Watch The Big Picture - Soldier in Britain

Experience the American Journey through our country's visual heritage in this historical recording provided by the National Archives of the United States. From the U.S. Army's "The Big Picture" television series, 1950-1975. Today--for the first time in history--American military personnel are stationed on the soil of Great Britain in peacetime. Filmed against a backdrop of rolling countryside, villages, and historic landmarks, "Soldier in Britain" tells the story of Americans and Britains learning to live and work together. The American soldier's primary duty in Great Britain is to protect the numerous air bases of the Strategic Air Command. Quonset huts dot the landscape from one end of England to the other, and Englishmen going about their daily tasks may at any time hear an alert, and see troops from a friendly nation hastening off to an airbase to blaze away at a target. As the film unfolds, the television viewer will accompany the American soldiers stationed in Britain as they get to know Trafalgar Square (center of the City of London) as they watch a game of Rugby at Oxford, and visit historic Westminster Abbey. These are only a few of many sights covered by THE BIG PICTURE camera crews for "Soldier in Britain."

This historical recording from the National Archives may contain variations in audio and video quality based on the limitations of the original source material.

The content summary for this video is adapted from an historical description provided by the government agency or donor at the time of production release.