Filmed in the late 1920s or early 1930s by an American tourist, this silent home movie documents a trip made aboard a Cunard ocean liner to Europe from New York. The film begins at the Cunard pier at :17, as the ship is loading passengers and cargo. At :28 the gangplanks are retracted and the ship begins its trip as passengers and loved ones wave goodbye. At :35 images of New York Harbor are seen including the Statue of Liberty in the distance as well as Ellis Island. A four stack liner is seen at 1:22. At 2:12 passengers engage in a little sports on deck to keep themselves occupied. At 2:30 some bagpipes provide accompaniment to the day along with a drum corps. At 3:00, a little boxing match and some other games including a pillow fight are seen. At 3:50 the ocean liner itself is seen, probably from a boat used to disembark passengers. Based on her single stack it’s possible this ship is the RMS Scythia. She sailed on her maiden voyage in 1921, and became a troop and supply ship during the Second World War. Scythia was the longest serving Cunard liner until 4 September 2005, when her record was surpassed by MS Queen Elizabeth 2.
At 4:30 the film shows scenes in the U.K., most likely Scotland although it is hard to make out the signs on the trams. At 5:42, troops parade with their guns pointing down as part of a funeral procession. The deceased is treated with enormous respect. At 6:20 a butcher is seen that bears the word “Denholm”. That’s a small village located between Jedburgh and Hawick in the Scottish Borders region of Scotland, UK.
At 6:30 a horseman is seen and Buckingham Palace let us know we’re in London. At 8:00 what appears to be Stratford on Avon, home of Shakespeare, is seen. At 8:50 a woman pushes a stroller past a chocolate shop and the “Porridge Pot Cafe” is seen. At 9:25 a man poses with his cute convertible car. At 9:46 a castle is shown, possibly part of a large estate. Peacocks roam the grounds. At 10:14 some ruins are also visible. At 10:43 Ye Old Curiousity Shop is seen.
At 11:00, the film transitions to Holland where men and women in traditional dress are visible. At 12:20, a river boat glides past, piled with goods. At 13:10 are move images of locals in traditional dress.
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
