Learning on ScreenRonald Noble ("Ronnie")
Profile
- Born
- c.1916
- Death
- 2001
- Dates
- 1939-1960
- Role
- Cameraman
- Newsreels / Cinemagazines
- Universal News; Television Newsreel
- Search
- Search for all stories where Ronald Noble is credited
- Notes
- Noble was interviewed for the BECTU History Project and for the IWM Dept. of Sound Records - Access number 5392/7. He appears in the documentary film ‘Cameramen at War’ (1943).
Career
Ronnie Noble began in the camera department of National Screen Services, working for Leslie Eveleigh and making animated trailers and announcements for cinemas. In 1939 Noble became a cameraman with Universal News, working with Fred Wilson [qv] and others. In October 1939 Noble went to France as a war correspondent for Universal News, and was still there in January 1940, when he provided rota film that went into British Movietone News No.553A as ‘BRITISH TROOPS IN MAGINOT LINE.' Evacuated from Boulogne in May 1940, Noble was immediately ordered back to France, sailing to Cherbourg with Freddy Bayliss [qv] of Paramount. They were evacuated again soon after. Noble then covered a number of home front stories, and was appointed rota cameraman for King George VI’s tour of bomb-damaged areas in the East End. In June 1941 he was sent to Syria to cover the Allied invasion, and he then spent some time in Cairo before travelling to French Equitorial Africa, where he filmed ‘FREE FRENCH IN WEST AFRICA’ for Universal News No.1244 of June 1942. Later that month he was featured in ‘HEROES OF THE NEWSREEL’ in Universal News No.1247, along with Leslie Murray [qv] and Frank Purnell [qv]. He was then sent back to North Africa, where he again worked with Freddy Bayliss [qv].
Noble went into action with the tanks, but the scale of the battlefields made it ‘a hard war to film.' Unfortunately Noble was taken prisoner by the Germans after the fall of Tobruk in June 1942. Transported to Italy, he walked out of his prison camp when Italy capitulated in September 1943, and travelled to Switzerland. From here he went to France, joined up with the Maquis, and, with the help of the British Secret Service, eventually worked his way back to London. Noble’s escape and return were featured in ‘ADVENTURES OF A CAMERAMAN’ in Universal News No.1484 of October 1944. Three weeks after his return Noble was sent to Burma, and apparently provided footage for a number of stories including ‘RECONQUEST OF BURMA’ in Universal News No.1533 of March 1945, and ‘FALL OF MANDALAY’ in No.1535 of April 1945. In May 1945 he filmed the fall of Rangoon, which appeared as ‘RANGOON RE-TAKEN’ in Universal News No.1552. Noble then went on to Singapore, only to learn that the Japanese had surrendered. His footage was presumably that in ‘SINGAPORE SURRENDERS’ in Universal News No.1585 of September 1945, and may have been the Universal material credited in ‘FREED FROM THE JAPS’ in British Movietone News No.851A of the same month. He then travelled to Saigon, and may have filmed ‘SAIGON TODAY’ in Universal News No.1592 of October 1945.
Noble continued to work with Universal after the war, and when in 1946 Pathe News began its ‘roving reports,' with John Parsons [qv] as interviewer, Noble was involved in Universal’s rival series ‘Taking You Everywhere.' By January 1946 he was in Cambodia, and in April 1947 Noble was in Palestine filming ‘OIL BLAZE AT HAIFA’ for Universal News No.1745. He covered a number of other stories in Palestine, including ‘CAIRO-HAIFA TRAIN BLOWN UP’ in No.1751 of April 1947, but was then threatened as an anti-Zionist and returned to London. In November 1947 Noble was in the Movietone camera team that filmed ‘THE ROYAL WEDDING’ for British Movietone News No.964. In March 1948 Noble was involved with John Cotter [qv] and Stan Crockett [qv] in pirating the Lincolnshire handicap from Pathe, the result being shown as ‘THE LINCOLNSHIRE HANDICAP’ in Universal News No.1843. Even Pathe congratulated them on ‘one of the best pinches ever.' In December 1948, when Universal’s assistant editor Leslie Murray [qv] bought the rights to the Taylor quads, Noble was sent to film them - preserving the exclusive by hanging ‘Universal News’ signs round their necks. The first of his stories was ‘THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME WITH THE TAYLOR QUADS’ in Universal News No.1925.
