This black and white film TROOPSHIP dates to WWII and is presented by the British Ministry of Information. At least some of it was filmed by the Army Film Unit before January 17, 1943, as the SS Vestfold, which was destroyed by a German submarine on that date, is shown leaving the arrival port at 6:43 in the film. The theme song “Hold Your Hats On (Toodle-Oodle-OO)” was copyrighted December 31, 1942 by Sonny Miller.
TROOPSHIP shows a converted ocean liner drafted into Royal Navy service transporting soldiers to the front in North Africa. Told from the perspective of a soldier, the film contains wonderful footage shot on board ship during an eight week sea journey. Throughout the voyage, a convoy of warships escorts the ocean liner.
Army men board a British troopship (:36) and settle in as one writes a letter home (the only date we can see is March), becoming the voice-over. The ship departs the dock in the English Channel (1:23) and catches up to an unnamed convoy (1:40). There is a QF 3.7” AA British anti-aircraft gun aboard (1:54) and lookouts with heavy machine guns scan the skies (2:00-2:04). Bells signal a practice drill for evacuating the ship (2:05-2:24). There’s a group of females aboard (2:10), members of the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC). The men exercise on-deck (2:27) as do the women (2:39) in a separate area. To pass time, the men enjoy a swimming pool constructed out of timber (2:53), stretch out on deck (3:09), do marching drills (3:27), practice the motions of using heavy machine guns (3:52), and have a boxing tournament (4:06). The seas are rough (4:27) from heavy rain, giving the men the opportunity to wash their clothing in puddles (4:43) and hang it from makeshift clotheslines (5:03). Dressed in full army uniform, they parade on deck the day before reaching their destination, which has taken two months (5:24-5:50). In celebration, everybody participated in a farewell dance with an accompanying band, making the few women aboard dressed in civvies in high demand (5:55-6:17). The next morning, they approach an undisclosed location (6:20) at which other ships are already docked. The Vestfold (6:47), a Panamanian Whale factory ship, is shown leaving the dock. Unknown to those aboard and the filmmakers, it will be destroyed by a German U-268 submarine torpedo on January 17, 1943. The men on this ship begin the task of dropping anchor (6:50-7:01). The troops now depart down the gangway (7:04) and head to camp. It ends with a sign pointing to the Army post office (7:29), which is actually a box on a pole, into which the letter writer drops the envelope.
The SS Vestfold seen in the film was a Panamanian whale factory ship. At 16.00 hours on 17 Jan 1943 the Vestfold (Master Emil Haga) in convoy HX-222 was torpedoed by U-268 and abandoned by the crew and passengers while the engines were still running. Before the ship sank she ran uncontrolled in circles and almost collided with the British rescue ship Rathlin, which picked up the survivors and landed them at Liverpool.
We encourage viewers to add comments and, especially, to provide additional information about our videos by adding a comment! See something interesting? Tell people what it is and what they can see by writing something for example: “01:00:12:00 — President Roosevelt is seen meeting with Winston Churchill at the Quebec Conference.”
This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
