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Walter Buckstone apparently began his career as a ‘technician’ with Barker Motion Photography, but in January 1911 he was also one of the cameramen on Will Barker’s [qv] documentary ‘Fox Hunting,' along with Bassill [qv] and Yates [qv]. Buckstone later joined the British branch of Pathe, but also worked on fiction films for G.B. Samuelson, becoming George Pearson’s main cameraman on such films as ‘A Study In Scarlet’ (1914). During the First World War Buckstone seems to have worked as an official cameraman for the Canadian War Records Office from July to December 1917, and he possibly provided the home front footage in the Ministry of Information film ‘With the South African Forces’ (1918). In May 1918 Buckstone became a British official cameraman on the Western Front, where he seems to have remained until the end of the war. He worked on short WOCC documentaries, such as ‘How We Treat Our Wounded’ (1918), and also provided footage for the War Office Official Topical Budget, including ‘THE DELIVERANCE OF LILLE BY HAIG’S MEN’ for No.374-2 in October 1918. After the war Buckstone freelanced for Pathe, being listed as in the camera team which filmed ‘THE GRAND NATIONAL’ for Pathe Gazette No.1384 in March 1927, and ‘THE CUP FINAL’ for Pathe Gazette No.1392 in April 1927. In later years Buckstone apparently became ‘a senior technician with Kodak.'

Sources

PRO, COPY 3/198, copyrighting of ‘Fox Hunting,' 25/1/1911: Imperial War Museum, MoI (Film) Papers, ‘First World War Cameramen’ file, ‘List of Official Photographers’ (n.d.): Cine Technician, April-May 1940, p.25; January-February 1952, pp.2-5: Stephen Badsey’s 1981 IWM guide, ‘Walter Buckstone’: NFTVA, Luke McKernan’s biographical index of Topical Budget staff.