Britain Prepared

Illustrated here is the complete set of twenty-four postcards produced by the Photochrom Company, showing scenes from Urban's 1915 documentary Britain Prepared. The film was made at the invitation of the covert War Propaganda Bureau, headed by Charles Masterman. Although the naval sequences in the film were filmed in Kinemacolor, the general release version of the film was in monochrome, hence general audiences in buying these postcards were being offered a colour effect that few of them had had a chance to see in the cinema. However, the colour is that created by Photochrom. There was no system for converting Kinemacolor images to paper, and some of these images come from what were monochrome sequences in the film.

Britain Prepared no. 1 - The Grand Fleet Under Way

Britain Prepared no. 2 - British Battleships at Sea

Britain Prepared no. 3 - A British Battleship Ready for Action

Britain Prepared no. 4 - Firing Four 12-in Gun Salvoes

Britain Prepared no. 5 - Broadside Salvoes

Britain Prepared no. 6 - Twilight on the North Sea. The Big Guns Busy

Britain Prepared no. 7 - Admiral Sir John Jellicoe on Board H.M.S. 'Iron Duke'

Britain Prepared no. 8 - H.M.S. 'Queen Elizabeth' with H.M.S. 'Iron Duke' Ahead (Flagship)

Britain Prepared no. 9 - Sunset on the North Sea (Seen from H.M.S. 'Queen Elizabeth')

Britain Prepared no. 10 - Coming Aboard the Flag Ship H.M.S. 'Iron Duke'

Britain Prepared no. 11 - Taking in Cordite on H.M.S. 'Queen Elizabeth'

Britain Prepared no. 12 - A 15-in Shell for 'Lizzie's Big 'Uns (Weight One Ton)

Britain Prepared no. 13 - Fore Turret Deck of H.M.S. 'Queen Elizabeth'

Britain Prepared no. 14 - Fore Turret 15-in Guns of H.M.S. 'Queen Elizabeth'

Britain Prepared no. 15 - Firing 15-in Guns from H.M.S. 'Queen Elizabeth'

Britain Prepared no. 16 - Big Guns and Officers and Crew of H.M.S. 'Queen Elizabeth'

Britain Prepared no. 17 - H.M.S. 'Barham' (Sister Ship to H.M.S. 'Queen Elizabeth')

Britain Prepared no. 18 - Inserting Torpedo in Firing Tube

Britain Prepared no. 19 - H.M.S. 'Africa' at Work

Britain Prepared no. 20 - Broadside Salvoes of H.M.S. 'Africa'

Britain Prepared no. 21 - A Naval Air Scout

Britain Prepared no. 22 - Submarine B6 Taking in Torpedoes

Britain Prepared no. 23 - Making Ready to Submerge

Britain Prepared no. 24 - Submarine B5 Arriving at Supply Base