The Yorkshire Film Archive collects, preserves, and shows film made in, or about Yorkshire. Our collections are non-fiction, dating from the 1890s to the present day, and providing a rich and visually compelling record of all aspects of lives, cultures, landscape, industries, major events and everyday activities, many of which are available to watch, free of charge, on our website.
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4th Battalion Duke of Wellington Regiment at Redcar Camp
With war looming on the horizon, troops from the Duke still find time to relax and joke even when learning how to grapple with mortar launchers and lie flat firing anti-tank rifles.
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Overview
In between Hitler annexing Austria in March, and The Munich Agreement in September of 1938, the 4th Battalion Duke of Wellington Regiment get into training for their imminent assignment to artillery. At a camp near Redcar they practice using mortars, anti-tank rifles and dismantling and cleaning machine guns. In between there is time for cricket, football and general larking about.
This is one of several films provided by the Yorkshire Regiment of the 4th Battalion at various training camps in the 1930s. The Duke of Wellington's Regiment dates back to 1702, becoming linked with West Yorkshire in 1782 and taking the title of Duke of Wellington in 1853. In 1908 it became the 4th Battalion (DWR), and in 1938, presumably shortly after this film was made, its role and name changed to the 58th Anti-Tank Regiment (DWR) Royal Artillery. It raised various battalions at different times – it isn’t sure how many it had during the 1930s ¬– with the two Regular Army battalions, the 1st and 2nd Battalions, amalgamating in 1948. In 2006 they amalgamated with other regiments to form the Yorkshire Regiment.
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