This film is part of Free
Footballer's Battalion
Professional footballers answer the call of duty and get in training; many would go on to fight in the Battle of the Somme.
Overview
Can you imagine today's star footballers going off to fight a war? Or staying behind and playing games while others fought and died in their thousands? Despite the hi-jinks in this film, and their propaganda value, the 17th Service Battalion of the Middlesex Regiment - or the Football Battalion - was no gimmick, and proved to be all-too 'final' for many, who would fall at the Somme and elsewhere.
Related
George Best at 21 George Best at 21
News 1968 7 mins Location: Belfast
Flush on wages of £160 per week, George Best ponders money in the game, the pressures of fame and his footballing future.
Don of Elland Road Don of Elland Road
Documentary 1974 26 mins Location: Leeds
Don Revie sits in bed talking to the Sunday papers, barks out instructions in a game at Liverpool, calls out the bingo numbers, and Terry Yorath collects his weekly pay packet.
Derby County and Brian Clough Derby County and Brian Clough
News 1968 4 mins Location: Derby
"The way we're playing I don't want to see an awful lot of them". Typically blunt words from Brian Clough as his team prepare for a visit by Leeds United.
Saturday Fever Saturday Fever
Cinemagazine 1961 9 mins Location: Tottenham
A snapshot of Saturday afternoon football watched by thousands of adoring fans, plus contrasting scenes of Southport and Spurs players in training.
Football Football
Sport 1967 28 mins Silent
Clement Freud explores the importance of football to the people of Liverpool - be they backing Liverpool or Everton in the FA Cup.
Target - Geoff Hurst Target - Geoff Hurst
Advert 1968 1 mins
England's 1966 hat-trick hero doesn't sweat the small stuff - or at all, according to this deodorant commercial.
Pride in London 1975 Pride in London 1975
Amateur film 1975 1 mins Silent Location: Shepherd's Bush
A short but sweet show of stylish and colourful characters, parading to bring pride and power to the queer community in Central London.
M41 Motorway - Reclaim the Streets M41 Motorway - Reclaim the Streets
Amateur film 1996 8 mins Silent Location: Shepherd's Bush
Sandcastles and sound systesms replace cars and bikes as 6,000 protestors 'reclaim' the M41 Motoway in the name of community ownership.
Market Trends in the Year of Rising Prices Market Trends in the Year of Rising Prices
Amateur film 1969 8 mins Silent Location: Spitalfields
From Petticoat Lane to Portobello Road, London's street markets are always full of life.
4th Round of the Cup 4th Round of the Cup
Sport 1923 2 mins Location: Shepherd's Bush
Goals from the 1923 FA Cup 4th round, featuring QPR v Sheffield Utd, Charlton Athletic v Bolton Wanderers & Tottenham Hotspur v Derby County.
Farmer Jenkins' Visit to the White City Farmer Jenkins' Visit to the White City
Comedy 1910 12 mins Silent Location: Shepherd's Bush
A fascinating visual record of London's White City fairground, in which an elderly couple experience some bizarre rides.
London's Outer Ring London's Outer Ring
1924 12 mins Location: Kennington
Part of Wonderful London, the BFI National Archive’s programme of restored London travelogues, filmed in the capital in the 1920s.
Getting it Back: The Story of Cymande - Q&A Getting it Back: The Story of Cymande - Q&A
Inside Film 2024 22 mins
The director of a documentary about British funk pioneers Cymande joins the band at BFI Southbank to talk about the film.
The West Case The West Case
Action and Adventure 1923 28 mins Silent Location: Tilbury
Plotting world domination, Devil Doctor Fu-Manchu steals plans for a new aero-torpedo in this earliest surviving thrill-a-minute serial instalment.
Enter the Scala!!! Enter the Scala!!!
Inside Film 2024 16 mins
Filmmakers Jane Giles and Ali Catterall discuss their documentary Scala!!!, revisiting the legendary and inspirational cinema venue and some of the most notorious films that screened there.
Smith Smith
Charity appeal 1939 10 mins
Long thought lost, this Powell-directed promotional short for a veteran’s charity was only rediscovered in 2003.
An Airman's Letter to His Mother An Airman's Letter to His Mother
Documentary 1941 6 mins
A poignant, stirring letter from a recently deceased pilot to his mother is read by John Gielgud.
The NHS75 Celebration The NHS75 Celebration
Short documentary 2023 3 mins
Former Bristol Poet Laureate, Miles Chambers reads a poem specially commissioned for the 75th anniversary of the NHS.