News on Screen

Henry Hawkins was a freelance newsfilm cameraman who began in Kineto’s darkrooms in 1911. In 1913 he began ‘taking films in England for the International Film Service, New York,' and was still working as their representative in 1920. Hawkins was also one of the Topical Budget camera team at the Grand National in March 1923, although his film was confiscated by the police. In June 1927 Hawkins filmed the total eclipse of the sun from Giggleswick, using a Moy camera ‘with a 9in. lens specially made for me by Dalmeyer’s,' although it is not known for which company he was working. In November 1930 Hawkins went with sound engineer Edward Genock [qv] to film the coronation of Emperor Haile Selassie, which was also attended by the Duke of Gloucester, but again it is not known for which company they were working.

However, by 1934 Hawkins was employed by the British Paramount News, pirating the Test series against Australia, the rights to which were held by Gaumont British and Movietone. At Nottingham for the first Test in June 1934 he filmed from a specially-constructed camera platform on the roof of a house near the ground, obtaining film for ‘FIRST ‘TEST’ OPENS’ in British Paramount News No.343. Castleton-Knight [qv] of Gaumont British tried to stop this by flying a captive balloon, but its moorings were cut by Jack Rogerson [qv] of Paramount, and it floated away. Hawkins repeated this feat in July 1934 for the third Test in Manchester, which appeared as ‘CRICKET DRAMA RESUMED’ in British Paramount News No.351. Castleton-Knight retaliated with smoke, mirrors, and thugs.

By November 1935 Hawkins was stationed at Khartoum, covering the Italian-Abyssinian campaign for British Paramount News. However, by March 1940 Hawkins was apparently working for Gaumont British News, and in January 1941 he took rota film of convalescent RAF crews for that company. In May 1941 Hawkins also filmed ships unloading for ‘WAR SUPPLIES ARRIVE FROM US’ in Gaumont British News No.769, and in September 1941 provided ‘US AID APPROACHES FLOOD TIDE’ for No.809 of October 1941. Soon afterwards Hawkins apparently returned to Paramount. Early in 1942 the Ministry of Supply commissioned Paramount to produce a newsreel called Warwork News, printed on 16mm stock for showing in war factories, and Hawkins was assigned to the project. In November 1942 it was noted that ‘cameraman Henry Hawkins, of the Paramount News, has a busy time taking his lights and sound gear into the factories to film the latest records and the operatives who have performed these miracles of production for this news reel.'

Hawkins continued to work from London, and in October 1943 he was listed among the eight cameramen and two sound engineers on Paramount’s London staff - and noted as working with Heinrich [qv] to film a story for the Warwork News. In April 1944 Hawkins worked with Jimmy Gemmell [qv] and Arthur Farmer [qv] to film ‘GENERAL EISENHOWER PRESENTS THE CUP’ for British Paramount News No.1371. In October 1944 Hawkins was in the camera team that filmed in Canterbury for ‘ARCHBISHOP LAID TO REST’ in British Paramount News No.1428 of November 1944. In February 1945 Hawkins filmed the Yalta Conference, and was featured in ‘BLUEPRINT FOR VICTORY AND PEACE,' the British Paramount News report. The commentary featured Hawkins’ comment that ‘I’ve spent more years than I care to remember covering news events all over the world but I can safely say that memories of the Crimea Conference will be among the most vivid of my life.'

In April 1945 Hawkins and Lovatt Cave-Chinn [qv] filmed the enthronement of the Archbishop of Canterbury for ‘ARCHBISHOP ENTHRONED’ in British Paramount News No.1477. Hawkins continued to work for Paramount after the war, and in July 1947 he filmed ‘BERNARD SHAW 91 BUT WON’T TALK ABOUT IT’ for British Paramount News No.1712, noting on his dopesheet that Shaw ‘was completely cantankerous and would not do a thing.' In 1948 Hawkins was credited as ‘Chief Cameraman’ of British Paramount News. In 1952 Hawkins was in the international newsreel pool which covered the Olympic Games in Helsinki, along with Paul Wyand [qv]. In June 1953 Hawkins filmed the Coronation of Elizabeth II from inside Westminster Abbey, for ‘THE CORONATION’ in British Paramount News No.2323. Paul Wyand [qv] of Movietone admitted that Hawkins’ Coronation footage ‘was absolutely superb’: ‘I have never seen such immaculate and comprehensive coverage. He missed nothing, and confirmed that he was one of the world’s best ciné cameramen.' In July 1956 Hawkins was one of the cameramen who filmed at Ascot for ‘RIBOT THE WONDER HORSE’ in British Paramount News No.2651.

Sources

Kine Year Book 1921, p.592, ‘Edward H. Hawkins’: G. T. Cummins ‘Filming the African War,' Kinematograph Weekly, 14/11/1935, p.16: M. A. A. Sinkins ‘A Salute to Newsreel Cameramen,' Kinematograph Weekly, 14/1/1943, p.44: BUFVC, British Paramount News files, Issue Number 1563 (Paramount ‘Daily Assignment Sheet,' 12/10/1943), Number 1428 (Hawkins rota dopesheet, 1/11/1944), Number 1457 (commentary), Number 1477 (Cave-Chinn and Hawkins dopesheets, 19/4/1945), Number 1712 (Hawkins dopesheet, July 1947), Number 2292 ('Daily Assignment Sheet,' 20/10/1952): J. C. Gemmell ‘Newsreels - Ancient and Modern,' Cine Technician, January-February 1952, pp.3-4: P. Wyand ‘Useless if Delayed’ (London, 1959), pp.55-8, 201: NFTVA, Luke McKernan’s biographical index of Topical Budget staff: BUFVC, British Paramount News files, Issues Number 1031 (14/1/1941), Number 1106 (Hawkins’ rota dopesheets, 9-19/9/1941), Number 2651, and NR 9472 (29 March 1940).