Leslie Wyand

Leslie Wyand joined the Gaumont Company as a cameraman in 1911, only a few months after the launch of the Gaumont Graphic. He worked as a cameraman on the new newsreel, and was also employed to set up a Gaumont laboratory in Liverpool, where he was manager and probably also acted as the local Gaumont Graphic cameraman. Wyand then went to film for Gaumont in Canada, and on his return in 1912 established the Gaumont laboratory in Glasgow, where he seems again to have acted as local Gaumont Graphic cameraman. As one writer noted that year, the Gaumont Graphic was based in London but worked through ‘branch offices at Newcastle - which covers the north-east of England - at Glasgow for Scotland, and at Liverpool and Manchester for the north-west of England, the Liverpool operators being ready to proceed to Ireland or the Isle of Man should the necessity arise.' Later in 1912 Wyand transferred to Pathe, where he worked as a cameraman on the Pathe Gazette. In 1915 he joined the Royal Flying Corps, and eventually became a Sergeant-Instructor in the Royal Air Force, working on photography.

In January 1919 Wyand was discharged from the RAF, and returned to newsreel work as ‘British Manager’ for the American Pathe News, which meant covering British assignments for them. Wyand was technically independent of the British Pathe Gazette, but they still used some of his material, and in April 1922 he worked with Bassill [qv], Cotter [qv], and Scales [qv] to pirate the Cup Final from Topical Budget, which had obtained the rights. The footage appeared as ‘CUP FINAL’ in Pathe Gazette No.872 of May 1922. In August 1925 Wyand also took film of a Channel swim which appeared as ‘A GALLANT FAILURE’ in Pathe Gazette No.G1214. During the filming he had two beer bottles thrown at him by the organisers, but won the subsequent court case. In February 1927 he also filmed a Rugby match for Pathe Gazette, the footage appearing in ‘TWICKENHAM TRADITION PREVAILS’ in No.1372. In March 1927 Wyand went to Pendine to film Parry Thomas’ fatal land speed attempt, accompanied by the American Pathe director Louis de Rochemont. The film again appeared in Pathe Gazette, as ‘MR PARRY THOMAS’ in No.1378. In March and April 1927 Wyand was also in the Pathe camera teams that filmed major sporting events such as the Grand National and Cup Final.

In May 1927 Wyand’s nephew, Paul Wyand [qv], joined him at Pathe News, recalling that those who, like his uncle, represented the American newsreels were considered to be ‘the elite among cameramen.' However, in 1928 the coming of sound forced Pathe News to reduce its London staff, and by March 1929 Wyand was working full-time for the Pathe Gazette. In April 1930 Wyand was the first cameraman at an air crash at Limpsfield, his story appearing as ‘FIRST ON THE SCREEN - FIRST ON THE SCENE!' in Pathe Super Gazette No.1701. In November 1930 he was sent to Ireland, where he filmed ‘THE IRISH FREE STATE ARMY’ for Pathe Super Sound Gazette No.30/51, and interviewed the President for ‘President Cosgrave’ in No.35/51. In the following year he filmed ‘Britain’s First ‘National’ Cabinet’ for No.31/71 of September 1931. By 1933 Wyand was claiming to be Pathe’s ‘premier Akley panoramic camera expert,' but in 1934 he left Pathe to become ‘British Manager’ for the American Hearst Metrotone News. His last credit for Pathe was ‘BIRMINGHAM HOSPITAL EXTENSION’ in Super Sound Gazette No.34/47 of June 1934.

Wyand’s work for Hearst Metrotone News seems again to have meant working as cameraman on British assignments, but in 1936 Wyand became the Assistant Production Manager of Gaumont British News, continuing in this post until 1937. Paul Wyand recalled that after the outbreak of war in 1939, Leslie Wyand ‘came out of retirement to make propaganda and training films.' At some time during the Second World War Wyand apparently acted as sound engineer for the March of Time, but this was only a temporary job assisting Jimmy Hodgson [qv]. In June 1953 Leslie Wyand was one of the Movietone cameramen team on ‘THE CORONATION’ in British Movietone News No.1252A, filming from the Abbey House roof, although he was not regularly employed by the company. Paul Wyand [qv] remembered his uncle as ‘perhaps the most brilliant cameraman of his day,' and also as ‘an accomplished sportsman and a fanatical golf enthusiast.'

Sources

F. A. Talbot ‘Moving Pictures: How they are made and worked’ (1912), p.280: Kine Year Book 1921, p.594, and Kine Year Book 1934, p.328, ‘L. Wyand’: British Journal of Photography, 23/10/1925, p.646: B. Grant ‘To the Four Corners: The memoirs of a news photographer’ (1933), pp.189-90: P. Wyand ‘Useless If Delayed’ (1959), pp.21-3, 62: P. Norman ‘The Newsreel Boys,' Sunday Times Magazine, 10 January 1971, pp.10, 13: J. Ballantyne (ed) ‘Researcher’s Guide to British Newsreels: Vol.II’ (1988), pp.23, 36.