Albert Barber

I was working on Apollo 11 with Presentation Department and met a rather bluff and grumpy Ronnie Noble. Little did I know that he was a war cameraman. I also now wished I had given him more respect. Looking at his wartime photo he seems to be fun. Perhaps the war changed him. 

We had little knowledge of what these men lived through, like Jack Warner – who as Dixon was the oldest sergeant in the Met!   I showed my parents around TVC and couldn’t understand fully my father’s fascination at watching Jack Warner rehearsing.

This film may be of interest to many of us. Little did we know.

https://film.iwmcollections.org.uk/record/2052


Ronnie Noble began his career in the camera department of National Screen Services. In 1939 Noble became a cameraman with Universal News. He was taken prisoner June 1942 and transported to Italy, he walked out of his prison camp when Italy capitulated in September 1943. He then travelled to Switzerland. From here he went to France,  Noble’s escape and return were featured in ‘Adventures Of A Cameraman’ in Universal News of October 1944.

Noble was sent to Burma, and then to Saigon, For Universal News October 1945 he was sent to Burma, and then to Saigon,.

In January 1950 Noble went to  BBC Children’s Newsreel. In 1952 transferred to the main BBC Television Newsreel as replacement for Cyril Page, covering the Korean War. In May 1960 filmed ‘The Royal Wedding’ for Pathe News. Finally he went on to become press officer for Wimbledon Tennis. 

 

Sue Maiden

We have an interview with Ronnie Noble in the British Entertainment History project collection:

https://historyproject.org.uk/interview/ronnie-noble

 

Pat Heigham

Very, very interesting.

I was taken by the clip of General Alexander.

My father was in the North African theatre, under Alex, and reckoned he was a better General than Monty. But Monty had the ear of the Americans and said: “ I want” and got. Ironic that Monty became the Chairman of the Governors of the school I went to!

My favourite story of the very few that Dad told me – he didn’t talk much of the war –  concerned the news that he now had a son.  His Sergeant Major coaxed him out of his tent, and said that they had better wet the baby’s head – Sir. I had the vision of it being a bit like the bar scene in “Ice Cold in Alex”. Apparently a few beers were consumed in a town that was currently in British hands and on arriving back to camp, Dad invited his Sergeant into his tent for a nightcap. “Best not, Sir, I’d better get the jeep back to the Americans from where I nicked it!”