To Defend the East Coast

Magnificent artillery horses and their youthful riders parade the streets of Eltham as rapt locals look on.

This vivid newsfilm of the mobilisation of men of the Royal Field Artillery in Eltham was shot shortly after the outbreak of war in August 1914. Elegantly-dressed ladies and children stand to watch the spectacle of magnificent horses and mighty gun carriages, while in a later scene (familiar from dozens of wartime newsreels) troops wave cheerily as they set off by train to defend England's shores.