News on Screen

Frank Purnell was said to have been a ‘flying ace’ during the First World War, but after the Armistice he joined the Topical Budget as cameraman, his first credited item being ‘DAME FASHION VISITS SUBURBIA’ for No.474-2 of September 1920. A reference to Purnell in 1922 described him as ‘assistant editor’ of the Topical Budget, although he continued to act as cameraman, filming the French occupation of the Ruhr in January 1923 for issues 594-2 and 595-1. Purnell was apparently the inventor of ‘potted sunshine,' the Topical Film Company’s system of night-time photography using flash flares. Purnell’s last credit for the company is ‘YORKSHIRE - PASSING SHADOWS’ in Topical Budget No.827-1 of June 1927, after which he apparently left Topical to join the Empire News Bulletin, which William Jeapes [qv] had established in the previous year. Purnell is mentioned as providing a negative in the issue sheet for Empire News Bulletin No.370 of November 1929.

When the Empire News Bulletin was phased out in 1930 Purnell joined its successor, the Universal Talking News, and in 1935 he filmed the Abyssinian War for them, possibly supplying the series which began with ‘THE WAR: Special pictures by air from Abyssinia’ in Universal News No.548 of October 1935. However, by this date Purnell may have been working freelance, for in August 1935 he had been credited with filming ‘ROCK OF AGES’ for Pathe Super Sound Gazette No.35/61, and ‘LAST SERVICE OF MARDALE CHURCH’ for Super Sound Gazette No.35/67. In November 1935 G. T. Cummins [qv], editor of the British Paramount News, also claimed that Purnell was working for them in Abyssinia, where he ‘travels in his ‘plane wherever pictures are to be got.' In February 1936 the handwritten credits for British Paramount News indicate that he provided one shot for ‘AIR DEFENCE TIGHTENS UP’ in No.518, and he was also noted on the credits for ‘FOOTBALL POOLS MENACED’ in No.519. Purnell was also credited in Pathe’s camera team for ‘ENGLAND V. SCOTLAND’ in No.36/28 of April 1936, but he apparently returned to Universal during World War Two, and filmed with the Royal Navy at Dunkirk in May 1940. He presumably filmed the item in Universal News No.1031 of June 1940 headed ‘UNIVERSAL’S CAMERAMAN - THE ONLY PRESS MAN OF ANY KIND WITH THE NAVY - BRINGS BACK PICTURES OF: THE EVACUATION OF THE BEF BY THE NAVY AND PRIVATE CRAFT.' Purnell also filmed convoy and patrol work, and was featured in ‘HEROES OF THE NEWSREEL’ in Universal News No.1247 of June 1942, along with Leslie Murray [qv] and Ronnie Noble [qv].

Purnell was wounded off the Goodwin Sands, and was incapacitated until 1944. In April 1945 Purnell and Eric Barrow [qv] of Universal filmed the meeting of Dominion statesmen at Downing Street for ‘SAN FRANCISCO CONFERENCE PRELIMINARIES’ in Universal News No.1541. In October 1945 Purnell was credited with filming ‘THE CAMBRIDGESHIRE AT NEWMARKET’ for Universal News No.1597 of November 1945, along with Rick Holton [qv] and George Oswald [qv]. After the war Purnell also did some work for Movietone, being credited as cameraman on a series of items from ''VANGUARD’ COMES HOME’ in British Movietone News No.1051A of July 1949 to ‘THE BIG TOW’ in No.1158A of August 1951. He was still listed in the Movietone staff list for October 1951, living in Paignton, Devon. Purnell’s nickname of ‘Taxi’ was originally ‘Tattsie,' as this was one of the ‘curious mispronunciations’ for which he was famous.

Sources

G. T. Cummins ‘Filming the African War,' Kinematograph Weekly, 14/11/1935, p.16: BUFVC, British Paramount News files, Issue Number 1476 (Barrow and Purnell rota dopesheets, April 1945), Number 1532 (Universal rota dopesheet, 1/11/1945): P. Wyand ‘Useless if Delayed’ (London, 1959), pp.42-3: NFTVA, Luke McKernan’s biographical index of Topical Budget staff.