大象传媒

During the war I worked at the Denham Film Studios in Bucks as a clapper Boy
and sometimes had assighnments for the National Film Unit
On a day in 1944 I was asked to to go with a camera crew on a job and the location was to be Southampton Docks
We were given no details on what we were to film and on arrival at the docks we went through very tight security procedures although they seemed to know who we were and were obviously expecting us
We were escorted to the quayside and soon the shape of a very familiar, very large ocean going liner appeared, painted grey but completly unescorted arrived and docked at the queyside
Although her name was removed it was quite clear to us this was a luxury liner was used to carry the rich and famous accross the Atlantic in peacetime and seemed quite at home in Southapton
We were given no advance warning of what we were supposed to be filming except the disembarcation of the passengers and their arrival in Britain.
So it was a complete surprise to me that as I looked up at the awaiting passengers they all appeared to be soldiers all blacked up and ready for active combate
In my 16 year old innocence and naivete I did not realise that I was looking at a whole shipload of black American Negroes
I had never seen so many black faces enmass before.
This was a very rare occurrance indeed in 1944

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