News on Screen

Bill Carrington began as a juvenile actor for Gaumont, playing the boy in ‘Rip Van Winkle’ (1903), ‘Two Little Vagabonds’ (1903), ‘Dotheboys Hall’ (1903), and ‘The Apple Woman’ (1904). In 1905 he got a job in Gaumont’s darkroom, and later became a cameraman for the same company, apparently working on the Gaumont Graphic. On the outbreak of war in August 1914 Alec Braid [qv], the editor of the Gaumont Graphic, sent Carrington to work for the Vickers armaments company, under an agreement whereby he would film for them under the Official Secrets Act. His material was not released by Gaumont, but in July 1915 the ‘Cinema’ reviewed a six-reel film being exhibited by Vickers which was presumably Carrington’s work. In December 1915 the official film ‘Britain Prepared’ reportedly contained ‘many thousands of feet’ taken at the Vickers shipyards in Barrow, filmed since 1914 ‘by the firm themselves in conjunction with the Gaumont Co., one of whose representatives has been ‘lent’ to them for the whole of this period.' Carrington continued to film for Vickers throughout the war, and was still working for them in 1928.

It seems however that his work for Vickers allowed Carrington time to freelance in the north-west, and he is credited in the camera team for ‘THE GRAND NATIONAL, 1927’ in Pathe Gazette No.1384 of March 1927. In 1931 Carrington was also apparently involved in the purchase of a submarine for Hubert Wilkins’ [qv] Nautilus Arctic Submarine Expedition. ‘After that,' recalled Jimmy Gemmell [qv] of Paramount, ‘when we saw old Bill Carrington we used to say ‘What’s the price of battleships today, Bill?'.' Carrington was also credited in the camera teams that filmed ‘THE GRAND NATIONAL 1933’ for Pathe Super Sound Gazette No.33/25 of March 1933, and ‘THE GRAND NATIONAL, 1934’ for No.34/25 of March 1934. It seems that Carrington also supplied the newsreels with some of his footage taken for Vickers at Barrow, and in December 1934 he thus provided film of ‘LINER LAUNCHED BY WIRELESS’ for Pathe Super Sound Gazette No.34/99. He also filmed ‘WEST BROMWICH v PRESTON NORTH END’ for No.35/18 in March 1935, and ‘GRAND NATIONAL, 1935’ for No.35/26 in April 1935.

In July 1938 Carrington was also credited for helping to film ‘SPITFIRE PUTS RAF ONE UP’ in British Paramount News No.768. After the war Carrington continued to work for Vickers, but this time he seems to have freelanced for Movietone. In October 1945 Carrington thus provided film of the launch of ‘H.M.S. ‘HERCULES’' at Newcastle upon Tyne, for British Movietone News No.852. He is then credited with some regularity by Movietone, both in camera teams for major sporting events such as the Boat Race, Cup Final, and Derby, and for footage of ship launches at Barrow or tests of new Vickers aircraft. In September 1945 ‘W. Carrington (Vickers-Armstrong)' was filmed by Movietone at the launch of HMS ‘Hercules’ in Newcastle, an event that he was also filming. Terry Gallacher [qv], who joined Movietone in October 1945, recalled that ‘Bill Carrington was often called upon for the Grand National and Cup Finals, to operate the Debrie Slow Motion Camera’: ‘This camera was one of only two which were made. Its unique design made it possible to shoot normal action and, in shot, change to slow motion and back again to normal speed...The camera had been purchased by Movietonews from Paramount who were the first owners.'

Carrington was credited on the Movietone camera teams that filmed the Wembley Cup Final in 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1952, 1953, and 1954 - Gallacher noting that Carrington was always positioned with his camera behind one of the goals. In January 1946 Carrington also provided film of the Vickers Viking airliner for ‘THE ‘VIKING’' in No.867A, and film from Barrow for both ‘NAVAL V.C.'S AT NEW ‘SUB’ LAUNCH’ in No.869, and ‘PRE-FABRICATION SHIPS AND HOUSES’ in No.869A. In February 1953 Carrington and ‘Mr Sansom’ [qv], both of Vickers, provided footage of the launch of HMS Hermes in Barrow for the Paramount rota coverage of this event. Carrington was also credited in the Movietone camera team for ‘THE CORONATION’ in British Movietone News No.1252A of June 1953. In February 1954 Carrington was still making arrangements for filming at Vickers, writing from their London office. Carrington’s last Movietone credit is for ‘THE DERBY’ in British Movietone News No.1409A of June 1956.

Sources

Cinema, 8/7/1915, p.32, ‘A Striking ‘Vickers’ Topical’: Kinematograph Weekly, 6/1/1916, p.6: Kinematograph Year Book 1921 (London, 1920), p.590, ‘William G. Carrington’: BUFVC, British Paramount News files, Issue Number 1522 (Ramsden’s rota dopesheet, 22/9/1945), Number 2293 (Memo by G. E. Miller, 12/2/1953), Number 2403 (W. G. Carrington to G. E. Miller, 26/2/1954): Kevin Brownlow’s interviews with B. Brooks-Carrington, 20/10/1972, and Jimmy Gemmell, 25/10/1972: BUFVC, T. M. Gallacher, ‘Additional Notes,' October 1998.