What and What Not

Join the crowds dazzled by keep-fit frolics, a record breaking air race, a speed boat celebrity and joy-riding at an air circus in this 1931 film from the Bognor Regis Film Society.

After a take-off at Tangmere airfield we move to Bognor Regis where the Daily Mirror 8 demonstrate a frenetic keep-fit routine. We join crowds watching Britain win the Schneider Trophy air-race before adopting a slower pace on boats in Bosham Harbour. Back in Bognor, speedboating celebrity Commander Daniels meets his fans then we’re back at Tangmere, where delighted joy-riders go for a spin in Captain Barnard's Fokker V.II - flying over the coast near Littlehampton.

This film features the 1931 Schneider Trophy contest, which was a race for seaplanes and flying boats, though more importantly, to test and showcase new developments in engines and airframes. Held twelve times between 1913 ans 1931, the race seen in the film was the last race held because the British entrant won the race (despite being the only competitor) since the French and Italian teams failed to compete. As Britain had, by 1931, won the award three times within five years, they kept the trophy which today can be seen in the Science Museum.