De Vry film reel (spool) in metal canister: ANZAC Division, British War Relief Society Inc, USA

Dark brown circular, lidded steel canister containing a 35mm film spool. The lid hinges for access on a heavy duty hinge and is secured by a single spring clasp accompanied by a rivetted chrome handle. Screwed to the base is a film gate assembly - the assembly extends around the back to a central trangular support with a sprung circular mount`. Centrally there is a red enamel brass plaque pinned to the lid which states: "DE VRY / Chicago / MADE IN / U.S.A. / MOTION PICTURE / SOUND EQUIPMENT'. The inside of the cannister is coated in grey enamel. No film included.

The film spool located inside is a strange mix of a separate upper ring mde from steel, with a soldiered brass pintle and shaft, with a separate lower disc (displaying the printed words 'AUDEX ROYAL/ SYDNEY') made from aluminium. This has previously been coated on both sides in black nitrose acetate which has now dried and almost all of it has sloughed off the aluminium disc. The crumbling residue now lies in the cannister. This has been identified as an audio recording disc, from which the nitrate has delaminated.

This heavy duty feeder spool (taking approximately 1,250 feet of film) is part of a projector unit made by De Vry and was presented by the ANZAK Division, British War Relief Society Inc of the United States of America, New York. It was used by the Mobile Cinema units (part of the Army Amenities Service) to screen movies, cartoons and shorts to troops in remote operational areas such as the Pacific during the Second World War as well as in Korea during the Korean War. They were sponsored by the Red Cross or the Australian Comforts Fund; with this example, the funding for the equipment was provided by the ANZAC Division of the British War Relief Society Inc, USA. Films were usually screened from a jeep or a specially fitted out truck.

The set up of the projector (a projector, a speaker box, the sound control unit and a feeder reel mounted on top of the projector box) is illustrated in AWM photograph 079290. The advantage of this unit is its portability; its quick set up and ease of operation.

A plaque on the projector reads: "Donated by the ANZAC Division of the British War Relief Society of the United States of America for use by the Australian and American Forces in the Land of the Diggers" When acquired from the National Film and Sound Archives, thirty two nitrate 35mm films were offered with this projector on which they were shown. The Memorial selected four films from this offer and the rest were offered back to the NFSA. The films date from 1940 to 1954 and the latest relate to the Occupation of Japan and the Korean War.