Isle of Wight

Join the Corders on a family holiday to the Isle of Wight - complete with beaches, boats and a rare glimpse of an all-metal flying Princess

Geoffrey Corder's absorbing Isle of Wight holiday film begins with seashore scenes looking out over the Solent followed by youngsters playing beach cricket. After visiting their holiday guest house we take a trip around Bembridge Harbour - passing many boats and yachts along the way. In East Cowes there is a rare glimpse of the Saunders-Roe factory with two Princess flying boats on the slipways. The film ends on the ferry trip back to Portsmouth where many ships are seen.

In the 1930s Geoffrey Corder worked for the Kodak company in Harrow, Middlesex as a Superintendent of the Field Service Department. As a result, Corder was able to test many different types of Kodak film stocks, both colour and black and white and a variety of processes. His films often featured family events and holidays such as the Isle of Wight holiday seen in this film. The Saunders Roe Princess, G-ALUN, seen at its East Cowes base, was the largest all-metal flying boat ever constructed. Three examples were built but only G-ALUN ever flew. The three aircraft never entered service with BOAC and, despite attempts to find buyers, were stored on the island until 1967 when they were scrapped.