News on Screen

Bernard Till was a newsreel cameraman first credited in the Movietone camera team that filmed ‘LIGHT BLUES’ EASY BOAT RACE WIN’ for British Movietone News No.930A of April 1947. In the following month Till also helped to film ''WELCOME HOME’' - the return of the King from his South African tour - in British Movietone News No.936A of May 1947. In June 1947 he was in the camera team that filmed ‘THE DERBY’ for British Movietone News No.940, filming at Tattenham Corner. In June 1950 he was in the Pathe camera team that filmed ‘ASCOT: RAIN AND SUNSHINE’ for Pathe News No.50/49. Till also provided film for the Pathe Pictorial, including ‘ULTRA CLOSE-UPS’ in No.377 of December 1951, which included a shot of ‘Bernard Till looking through camera.' In February 1952 he was in the camera team that filmed ‘THE LAST JOURNEY (KING’S FUNERAL)' for Pathe News No.52/15. According to the Pathe card he filmed from the Schweppes Building, but his film does not seem to have been included in the final release.

In June 1953 Till filmed ‘TROTTING’ for Pathe Pictorial No.456, which contains a shot of the ‘Pathe camera truck with Stan Goozee [qv] and Bernard Till with zoom lens on top.' Till also continued to film occasional domestic stories for the Pathe News, such as ‘ARMY AMATEUR BOXING FINALS’ in No.56/27 of April 1956, and the football story ‘AMAZING NORWICH’ in No.59/20 of March 1959. In June 1962 Till also filmed ‘PARACHUTE LIFT’ in Pathe Pictorial No.388, and ascended on a towed parachute to get shots. The story shows Till ready to go, shots in the air, and shots ‘looking down showing soldiers waiting’: ‘As chute reaches ground soldiers run to catch Bernard.' In August 1962 he started working more regularly for the Pathe News with ‘SIR WINSTON BACK HOME’ in No.62/68.

Bernard Till is credited as director for the British Sporting Personalities No.10 on Peter May [completed April 1962], a cinemagazine series made by British Pathe on behalf of the Central Office of Information for overseas distribution.

Sources

BUFVC, British Paramount News files, Issue Number 1679 (Movietone rota dopesheet, April 1947); The National Archives (TNA): Public Record Office (PRO) INF 6/855.