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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.

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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.

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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...

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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.

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Preston and District Roll of Honour, 6th, 7th, 5th SeriesPreston and District Roll of Honour, 6th, 7th, 5th Series

Roll of Honour film191514 minsSilent

A rare surviving WWI memorial film, featuring poignant images of men killed or injured serving in the armed forces.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Preston and District Roll of Honour, 10th SeriesPreston and District Roll of Honour, 10th Series

Roll of Honour film19152 minsSilent Location: Preston

Moving record of relatives waving a fond farewell to departing loved ones during WWI.

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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.

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ConscriptionConscription

Comedy19158 minsSilent

The nation's menfolk try anything to avoid being 'called up' in this raucous WWI comedy.

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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.

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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.

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War Time WeddingsWar Time Weddings

Non-Fiction19151 mins Location: Westminster

The daughter of famed actor-manager Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree gets hitched to a military Captain during WWI.

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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.

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Scottie and the FrogsScottie and the Frogs

Comedy19157 minsSilent

A mischievous youth causes havoc with his amphibian-assisted antics.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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More Canadians Coming!More Canadians Coming!

Non-Fiction19151 minsSilent

Welcome help from the Empire! And Pathé's newsreel cameraman is on the spot.

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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.

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Christmas EveChristmas Eve

Drama191517 minsSilent

A heart-tugging moral melodrama with echoes of Dickens' A Christmas Carol.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Kite BalloonsKite Balloons

Non-Fiction19152 minsSilent

A Lilliputian army battles with a giant wartime observation balloon before it's towed out to sea.

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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...

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Russia's IdolRussia's Idol

Non-Fiction19152 minsSilent

Glimpses of Russia's doomed aristocracy - walking tall, before the revolution brought them low.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Nurse and MartyrNurse and Martyr

Biopic191511 minsSilent

The moving true story of wartime heroine Nurse Edith Cavell, recreated in the aftermath of her execution.

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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?

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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.

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Belgian Congo Native TroopsBelgian Congo Native Troops

Non-Fiction19151 minsSilent

World War One reportage from intrepid filmmaker Cherry Kearton - glimpsed in an early 'selfie'.

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British Nurses in SerbiaBritish Nurses in Serbia

Non-Fiction19151 mins

Powerful newsreel images of displaced Serbians seeking help at a British military base during WWI.

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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.

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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.

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Citizen Army InspectedCitizen Army Inspected

Non-Fiction19151 mins Location: Beckenham

Colonel Lord Harris provides appropriate decorum and formality for a volunteer inspection in Beckenham during WWI.

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Merrie TerritorialsMerrie Territorials

Non-Fiction19151 mins

Boisterous Territorial soldiers put on a show in Islington.

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His Birthday PresentHis Birthday Present

Animation & Artists Moving Image19151 minsSilent

Was the root of Kaiser Wilhelm II’s power his 'Imperial Moustache'?

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More AmmunitionMore Ammunition

Non-Fiction19151 mins

Children witness soldiers stockpiling weapons for war in this edition of the Topical Budget newsreel.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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On the March On the March

Non-Fiction19151 mins

Soldiers troop down a leafy Surrey lane in this intriguing wartime newsreel item.

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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.

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Ireland Welcomes O'Leary V.C.Ireland Welcomes O'Leary V.C.

Non-Fiction19151 mins

In Dublin the newsreel cameras capture a hero’s welcome for a decorated Irish Guardsman.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Red Cross BargesRed Cross Barges

Non-Fiction19151 minsSilent

Travelling with the Red Cross ambulance flotillas through Montereau in central northern France.

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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.

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Funeral at the FrontFuneral at the Front

Non-Fiction19151 mins

Sombre and moving World War I newsreel story.

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More Men WantedMore Men Wanted

Non-Fiction19151 mins

An MP's stirring speech moves the crowd to rapturous applause and the occasional tear at a recruitment rally for Kitchener's New Army.

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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.

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Labour's Recruiting AppealLabour's Recruiting Appeal

Non-Fiction19151 mins Location: Trafalgar Square

Stirring scenes in Trafalgar Square as Labour MP Will Thorne rallies recruits for the war effort.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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St George's Day at Stratford-on-AvonSt George's Day at Stratford-on-Avon

Non-Fiction19151 mins Location: Stratford-upon-Avon

Proud locals hold a double celebration in Shakespeare's home town.

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War Scenes in Italy War Scenes in Italy

Non-Fiction19151 mins

In Milan's Piazza del Duomo a crowd gathers to hear news of Italy's entry into WWI.

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Sharps and FlatsSharps and Flats

Comedy191511 minsSilent

The Bamforth Company translate their saucy seaside postcard humour into film comedy.

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A Trip through BosniaA Trip through Bosnia

Travelogue19156 minsSilent

Peaceful Sarajevo and the picturesque Pliva Falls at Jajce

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The OtterThe Otter

Interest film19128 minsSilent

Pioneering early nature film with scenes of an otter swimming underwater

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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.

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Jane ShoreJane Shore

Historical drama191579 minsSilent

Early attempt at medieval epic with impressive locations

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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

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Pimple Has OnePimple Has One

Comedy19156 minsSilent

The mischievous Pimple takes to the bottle in this entertaining comedy

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Music Hall ActMusic Hall Act

Trick film19151 minsSilent

Time for the Harlequinade: the traditional topsy-turvy act of the Christmas pantomime

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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.

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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.

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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.

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The Sinking of RMS Lusitania
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The Sinking of RMS Lusitania

Remembering one of Britain's worst maritime disasters and a pivotal moment of World War One.