Confirming the origin of a film is an important part of understanding it. Knowing who filmed it, when and why, can turn a small piece of celluloid into a valuable historical document.

	“It’s important that every film have a provenance, an anchor, a handle.” Cushla Vula, Film Conservator

When the film that has come to be known as The Departure of the Second Contingent for the Boer War was first deposited, it was unclear exactly what the film actually depicted. At first, it wasn’t even certain that the film was from New Zealand. However, the film was so old that, even if it turned out to be a foreign film, it had to be important to someone.

Call in the experts

Key to the identification process was New Zealand military historian, Dr Chris Pugsley. Since the late 1980s, Dr Pugsley had done extensive research on the Film Archive’s early films of military and civic events and, as a Stout Research Fellow, and was a frequent visitor to the Archive’s Reference library. He still remembers the day he heard about the Boer War film.

	This film of a royal visit by the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York in 1901 was the oldest identified New Zealand film prior to the identification of the Boer War footage.

“I remember coming into the Archive and the Film Conservator coming down and saying that she had this tiny roll of film in a highly fragile state. The frame markings and the make of the tin suggested it was very early material — and would I have a look at it, and see what I thought?

“When I looked at it and saw the figures on horseback, I got very excited. My initial reaction that this was a New Zealand scene and this was a Boer war period film. Because I had worked on the Duke and Duchess of York material (from 1901), I knew this made it very early film indeed.”

Checking the facts

Dr Pugsley suspected the film was of the Boer War Second Contingent, but he suggested that second opinions be sought from other military historians.

Frame enlargements were made from the film and sent to experts on weapons, uniforms and equipments of the period. The frames were chosen to clearly show the men’s uniforms, their horses, and the background, so that easy identification would be possible.

The frame enlargements were then sent to Len King, Tim Ryan and Malcolm Thomas. “I didn’t tell them where it had come from”, remembers Pugsley, “or that it was from film, but simply asked for identification. Each came back confirming Second Contingent, and tying it down exactly with their own areas of expertise.”

The response

Without knowing about the discovery of the film, or the origin of the photographs they were shown, the three men’s responses were remarkably similar.

	South African War camp at Newtown, Wellington. Photo: Alexander Turnbull Library*

Tim Ryan believed the film was almost certainly of Newtown Park, because the crowd on the bank, the trees in the background and the tents close up to the hill tallied with other photographs of the era. He later wrote, “I would guess that the film portrays one of the early contingents to the Boer War, possibly the First, Second or Third. The Mounted Officer wears a uniform which conforms to the Regulations set out in the New Zealand Gazette, dated 24 June, 1891.”

Len King concurred, suggesting it was probable that “the reel was shot at a Newtown camp ‘open’ day, given the backdrop and troopers in fatigue navy jerseys. This would likely be the second or third contingent—about January or February 1900. Overall, one could say that the shots are most probably taken before 27 February, 1900.”

Unidentified troops from the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Contingent at Pretoria, South Africa. Photo: Alexander Turnbull Library*

Malcolm Thomas’s comments supported the opinions of his colleagues. “The troops appear” he responded, “to be of the Boer War period and of early New Zealand Contingents. They appear to be either exercising or en route — but not for a parade as the uniform is a form of fatigue or undress, with the dark blue jersey instead of drill tunic. The early contingent is suggested by the leather 1888 style equipment — it was obtained from volunteer units for at least the First contingent. Later contingents had bandolier equipment.” Dr Pusgley added: ‘I have been able to identify similar uniforms in a photo taken of the Second Contingent at Newtown Park.

	Unidentified men on horses and tents in the background, at the 2nd Contingent camp at Newtown park, Wellington. Photo: Alexander Turnbull Library*

Both the details of dress and weapons establish it as having been taken before the end of February 1900. During this period three Contingents were raised for the Boer War. The First Contingent trained at Campbell’s farm in Karori, the Third Contingent was raised and trained in Canterbury, leaving the Second Contingent, which was raised and trained at Newtown Park, as the only possibility’.

Film clues

Every film carries clues about its origins. Film stock – the filmstrip itself – can be dated through a combination of stock markings, and an expert knowledge of technological changes in film production.

Assistance in this area was provided by Archives New Zealand film archivist, Clive Sowry, who confirmed the Archive’s suspicions that the film had been shot by early filmmaker A.H. Whitehouse. It was known that Whitehouse filmed the Second Contingent at Newtown, but no trace of the film had ever been found. Sowry identified the canister the film came in as being a Karbutt Film Container. Karbutt was an early film manufacturer that supplied Thomas Edison with some of his early nitrate film and later supplied the cinematic trade.

The oldest film

The canister, the film stock characteristics, and the film’s content all pointed to a single conclusion. There was no doubt that the film was of the Second New Zealand Contingent for the Boer War, filmed by A H Whitehouse in 1900.

Members of the New Zealand 2nd Contingent during their departure from Wellington on the troopship Waiwera. Photo: Alexander Turnbull Library*

It is likely that the film was shot in January 1900, possibly at an open day and parade held over the weekend of January 13 and 14. A large crowd was in attendance that weekend, and can be seen in the background of the footage, located on an embankment surrounded by trees. The Second Contingent sailed for South Africa on January 20, so this film probably portrays the departing soldiers’ farewell event.

‘The Departure of the Second Contingent for the Boer War’ is the oldest surviving New Zealand film, and an irreplaceable historical record.