
World War One reportage from intrepid filmmaker Cherry Kearton - glimpsed in an early 'selfie'.
British Nurses in SerbiaBritish Nurses in Serbia
Non-Fiction19151 minsSilent
Powerful newsreel images of displaced Serbians seeking help at a British military base during WWI.
Memorial Procession in English Country TownMemorial Procession in English Country Town
Non-Fiction19150 minsSilent Location: Stratford-upon-Avon
Top-hatted gents (one Japanese) parade through the streets of Stratford-upon-Avon to mark Shakespeare's birthday and St George's Day.
Seeing the New Year InSeeing the New Year In
Non-Fiction19151 minsSilent
A boisterous band of Allied troops makes merry in the face of an uncertain future.
Citizen Army InspectedCitizen Army Inspected
Non-Fiction19151 minsSilent Location: Beckenham
Colonel Lord Harris provides appropriate decorum and formality for a volunteer inspection in Beckenham during WWI.
Merrie TerritorialsMerrie Territorials
Non-Fiction19151 minsSilent
Boisterous Territorial soldiers put on a show in Islington.
His Birthday PresentHis Birthday Present
Animation & Artists Moving Image19151 minsSilent
Was the root of Kaiser Wilhelm II’s power his 'Imperial Moustache'?
More AmmunitionMore Ammunition
Non-Fiction19151 minsSilent
Children witness soldiers stockpiling weapons for war in this edition of the Topical Budget newsreel.
Garibaldians Help Recruiting Warriors of 1867 at the Head of a Recruiting MarchGaribaldians Help Recruiting Warriors of 1867 at the Head of a Recruiting March
Non-Fiction19151 minsSilent
Veterans of the 1867 Garibaldi campaign lead a WWI recruiting march in Walham Green near Fulham Broadway.
Munition Workers at PlayMunition Workers at Play
Non-Fiction19151 minsSilent Location: Tottenham
A large crowd of munitions workers take a break from the factory to watch Arsenal beat Spurs 2-0 during the First World War.
Battlefield Romance Battlefield Romance
Non-Fiction19151 minsSilent Location: Crabbet Park
Picturesque scenes as war-time sweethearts tie the knot at the beautiful Crabbet Park country estate.
On the March On the March
Non-Fiction19151 minsSilent
Soldiers troop down a leafy Surrey lane in this intriguing wartime newsreel item.
Ramsgate Zeppelin Raid. Showing Damage Done to the Bull and George Hotel.Ramsgate Zeppelin Raid. Showing Damage Done to the Bull and George Hotel.
Non-Fiction19151 minsSilent Location: Ramsgate
Public anxiety about war from the air is all too real for the people of Ramsgate in this newsreel footage of the aftermath of a Zeppelin raid.
Ireland Welcomes O'Leary V.C.Ireland Welcomes O'Leary V.C.
Non-Fiction19151 minsSilent
In Dublin the newsreel cameras capture a hero’s welcome for a decorated Irish Guardsman.
World War One Motor Ambulance InspectionWorld War One Motor Ambulance Inspection
Non-Fiction19151 minsSilent
A curious display of new ambulance vehicles specially built for war service.
Gaumont Graphic No. 438Gaumont Graphic No. 438
Non-Fiction19151 minsSilent Location: London
War is declared in Italy, while a returning hero is welcomed in London.
German Trenches after Three Day's BombardmentGerman Trenches after Three Day's Bombardment
Non-Fiction19151 minsSilent
All quiet on Germany's Western Front, but the ferocity of Allied artillery bombardment is plain to see in these eerie scenes of carnage.
Red Cross BargesRed Cross Barges
Non-Fiction19151 minsSilent
Travelling with the Red Cross ambulance flotillas through Montereau in central northern France.
Heroes of Neuve ChapelleHeroes of Neuve Chapelle
Non-Fiction19151 minsSilent Location: Shorncliffe Camp
Casualties from the Battle of Neuve Chapelle enjoy their recuperation in Kent.
Funeral at the FrontFuneral at the Front
Non-Fiction19151 minsSilent
Sombre and moving World War I newsreel story.
More Men WantedMore Men Wanted
Non-Fiction19151 minsSilent
An MP's stirring speech moves the crowd to rapturous applause and the occasional tear at a recruitment rally for Kitchener's New Army.