In January 1950 Noble was interviewed for a job on the BBC Children’s Newsreel, which was then being established to supplement the main Television Newsreel, launched two years earlier. Noble’s last assignment for Universal was ‘RAISING THE ‘TRUCULENT’' for No.2053 of March 1950, as he joined the BBC the following week as ‘Cameraman Grade B-One Minus,' in time for the launch of the Children’s Newsreel at the end of April 1950. Noble hated his time on the Children’s Newsreel, however, and in 1952 transferred to the main BBC Television Newsreel as replacement for Cyril Page [qv] covering the Korean War. Noble’s BBC Television Newsreel footage of Korea was offered to the cinema newsreels free of charge, but they were barred by the Cinematograph Exhibitors’ Association from using it. In 1953 Noble returned to London after a fifteen-month tour in Korea. He also filmed for the BBC Television Newsreel in Malaya and Kenya. In May 1960 a ‘Noble’ was credited in the Pathe camera team that filmed ‘THE ROYAL WEDDING’ for Pathe News No.60/38, and this may have been Ronnie Noble.
Noble went into action with the tanks, but the scale of the battlefields made it ‘a hard war to film.' Unfortunately Noble was taken prisoner by the Germans after the fall of Tobruk in June 1942. Transported to Italy, he walked out of his prison camp when Italy capitulated in September 1943, and travelled to Switzerland. From here he went to France, joined up with the Maquis, and, with the help of the British Secret Service, eventually worked his way back to London. Noble’s escape and return were featured in ‘ADVENTURES OF A CAMERAMAN’ in Universal News No.1484 of October 1944. Three weeks after his return Noble was sent to Burma, and apparently provided footage for a number of stories including ‘RECONQUEST OF BURMA’ in Universal News No.1533 of March 1945, and ‘FALL OF MANDALAY’ in No.1535 of April 1945. In May 1945 he filmed the fall of Rangoon, which appeared as ‘RANGOON RE-TAKEN’ in Universal News No.1552. Noble then went on to Singapore, only to learn that the Japanese had surrendered. His footage was presumably that in ‘SINGAPORE SURRENDERS’ in Universal News No.1585 of September 1945, and may have been the Universal material credited in ‘FREED FROM THE JAPS’ in British Movietone News No.851A of the same month. He then travelled to Saigon, and may have filmed ‘SAIGON TODAY’ in Universal News No.1592 of October 1945.
Noble continued to work with Universal after the war, and when in 1946 Pathe News began its ‘roving reports,' with John Parsons [qv] as interviewer, Noble was involved in Universal’s rival series ‘Taking You Everywhere.' By January 1946 he was in Cambodia, and in April 1947 Noble was in Palestine filming ‘OIL BLAZE AT HAIFA’ for Universal News No.1745. He covered a number of other stories in Palestine, including ‘CAIRO-HAIFA TRAIN BLOWN UP’ in No.1751 of April 1947, but was then threatened as an anti-Zionist and returned to London. In November 1947 Noble was in the Movietone camera team that filmed ‘THE ROYAL WEDDING’ for British Movietone News No.964. In March 1948 Noble was involved with John Cotter [qv] and Stan Crockett [qv] in pirating the Lincolnshire handicap from Pathe, the result being shown as ‘THE LINCOLNSHIRE HANDICAP’ in Universal News No.1843. Even Pathe congratulated them on ‘one of the best pinches ever.' In December 1948, when Universal’s assistant editor Leslie Murray [qv] bought the rights to the Taylor quads, Noble was sent to film them - preserving the exclusive by hanging ‘Universal News’ signs round their necks. The first of his stories was ‘THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME WITH THE TAYLOR QUADS’ in Universal News No.1925.
In January 1950 Noble was interviewed for a job on the BBC Children’s Newsreel, which was then being established to supplement the main Television Newsreel, launched two years earlier. Noble’s last assignment for Universal was ‘RAISING THE ‘TRUCULENT’' for No.2053 of March 1950, as he joined the BBC the following week as ‘Cameraman Grade B-One Minus,' in time for the launch of the Children’s Newsreel at the end of April 1950. Noble hated his time on the Children’s Newsreel, however, and in 1952 transferred to the main BBC Television Newsreel as replacement for Cyril Page [qv] covering the Korean War. Noble’s BBC Television Newsreel footage of Korea was offered to the cinema newsreels free of charge, but they were barred by the Cinematograph Exhibitors’ Association from using it. In 1953 Noble returned to London after a fifteen-month tour in Korea. He also filmed for the BBC Television Newsreel in Malaya and Kenya. In May 1960 a ‘Noble’ was credited in the Pathe camera team that filmed ‘THE ROYAL WEDDING’ for Pathe News No.60/38, and this may have been Ronnie Noble.
Sources
BUFVC, British Paramount News files, NR 9199 (January 1940), Issue Number 1487 (Noble’s rota dopesheet, 2/5/1945), Number 1543 (Noble’s rota dopesheet, c.December 1945): J. C. Gemmell ‘Newsreels - Ancient and Modern,' Cine Technician, January-February 1952, p.5: News Chronicle, 7/3/1952, p.2, ‘Korea film rejected’: Sunday Pictorial, 6/9/1953, p.14, ‘The day Ronnie dropped his camera’: R. Noble ‘Shoot First!: Assignments of a newsreel cameraman’ (London, 1955), passim.
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