New Zealand - Tragic Train Crash

Series

Series Name
British Movietone News

Issue

Issue No.
1283A
Date Released
7 Jan 1954
Date submitted
Jan 1954
Stories in this Issue:

* Story has local or special distribution

Story

Story No. within this Issue
1 / 7
Summary
MOVIETONE CARD TITLE: New Zealand - Tragic Train Crash. DESCRIPTION: The scene of the worst train disaster in New Zealand history, where the bridge collapsed and the night express from Wellington to Auckland crashed into the river Wangaehu at fifty miles an hour. The sympathy of us all was expressed by Her Majesty in her Christmas Day broadcast. The Duke of Edinburgh later attended the mass funeral of unidentified victims. SHOTLIST: Cut story - KS. Shot of crash remains. Ditto aerial. Various aerials and ground shots of the scene. CU wreckage. Articles of clothing and single shoes lying on muddy ground. Rescue parties search along banks of swirling river. Body on stretcher carried up. Shots of carriages lying half & half out of river. (Queen’s Christmas speech is over part of above). Fade. Mass funeral of unidentified victims attended by Duke of Edinburgh. View along row of coffins. Duke chats with relatives of victims. Shot of service. Cut-ins relatives & coffins. Duke lays wreath.
Keywords
Royalty; Environment; Railways; Celebrations and festivals; Accidents and disasters; Funerals
Locations
New Zealand; North Island; Tangiwai
Footage sources
New Zealand Film Unit
Card file number
60284A
Credits:
Commentator
Leslie Mitchell
Length of story (in feet)
188
Story extras:
Film clip

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Film Archive

Name
AP Archive
Email
info@aparchive.com
Web
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Phone
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Series held
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How to cite this record

'New Zealand - Tragic Train Crash', British Movietone News Issue No. 1283A, 7 Jan 1954. https://learningonscreen.ac.uk/newsonscreen/search/index.php/story/18968 (Accessed 01 Feb 2025)