Producer: National Studios; Cinematographer: Jinaraja Bodhye, Gordonbhai Patel; Editor: Pratap Parmar
Summary: The work and training of the (Royal Bombay) Sappers and Miners; film stresses the military importance of their work as the "lifeline of the army" and the value to the men of their acquired skills once the war is over.
Film is introduced by shots of the advance on Tobruk: Indian Sappers and Miners are then shown doing PT to music; river crossing (in portable assault boats, then building a ferry with collapsible pontoons); washing and eating; a school for troops' children; the men themselves receive instruction (eg pneumatic drill, sign painting, welding, brick making and laying, carpentry, printing, surveying and all sorts of metal-working); road building (with new machinery); digging a railway cutting; practice in "digging in" slit-trench system, sandbag shelters, and dugouts; and bridging a river bed with a girder bridge.
The Sappers and Miners are the 'handymen' of the Army, who prepare the way for the great campaigns of our land forces. They have to build bridges, establish communications and cover retreats. Such arduous work requires intensive training, and this short film depicts how this important section of the army is trained and the competent manner in which it executes its jobs. It also shows the trades that the men taught which will be useful to them after the War. An interesting feature is the provision that is made for the families of the men in the way of education and recreation. This shows that the Indian Army not only looks after those in its ranks, but also after their dependents in their absence.
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