Film sequence.

[m kenny]

Most of this strip (if not all) was shot by a Canadian cameraman

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RH1oItwYud4

Some of it (2:06 to 2:46) is Cagny but I am more interested in the location of the staged scenes around the pak 88 (1:36 to 2:02)
There is also a still of the same location widely available around the net that claims it was taken on 18/7/44 but I doubt it is anything more than a guess. It must be a Canadian photo but it is never identified by number nor have I seen it in any publication

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/a/img833/795/pak88.jpg

What I would like to know is there a list of the holdings of Canadian WW2 films. I have a copy of the WW2 IWM Normandy list so I know it is not in the UK collection. I am hoping there is a Canadian 'master list'.

[Ed Storey]

Your attached Pathe film may have been shot by a Canadian, but the troops for the most part appear to be British.

If there is a Canadian 'Master List' of Canadian cinefilm, it may well be held by the National Film Board (NFB).

[motto]

One of the crew in the first sequence is wearing a length of what appears to be .303 Vickers belt tied around his waist holding spent cases. I don't imagine it's for decoration. Any ideas?

David

[m kenny]

I bet its to hold those funny little tubes he is putting in the nose of the shells!

The Pathe clip is not one continuous take. Consider each break to be a different date and/or location. Pathe were given this footage free during the war and they had access to the original raw footage. It appears that some of it has had the cameraman and date chalkboard clipped out and then randomly spliced with other footage. The footage I linked is for sure all from around the time of Goodwood (18-20 July 1944) but it is not to be assumed it is all from the same source.

I know for certain it is not part of the IWM Museum film collection so it must be Canadian. Same with the still photo. It is not in the IWM B collection so it too must be Canadian. The film and still cameramen usualy worked in pairs so that is why the often covered the same things.

[motto]

Looking at it again, there are two fellows shown opening cylindrical containers, removing the fuses and screwing them into the shells. I don't see anything removed from the belt.
Meanwhile, those funny little tubes look as though they may be rimmed and some appear to have pointed objects at the other end sticking out below the belt or do my eyes deceive me?

David

[Dave Mills]

From my Arty experience and not having worked on the medium 5.5 inch Howitzer Batteries and only beside them with the 105mm howitzer Batteries, I can say that the belt he is wearing is the Ballast charge rounds which is a blank .303 cartridge and is inserted in the back of the screw breach, the lanyard is pulled allowing the firing pin to strike the cartridge which then ignites the charge bag of propellant hurting the round down range with pin point accuracy. Go Arty.

As far as I can remember and having only worked beside the medium batteries all 5.5 inch rounds came with no fuse fitted,hence, the gun number inserting the appropriate fuse as ordered by the command post GPO.