Ralph Cathles was born in Edinburgh, and became a director and cameraman on a range of short technical, educational and promotional films. He was also a newsreel cameraman, his first surviving credits being for shots in ‘CAMBRIDGE WIN BOAT RACE’ in British Paramount News No.2304 of March 1953, and ‘QUEEN MARY - NATION PAYS LAST HOMAGE’ in No.2305 of the same month. Cathles’ first solo credit was for ‘SUDBURY GIVES FREEDOM TO COUNTY REGIMENT’ in British Paramount News No.2313 of April 1953. In June 1953 Cathles was in the Paramount camera team that filmed ‘THE CORONATION’ for British Paramount News No.2323, filming in Parliament Square. He was probably working freelance, and is certainly entered as ‘freelance’ in the Paramount documentation for filming ‘TROOPING THE COLOUR’ in No.2326 of June 1953. He turned up again in March 1956, in the camera team that filmed ‘CAMBRIDGE WIN BOAT RACE’ for British Paramount News No.2616. Cathles was also credited for the sporting items ‘WHITE CITY WINNERS’ and ‘SPURS’ SWEET REVENGE,' both in British Movietone News No.1686 of September 1961.
Sources
BUFVC, British Paramount News files, Issue Number 2304 (annotated shotlist, 28/3/1953), Number 2305 (Cathles Paramount dopesheet, 29/3/1953), Number 2323 (Paramount memo, 28/5/1953), Number 2326 ('Trooping the Colour,' 10/6/1953), Number 2616 (Assignment note headed ‘The Oxford & Cambridge Boat Race,' March 1956), dope for BPN 2493, ‘Esher Floods’ & with Langley at Silverstone BPN 2629: P. Noble (ed) ‘British Film and Television Year Book 1956/57’ (London, 1956), p.57.