Australian Screen Online has just released rare footage of Australian WW1 soliders at the 1916 Battle of Pozieres. Over three clips, which runs for more than 10 minutes, have just been released in collaboration with the Australian War Memorial.

In Part 1, ‘Rehearsing for war’, the Australian Prime Minister, Mr WM Hughes, poses for the camera and Australian WW1 soliders are shown building trenches and preparing for battle in Pozieres. While at rest, Australian WW1 soliders build practice trenches using sandbags. At a trench training range, they rehearse for the coming attacks, using smoke bombs for cover. Near Armentières, West Australians of the 11th Battalion march up on duckboards, laid to traverse the mud.

Part 2, ‘Shells, shells, and more shells’, shows Australian WW1 soliders occupying old German trenches, enjoying the sunshine and waving at the camera as they await orders to move. They house some of their horses in old shell holes made by British guns. British Field Artillery moves up behind horse teams. British 8-inch howitzers are now pounding Pozières. the French village had been laid to waste during the two-week battle.

Part 3, ‘The shelling of Pozières ridge’, is a clip of British howitzers shelling German positions and Australian field guns joining the bombardment. They keep up a constant rain of shells on the German positions on the ridge. Horse-drawn limbers and mules bring up more shells and water along dusty roads. The Germans retaliate with shrapnel, which explodes in the air above the Australian lines. Australians go forward through the tiny village of Contalmaison, almost destroyed by shelling.

Paul Byrnes, a journalist and curator at the National Film and Sound Archive, says the film was the first attempt to make an Australian war documentary.

It seems like there is more good news for Australian fans of the genealogy TV show Who Do You Think You Are?

I was visiting a genealogy forum today and found a post saying that the first episode of the USA series of Who Do You Think You Are? in which Sarah Jessica Parker traces her ancestry, will air at 9:30pm Wednesday April 21st on Channel 9.

The post also mentions that the third series of the Australian Who Do You Think You Are? is halfway through production.

When I first heard that a number of countries bought the rights to the US version of Who Do You Think You Are? a few days ago, I just presumed that it would be SBS as they have run both the Australian and English versions of Who Do You Think You Are? in the past.

Don’t forget the new series of the UK Who Do You Think You Are? starts April 11th on SBS at 7.30pm with Rick Stein – Celebrated foodie.

Good news for Australian fans of the TV program Who Do You Are? The Australian Television Station SBS has scheduled new episodes of the hugely popular genealogy show Who Do You Think You Are? beginning April 11th 2010.

The new episodes are from the 2009, Series 6 of  the UK  program Who Do You Think You Are? SBS has only 3 shows listed at present:

April 11th Rick Stein – Celebrated foodie.

April 18th Zoë Wanamaker – Actor.

April 25th  Kevin Whately – Actor, famous for playing working-class character Detective Sergeant Lewis in Inspector Morse.

Other episodes in Series 6 of UK genealogy TV show, Who Do You Think You Are? include Fiona Bruce and Rory Bremner, which hopefully SBS will broadcast.