Port Of London (1940-1949)

British Instructional Films Ltd presents a Classroom Film.
Graphic map showing the route of the Thames through London and the location of Tilbury Docks, St Katherine Docks, London Docks, Surrey Commercial Docks, West India Docks, East India Docks, Royal Victoria Docks, King George V Docks and Royal Albert Docks. Shot of tug pulling large liner into docks. Cranes. Tug called Beverley. Buses, cars and lorries cross a bridge. Man in uniform closes gate to prevent traffic from driving on to bridge. In a control booth a man pulls levers (very similar to train signal levers). C/U of his face and the levers he pulls. Part of bridge moves to let ships through. Bridge swivels around. Shot of waiting traffic. Boats in dock. Panning shots of the docks. Warehouses. Very large cargo liner. Inter-title reads: "Imports". Shot of large cranes moving cargoes. A load of boxes is lowered on to a cart. Men guide it down. Man is seen in operation box of a large winch. Sacks are lowered into a boat's hold. Man checks loads on a piece of paper.
Sign reads: "Beware of the Trains". Freight trains. C/U of wording: "Insul-Meat". Lorries. Boats in dock. Men at work loading boxes on to conveyor belt. Inter-title reads: "Exports". Shot of freight wagons. Men at work inside a warehouse moving large sacks of goods with barrows. Packing case, wording on the side: "J.A. Buenos Aires". Shot of goods stacked in warehouse. Packing cases, wording on the side: "Montevideo Exhibition" and "Rosario - Made in England". Men push boxes on barrows. Supervisor checks off the boxes as they go past. He writes on a clipboard. Cargoes being loaded on to ships. Tug pulling larger ship. C/U of wake at the back of tug. Shot of the larger ship from the tug. Man at the helm steers. Connecting rope is taken off and crew wave to the tug. C/U of the ship's speed control - telegraph. Shot of ship in open waters.
Note: there are two mute negs
FILM ID:2293.13
A VIDEO FROM BRITISH PATHÉ. EXPLORE OUR ONLINE CHANNEL, BRITISH PATHÉ TV. IT'S FULL OF GREAT DOCUMENTARIES, FASCINATING INTERVIEWS, AND CLASSIC MOVIES. www.britishpathe.tv/
FOR LICENSING ENQUIRIES VISIT www.britishpathe.com/
British Pathé also represents the Reuters historical collection, which includes more than 136,000 items from the news agencies Gaumont Graphic (1910-1932), Empire News Bulletin (1926-1930), British Paramount (1931-1957), and Gaumont British (1934-1959), as well as Visnews content from 1957 to the end of 1984. All footage can be viewed on the British Pathé website. www.britishpathe.com/

[@oswig1768]

Amazing to think my great grandfather could have been mates with one or more of the lads in the video and potentially worked on the same dock.

[@howardwayne3974]

I thoroughly enjoy looking at these films ! You always hear people talk about this sort of thing and read about it , but until you actually see it you just can't tell how things happen !

[@davidmcintyre998]

Sibley Park was renamed in 1950 scrapped in 1969,the Liberty ship Samkansa was scrapped in 1970.

[@neilturner6865]

The good old days when we had a merchant navy

[@ricomon35]

Beautiful footage. Just wish there was an intact soundtrack :)

[@charlesperez9976]

Oh that is incredible. It’s all condominiums now.

[@paulkazjack]

Very interesting.

[@golfboy3]

My grandad would have been 52 in 1940 and a seasoned dockworker. He worked until aged 68 as there was a non-existent docks pension in those days. Joined up to the Essex regiment in 1912 and ended up in the Imperial Camel corps. Had to move to Bristol docks in WW2 as he was bombed out of the London Docks.

[@robociock]

Nice sound

[@imapaine-diaz4451]

this has to be from the pre war times in docklands. It took years to get docklands back in order after the blitz and it never really recovered to its pre war activity.

[@brushtoothpaste160]

This is bloody mental

[@russellking9762]

didn't the Luftwaffe raid these docks both day and night?

[@someblokecalleddave1]

My Dad used to work in many of these docks and I don't remember him saying that the docks were adversely affected by the bombing, they would have been surrounded by Akak guns too. From what I know of that time the most devastating strikes in and around London were on residential areas and were designed to have a psychological impact rather than a economic impact, but I'm not 100%, so I may be wrong?

[@someblokecalleddave1]

Just watched another vid - yeah they did bomb the docks - massively! A 58 day campaign apparently.

[@someblokecalleddave1]

Shame there's no commentary.

[@robnewman6101]

Law & Order. Police. Constabulary.

[@robnewman6101]

Rule Britannia.

[@graemegould2465]

I was there in 1967, much the same. Just before containerisation, I was junior engineer on P and O's "Bendigo" very interesting for myself

[@robnewman6101]

Oh. Thank you.