Learning on ScreenFrederick Oscar Bovill ("Oscar")
Profile
- Born
- 18 April 1891
- Dates
- 1906-1973
- Role
- Cameraman
- Newsreels / Cinemagazines
- War Office Official Topical Budget; PatheGazette; Pathe Pictorial; British Movietone News
- Search
- Search for all stories where Frederick Oscar Bovill is credited
- Notes
- There is a photograph of Bovill in Kinematograph Weekly, 14/1/1943, p.4.
Career
Oscar Bovill was born in London, where his father was a pickle merchant - one of his colleagues later recalling him as a ‘member of a pickle family.' Bovill entered the film industry in about 1906 with Gaumont, and joined Will Barker’s [qv] Barker Motion Photography around 1909. He was cameraman on Barker’s ‘Sixty Years a Queen’ (1913) (with Leslie Eveleigh), ‘East Lynne’ (1913), ‘Greater Love Hath No Man’ (1913), and ‘Jane Shore’ (1915) (with Eveleigh and Stanley Mumford [qv]). It was also claimed that Bovill was one of the darkroom staff who developed Barker’s 1915 Grand National footage. This must have been when he was on leave from the army, for on the outbreak of war in August 1914 Bovill joined up, and in October 1915 he went to France as a driver with the 1st London Brigade Royal Field Artillery. In July 1916 Bovill was transferred to the Canadian War Records Office as official cameraman, being given the rank of ‘temporary Honorary Lieutenant,' and in August 1916 filming the visit to France of the Canadian Minister of Defence, Lieut.-Gen. Sir Sam Hughes.
In November 1916 it was reported that during the Somme battles ‘Lieut. Bovill was in the front line during the Canadian capture of Courcelette,' and that he had obtained ‘excellent pictures.' Bovill was afterwards in London from January to March 1917, ‘to superintend development of Canadian Official Film for War Office Committee,' before returning to GHQ to handle the filming of Vimy Ridge in April 1917. The material he produced was edited into the official film ‘Vimy Ridge’ (1917), but unfortunately it was so poor that Bovill offered to resign in June 1917. He was instead transferred to the War Office Topical Budget. Bovill filmed the US troops in London for Topical Budget No.312-2 of August 1917, but he was considered a careless worker and in November 1917 he was finally dismissed and replaced with Malins [qv]. Bovill apparently hoped to join the Tank Corps, but he may have joined the RAF, where it was later claimed that he had been an Observer. On his demobilisation in 1919 Bovill joined Monarch Films to work on their ‘Horse Shoe Comedies,' and he also did regular freelance work for the Topical Budget, starting with the ‘AERIAL PAGEANT’ in No.462-2 of July 1920.
By 1921 he was listed as ‘Official Kinematographer to London Underground and Omnibus Control,' and in about 1926 filmed the building of the LGOC NS-type bus at Chiswick, appearing in the credits of the resulting film as ‘F Oscar Bovill of the London General Omnibus Company Photographic Department.' However, Bovill combined this with regular freelance work for the Topical Budget in 1921, 1922 and 1923, including filming the Cabinet at 10 Downing Street with Taylor [qv] for No.584-1 in November 1922. In the late 1930s Bovill was cameraman on the Old Mother Riley films. He afterwards joined Pathé, and acted as a war correspondent after the outbreak of war in September 1939. In September 1941 Bovill filmed the arrival of the US Army in Iceland providing footage that became ‘USA TROOPS IN ICELAND’ in Pathe Gazette No.41/82 of October 1941. By 1942 Bovill was providing domestic footage for Pathe, beginning with ‘LION CUBS’ in Pathe Pictorial No.305, but later that year the company sent him to the Far East. In 1943 he filmed for the Royal Navy in the Mediterranean, and provided film of the ‘SUDAN DEFENCE FORCE’ for Pathe Pictorial No.382 of July 1943. He returned at the end of the year, and provided ‘WELSH SCENIC’ film for Pathe Pictorial No.406 of January 1944.
He was then sent to Burma, and featured in the story ‘RAIDS IN THE RAIN’ in Pathe Gazette No.44/19 of March 1944. In December 1944 Bovill also provided footage of the 14th Army Bridging the Chindwin which became ‘THE ROAD TO MANDALAY’ in Pathe Gazette No.45/5 of January 1945. As Bovill noted in his shotlist, it was difficult to film the Burma campaign: ‘The hazards are difficult to pictureise [sic] as the jungle is intensely thick and the speed at which the troops are advancing gives one little scope unless you are there at the critical moment.' In March 1945 Bovill provided ‘THE ROAD TO CHINA - STORY OF THE LEDO-BURMA ROAD’ for Pathe Gazette No.45/20. By September 1945 Bovill was back in London, where he filmed Lord Beaverbrook for Pathe. Bovill was still working for the company in 1946, but he later began freelancing for Movietone, and was in the camera team which filmed the ‘ROYAL SILVER WEDDING’ for British Movitone News No.986a in April 1948. In the same year Bovill worked at the Nettlefold Studios in Walton-on-Thames, on the crime film ‘Paper Orchid’ (1949), and also worked at the same studio on other productions during 1949. Bovill was also in the camera team which filmed the ‘FUNERAL OF HIS MAJESTY KING GEORGE VI’ for British Movietone News No.1185 of February 1952, and was in the team which filmed ‘THE CORONATION’ for British Movietone News No.1252A of June 1953. ‘Oscar F. Bovill’ was still listed as a freelance cameraman in 1973.
