The Exploits of the Emden
Encyclopedia
The Exploits of the Emden is a 1928 silent Australian film about the Battle of Cocos
; the World War I naval battle between Australian cruiser and German cruiser . It consists of footage from a 1926 German film, Unsere Emden, with additional sequences shot in Australia by director Ken G. Hall
.
The movie was made with the co-operation of the Royal Australian Navy
, who allowed Hall to shoot footage on the real HMAS Sydney
while it was training off Jervis Bay
. Technical advice was provided by a signaller from the battle.
Hall later said the more research he did into the battle, the less impressed he was with how the Sydneys captain, John Glossop
had acted. "Only when I came to make the picture did I realise that she should have bloody well sunk the Emden and she should have sunk her without one single Sydney man being injured," he said in a 1972 interview. "She had no right to bombard a wreck up on a reef, with no chance of retaliation just because the surviving Germans had not lowered their flag, so they poured another five salvoes in and killed 50 men... Captain Glossop, R.N., let it be noted, should never have brought the Sydney within range because she out-gunned, out-ranged and out-sped the Emden. She had only to stay away and blow the German ship out of the water, that's all. But he got 11 killed through making this mistake, so they sent him back to England after his 'great' victory."
Battle of Cocos
The Battle of Cocos took place on 9 November 1914 during the First World War off the Cocos Islands, in the north east Indian Ocean. The German light cruiser attacked the British cable station on Direction Island and was engaged several hours later by the Australian light cruiser...
; the World War I naval battle between Australian cruiser and German cruiser . It consists of footage from a 1926 German film, Unsere Emden, with additional sequences shot in Australia by director Ken G. Hall
Ken G. Hall
Kenneth George Hall, AO OBE , better known as Ken G. Hall, was an Australian film director, considered one of the most important figures in the history of the Australian film industry.-Early years:...
.
The movie was made with the co-operation of the Royal Australian Navy
Royal Australian Navy
The Royal Australian Navy is the naval branch of the Australian Defence Force. Following the Federation of Australia in 1901, the ships and resources of the separate colonial navies were integrated into a national force: the Commonwealth Naval Forces...
, who allowed Hall to shoot footage on the real HMAS Sydney
HMAS Sydney
Five ships of the Royal Australian Navy have been named HMAS Sydney, for Sydney, the capital city of New South Wales., a Chatham-class light cruiser launched in 1912, decommissioned in 1928, and broken up for scrap, a Leander-class light cruiser launched in 1934, and sunk following an engagement...
while it was training off Jervis Bay
Jervis Bay
Jervis Bay is a large bay bounded by the state of New South Wales, the Jervis Bay Territory, and a detached enclave of the Australian Capital Territory. HMAS Creswell is located between Jervis Bay Village and Greenpatch in the Jervis Bay Territory.-History:...
. Technical advice was provided by a signaller from the battle.
Hall later said the more research he did into the battle, the less impressed he was with how the Sydneys captain, John Glossop
John Glossop
John Collings Taswell Glossop was an English-born naval officer best known for captaining the Australian cruiser during the Battle of Cocos in which the German cruiser was sunk.-External Links:* at Australian Dictionary of Biography...
had acted. "Only when I came to make the picture did I realise that she should have bloody well sunk the Emden and she should have sunk her without one single Sydney man being injured," he said in a 1972 interview. "She had no right to bombard a wreck up on a reef, with no chance of retaliation just because the surviving Germans had not lowered their flag, so they poured another five salvoes in and killed 50 men... Captain Glossop, R.N., let it be noted, should never have brought the Sydney within range because she out-gunned, out-ranged and out-sped the Emden. She had only to stay away and blow the German ship out of the water, that's all. But he got 11 killed through making this mistake, so they sent him back to England after his 'great' victory."
External links
- The Exploits of the Emden at Australian Screen OnlineAustralian Screen OnlineAustralian Screen Online is an on-line database operated by the Australian National Film and Sound Archive. It provides information about and excerpts from a wide selection of Australian feature films, documentaries, television programs, newsreels, short films, animations, and home-movies. It also...