Martin Rolfe

Martin Rolfe was a Pathe cameraman who first appears in the camera team for ‘THE LAST JOURNEY (KING’S FUNERAL)' in Pathe News No.52/15 of February 1952, where he filmed from the roof of the Citadel. He was afterwards credited for several stories, and in May 1953 was shown with a turret camera in ‘CORONATION REHEARSAL’ in Pathe News No.53/37, although he is not credited for the Coronation itself. In June 1953 Rolfe was also filmed reading a newspaper for a story on East Berlin that may not have been used in the reel. Paul Wyand [qv] noted that Rolfe was one of the Pathe cameraman filming the Royal Tour of New Zealand in January 1954, in company with Stan Goozee [qv]. Rolfe’s Pathe News credits become less frequent after ‘ROYAL ASCOT’ in No.56/50 of June 1956, but he continued working for the Pathe Pictorial. Rolfe was expert in getting his wife into the reel - she appeared taking a photograph at ‘LACOCK ABBEY’ in Pathe Pictorial No.92, and looking at toy soldiers in ‘HAND CARVED SOLDIERS’ in No.93, both of October 1956. She turned up again looking at a model house in ‘GARDEN VILLAGE’ in Pathe Pictorial No.122 of April 1957, and looking through a telescope in ‘MOUNTAIN RESCUE’ in No.246 of September 1959. Rolfe’s last surviving Pathe credit is for ‘SHIP ABLAZE’ in Pathe News No.63/37 of May 1963, but in May 1965 Rolfe was credited in the Movietone camera team that filmed the Cup Final for ‘HOW THEY WON AT WEMBLEY’ in British Movietone News No.1874. However, he seems still to have been doing work for Pathe, for in February 1968 he appeared in ‘EMERGENT AFRICA’ in Pathe Pictorial No.686. After Pathe stopped newsreel production in February 1970 Rolfe freelanced for Movietone, and was credited in the camera teams for ‘IN COLOUR - THE DERBY’ in British Movietone News No.2191A of June 1971, and ‘BURGHLEY HORSE TRIALS’ in No.2309A in September 1973.

He also worked as a cameraman for Parade (1963-1973), a colour cinemagazine made by Associated British Pathe for the Central Office of Information. One of his earliest credits for this series is ‘HENDON POLICE COLLEGE’, Parade No.67, released April 1969.

Sources

P. Wyand ‘Useless if Delayed’ (1959), p.235: Information from Peter Hampton, March 1999: NoS Number 327317; Parade Number 67; Date released April 1969.