Landships II

This short film of Stern was made in 1957, when he was 79, give or take a year. He walks to a chair on the steps of his house, using a walking stick. He appears to be slightly unsteady on his feet, and has put on a great deal of weight. By now, he bears quite a resemblance to the old British actor Bernard Lee, for those of a certain vintage.

He describes the two principal "assaults" he had to withstand: from the War Office and the Royal Flying Corps.

He says that the RFC complained that he was disrupting aero engine construction by ordering 1,000 Ricardo engines. He replied that he was using only manufacturers that were not producing aero engines, i.e. "gas engine" manufacturers, and that the Ricardos used no aluminium or high tensile steel.

He also describes his sacking by Churchill, who told him that:

" . . . the Army didn't want any more tanks after the present 1,350 tanks had been produced. I told him that I didn't agree with this at all and that I should fight it tooth and nail. Mr. Churchill said that the War Office had told him that I had littered up the Front with useless weapons and wasted £8million of the public funds.

I then said that I should fight it tooth and nail and should not resign. In rather unguarded language I confirmed this and was dismissed by Mr. Churchill."

He utters the last couple of sentences with more than a hint of a smile.

That's about it. It doesn't tell us a great deal we didn't know, and unless there's a change of heart at King's (or another copy turns up somewhere) we can't even show what Stern looked like in later life. But at least we now know what the films contain. More to follow.