In November 1916 it was reported that during the Somme battles ‘Lieut. Bovill was in the front line during the Canadian capture of Courcelette,' and that he had obtained ‘excellent pictures.' Bovill was afterwards in London from January to March 1917, ‘to superintend development of Canadian Official Film for War Office Committee,' before returning to GHQ to handle the filming of Vimy Ridge in April 1917. The material he produced was edited into the official film ‘Vimy Ridge’ (1917), but unfortunately it was so poor that Bovill offered to resign in June 1917. He was instead transferred to the War Office Topical Budget. Bovill filmed the US troops in London for Topical Budget No.312-2 of August 1917, but he was considered a careless worker and in November 1917 he was finally dismissed and replaced with Malins [qv]. Bovill apparently hoped to join the Tank Corps, but he may have joined the RAF, where it was later claimed that he had been an Observer. On his demobilisation in 1919 Bovill joined Monarch Films to work on their ‘Horse Shoe Comedies,' and he also did regular freelance work for the Topical Budget, starting with the ‘AERIAL PAGEANT’ in No.462-2 of July 1920.
By 1921 he was listed as ‘Official Kinematographer to London Underground and Omnibus Control,' and in about 1926 filmed the building of the LGOC NS-type bus at Chiswick, appearing in the credits of the resulting film as ‘F Oscar Bovill of the London General Omnibus Company Photographic Department.' However, Bovill combined this with regular freelance work for the Topical Budget in 1921, 1922 and 1923, including filming the Cabinet at 10 Downing Street with Taylor [qv] for No.584-1 in November 1922. In the late 1930s Bovill was cameraman on the Old Mother Riley films. He afterwards joined Pathé, and acted as a war correspondent after the outbreak of war in September 1939. In September 1941 Bovill filmed the arrival of the US Army in Iceland providing footage that became ‘USA TROOPS IN ICELAND’ in Pathe Gazette No.41/82 of October 1941. By 1942 Bovill was providing domestic footage for Pathe, beginning with ‘LION CUBS’ in Pathe Pictorial No.305, but later that year the company sent him to the Far East. In 1943 he filmed for the Royal Navy in the Mediterranean, and provided film of the ‘SUDAN DEFENCE FORCE’ for Pathe Pictorial No.382 of July 1943. He returned at the end of the year, and provided ‘WELSH SCENIC’ film for Pathe Pictorial No.406 of January 1944.
He was then sent to Burma, and featured in the story ‘RAIDS IN THE RAIN’ in Pathe Gazette No.44/19 of March 1944. In December 1944 Bovill also provided footage of the 14th Army Bridging the Chindwin which became ‘THE ROAD TO MANDALAY’ in Pathe Gazette No.45/5 of January 1945. As Bovill noted in his shotlist, it was difficult to film the Burma campaign: ‘The hazards are difficult to pictureise [sic] as the jungle is intensely thick and the speed at which the troops are advancing gives one little scope unless you are there at the critical moment.' In March 1945 Bovill provided ‘THE ROAD TO CHINA - STORY OF THE LEDO-BURMA ROAD’ for Pathe Gazette No.45/20. By September 1945 Bovill was back in London, where he filmed Lord Beaverbrook for Pathe. Bovill was still working for the company in 1946, but he later began freelancing for Movietone, and was in the camera team which filmed the ‘ROYAL SILVER WEDDING’ for British Movitone News No.986a in April 1948. In the same year Bovill worked at the Nettlefold Studios in Walton-on-Thames, on the crime film ‘Paper Orchid’ (1949), and also worked at the same studio on other productions during 1949. Bovill was also in the camera team which filmed the ‘FUNERAL OF HIS MAJESTY KING GEORGE VI’ for British Movietone News No.1185 of February 1952, and was in the team which filmed ‘THE CORONATION’ for British Movietone News No.1252A of June 1953. ‘Oscar F. Bovill’ was still listed as a freelance cameraman in 1973.
Sources
Public Archives of Canada, Record Group 9, III, vol.120, File 6-B-574: House of Lords Record Office, Beaverbrook Papers, BBK/E/2/2 (Bovill file): Kine Year Book 1921, p.590, and Kine Year Book 1922, p.304, ‘F. Oscar Bovill’: British Film Institute, Related Material 1504, ‘World War 1:4,' notes by Marie Seton, c.1937, pp.20-21: Ciné; Technician, March/April 1938, p.216; November-December 1945, p.113: BUFVC, British Paramount News files, Issue Number 1108 (Bovill’s rota dopesheets, September 1941), Number 1448 (Bovill’s rota dopesheet, 12/12/1944), Number 1463 (Bovill’s rota dopesheet, 1/3/1945): M. A. A. Sinkins ‘A Salute to the Newsreel Cameramen,' Kinematograph Weekly, 14/1/1943, p.44: Kevin Brownlow’s interview with Brooks-Carrington, 20/10/1972, transcript p.21: ‘Kemp’s Film and Television Year Book (International) 1973-4,' (London, 1973), p.195, ‘Camera Operators’: J. Ballantyne (ed) ‘Researcher’s Guide to British Newsreels: Vol.II’ (1988), p.13 extract 376: Letter from Bernard King, 4/2/1997, including information from ‘To-Day’s Cinema’ 1948-9.
Record Stats
This record has been viewed 1170 times.