Gaumont Graphic No. 406Gaumont Graphic No. 406
Non-Fiction19155 minsSilent Location: Buckingham Palace
This intriguing and beautifully-shot newsreel features sea-faring heroes, feisty females and a generous lick of paint for a Mississippi steamship.
Labour's Recruiting AppealLabour's Recruiting Appeal
Non-Fiction19151 minsSilent Location: Trafalgar Square
Stirring scenes in Trafalgar Square as Labour MP Will Thorne rallies recruits for the war effort.
Gaumont Graphic No. 433Gaumont Graphic No. 433
Non-Fiction19154 minsSilent
Glory, injury, protest and death: aspects of war captured in a complete edition of the Gaumont Graphic newsreel.
Gaumont Graphic No. 440Gaumont Graphic No. 440
Non-Fiction19155 minsSilent Location: Epsom
A brave young soldier receives the Victoria Cross - just one stirring newsreel story on this complete WWI-era edition of Gaumont Graphic.
Frontiersmen Inspected by Sir Francis LloydFrontiersmen Inspected by Sir Francis Lloyd
Non-Fiction19151 minsSilent Location: Westminster
Major-General Francis Lloyd, responsible for the defence of London during WWI, scrutinises a line of volunteers.
French Machine Gun in the Wooded Country of the ArgonneFrench Machine Gun in the Wooded Country of the Argonne
Non-Fiction19151 minsSilent
A small band of French soldiers take to the woods of the Argonne in this military exercise - probably staged for the camera.
St George's Day at Stratford-on-AvonSt George's Day at Stratford-on-Avon
Non-Fiction19151 minsSilent Location: Stratford-upon-Avon
Proud locals hold a double celebration in Shakespeare's home town.
War Scenes in Italy War Scenes in Italy
Non-Fiction19151 minsSilent
In Milan's Piazza del Duomo a crowd gathers to hear news of Italy's entry into WWI.
Sharps and FlatsSharps and Flats
Comedy191511 minsSilent
The Bamforth Company translate their saucy seaside postcard humour into film comedy.
A Trip through BosniaA Trip through Bosnia
Travelogue19156 minsSilent
Peaceful Sarajevo and the picturesque Pliva Falls at Jajce
The OtterThe Otter
Interest film19128 minsSilent
Pioneering early nature film with scenes of an otter swimming underwater
Studdy's War CartoonsStuddy's War Cartoons
Animation & Artists Moving Image19156 minsSilent
Animated WWI-era comic highlights from the innovative cartoonist George Studdy, creator of Bonzo the dog.
Jane ShoreJane Shore
Historical drama191579 minsSilent
Early attempt at medieval epic with impressive locations
Lord Kitchener at the Guildhall The Great War Minister Received by the Lord Mayor at the Ancient City Hall for the Opening of a Three Weeks' Recruiting Cam Aign Warwick Bioscope Chronicle No. 261-2Lord Kitchener at the Guildhall The Great War Minister Received by the Lord Mayor at the Ancient City Hall for the Opening of a Three Weeks' Recruiting Cam Aign Warwick Bioscope Chronicle No. 261-2
Non-Fiction19151 minsSilent Location: City of London
Horatio Herbert Kitchener, the face of WWI, takes a break from pointing his finger to inspect recruits at London’s Guildhall
Women Work While Men Fight Women Work While Men Fight
Non-Fiction19151 minsSilent
British women didn't sit idly at home while their men fought in WWI – they got stuck in to useful work
Pimple Has OnePimple Has One
Comedy19156 minsSilent
The mischievous Pimple takes to the bottle in this entertaining comedy
Music Hall ActMusic Hall Act
Trick film19151 minsSilent
Time for the Harlequinade: the traditional topsy-turvy act of the Christmas pantomime
The Mystery of a London FlatThe Mystery of a London Flat
Crime191511 minsSilent
A burglar confesses to killing a woman in this incomplete early crime drama.
Mysteries of LondonMysteries of London
Crime191549 minsSilent Location: London
Romantic melodrama about a woman who loses both her parents and innocently falls in with a bad crowd.
A Hero of the TrenchesA Hero of the Trenches
War19159 minsSilent
The first reel of a short film about two lonely people, a seamstress and a soldier, finding love over a shirt.
Explore further
The Sinking of RMS Lusitania
Remembering one of Britain's worst maritime disasters and a pivotal moment of World War One.