Willis: British West Indies 1956

Summary

Home movie of a holiday to the West Indies. Filmed by Harry and Eithne Willis from Leicester.

Year:

1956

Duration:

0:14:46

Film type:

Colour / Silent

Genre:

Home Movie

Master format:

16mm

Description

We open with a shot of the family garden in Leicester with snow on the ground. Letters spelling out 'West Indies Here We Come' have been placed in the snow. We then see the couple putting suitcases into their car (a Sunbeam Talbot). We then cut to a view from an aircraft window. Next we see a 'Welcome to Antigua' sign at Coolidge Field Airport. At the airport a band are playing. We then see views from the balcony at the Antigua Beach Hotel and shots of a beach captioned 'Fort James Bay'. We also see cotton plants and local workers in the fields. There are coastline shots, local people with donkeys and carrying bundles of wood and children standing in the street for the camera. At the Mill Reef Club (Antigua) we see the tourists in a café and further beach scenes.

The next section appears to show the couple island hopping. We see a sign for Guadeloupe followed by views from an aircraft in flight. Next we see shots of the airfield at Fort de France Lamentin (Martinique) followed by more beaches (and also a sign on a building indicating we also visit St Lucia). There is a plane on the tarmac next to the sea which is likely to be St Lucia airport. Next we are at Seawell Airport (which is Barbados) followed by further aerial views and a sign for Grenada. We continue in Grenada with views of beaches, palm trees and more local children. We also visit the Grenada Aquatic Club. Another unidentified airport sequence is followed by scenes at the Hotel Casa Blanca and further beach shots. Next we are at Camaguey Airport (which is in Cuba). A Pan American aircraft is on the tarmac. This is followed by street scenes in Miami, USA with buildings, traffic and palm trees followed by views of the Sea View Hotel at Miami Beach which has an outdoor pool and a trampoline on the beach.

Next we continue in America with a sign for Port Washington (New York State). A man stands outside a house on Plymouth Road in the suburb. The final shots show the suitcases being put back into the family car outside a UK airport and a caption 'And so home to Pinehurst'.


Credits

No credits specified