INDIAN NEWS PARADE NO 59 (1944)

This film is held by the Imperial War Museum (ID: INR 59).

Synopsis

I. HONOURING A MEMORY - MAJOR GENERAL WINGATE

I. HONOURING A MEMORY - MAJOR GENERAL WINGATE - He carried a copy of the bible with him into battle and fittingly, his memorial service was held in a field behind the front line; standing beside men and women who had seen the fighting with him, Lord Louis Mountbatten paid his last tribute to General Wingate. A cross carried the names of the men who had died with him, and the Chindit symbol that Wingate had made famous. Then the Supreme Commander called the men around him to tell them how he and they could carry on the spirit of the great soldier.

II. TOUGH TRAINING FOR INDIAN TROOPS

II. TOUGH TRAINING FOR INDIAN TROOPS - And tough going for any enemy who comes against them. A famous Indian regiment is demonstrating an assault course to the Commander-in-Chief, and if you think that a mechanised war is just a joy ride in a jeep, sit back and watch this. Practice in river crossings - vital aspect of the Burma war. From smoke screens to shell explosions, battle inoculation is as close a picture of war as can be stated without an actual enemy to fight. After that meet a man who has had his battle inoculation on the Burma Front, Jemadar Azimullah who gets the IDSM for gallantry.

III. THE SUPREME COMMANDER ON THE IMPHAL FRONT

III. THE SUPREME COMMANDER ON THE IMPHAL FRONT - At Imphal the Supreme Commander, Lord Louis Mountbatten talks to the men who are blunting the Jap thrust into Assam. Driving his own jeep the Supreme Commander goes on an inspection of the battle area. In the front line, he meets officers and men of the 17th Division, soldiers who have already 'put paid' to a Jap division that found them across the path of what Tojo began by calling the march into India. Here's a Jap soldier who made that march. Only when the Jap forces stopped he went on right across to the British lines and gave himself up. Here he's telling Lord Louis that before Burma, he'd been through the China Campaign, and now he'd decided to quite the war. Well he's one Jap who's seen sense, but there's a whole army of them left who haven't and Lord Louis flies to his headquarters to devise new ways of bringing the rest of the Japs round to the prisoner's point of view.

IV. FIRE HAVOC IN BOMBAY

IV. FIRE HAVOC IN BOMBAY - A roar that shook the city, a great writing pillar of smoke, and Bombay knew that there had been a catastrophe. A fire aboard a ship had spread to a store of ammunition. Then, in a moment, this! After a few minutes, a second explosion, blasting new paths for the fire. And everywhere a chaos of twisted metal. Then a great rally of the services from all over the city. With no thought for their own danger they got down to work. They rescued the injured, they fought the fire that every moment ate deeper into the surrounding area. Others, near to the heart of the danger risked their lives to put down fires which might have started yet more explosions. The fires ranged through an anxious night. Then in the morning this! But the men of the services, Indian, British and American, and a host of brave helpers had fought and beaten the fire. The danger had passed. Then came salvage. A motor car, destroyed by the blast as thought it had been a toy trodden by a child. And the most vital salvage of all - food grains, much of it untouched by the fire. In a day or two, it became clear that the devastation was limited to a far smaller area than had seemed possible in the first few grim hours. The fight was won. These, the men of the services, were the men whose steady courage had won it.

 

Titles

  • INDIAN NEWS PARADE NO 59 (1944)
Series Title:
INDIAN NEWS PARADE
 

Technical Data

Year:
1944
Running Time:
6 minutes
Film Gauge (Format):
35mm
Colour:
B&W
Sound:
Sound
Footage:
509 ft
 

Production Credits

Production Countries:
GB, India
Sponsor
Department of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India
cameraman
PR Film Unit
cameraman
PR Film Unit
cameraman (Indian)
Bacha, S F C (Captain)
cameraman (Indian)
Birdi, E M
cameraman (Indian)
Ghatak, S C
cameraman (Indian)
Khopkar, A M
cameraman (Indian)
Mani, T S
editor
Moylan, William J (FRGS, FRSA)
producer
Moylan, William J (FRGS, FRSA)