Segment from the weekly Deglův žurnál (Degl´s Journal) 1928 No. 43 captures the ruins of the Jakesch department store on the corner of Biskupská and Na Poříčí Streets in Prague. The almost finished building collapsed on 9 October 1928. Forty-six workers and casual passers-by were buried under the rubble.The funeral of the victims was held in Prague on 16 October. It was attended by almost 100,000 people. The commemoration was opened with a speech by the Mayor of the City of Prague, Karel Baxa (silent). The camera follows the funeral procession through Prague. The segment concludes with footage of the debris of the building being cleared.
Unedited film footage shot in the streets of Pardubice after an allied air raid on 22 July 1944. People are clearing the debris of buildings. Rescued pieces of furniture and other furnishings are loaded onto trucks. Two men carry a child´s coffin towards a hearse. A mass commemorative ceremony for the victims of the air raid is held on Pernštýn Square on 25 July. The bereaved gather by the displayed coffins at the site of the commemoration. Local official Adolf Želízko delivers a funeral speech.
Segment of the Český zvukový týdeník Aktualita (Czech Aktualita Sound Newsreel) 1945 No.10 captures the mass funeral of the victims of the air strike carried out over Prague on 14 February 1945, which was held on Peace Square in Prague-Vinohrady on 18 February 1945 and attended by members of the Protectorate Government and Reich Chancellor Augustin Popelka. 150 coffins with the victims are on display in the Church of St. Ludmila. (The air strike killed 701, and more than 80 people were missing.) A guard of honour with torches consisted of officials of the Board of Trustees for the Education of Youth. The funeral gathering is opened by the Mayor of Prague Alois Říha, who bids farewell to the victims on behalf of the City of Prague. Prime Minister of the Protectorate Government Richard Bienert speaks on behalf of President Emil Hácha. Minister of Economy and Labour Walter Bertsch lays down a wreath from Reich Protector Wilhelm Frick. Prime Minister of the Protectorate Government Richard Bienert and Reich Chancellor Augustin Popelka lay down a wreath on behalf of the Protectorate Government and President Emil Hácha. The Mayor of Prague Alois Říha and his Secretary Josef Pfitzner arrive to lay a wreath on behalf of the City of Prague.
Segment of the Československý filmový týdeník (Czechoslovak Newsreel) 1934 No. 3 captures the funeral of thirteen victims of the Nelson mine disaster in Osek u Duchcova on 8 January 1934. The explosion at the Nelson III coalmine in the town of Osek in North Bohemia occurred on 3 January 1934. The explosion affected the entire mine and destroyed the adjacent operational buildings. 144 people lost their lives in the explosion. The segment captures the final farewell with the first 13 miners, which took place in the Cistercian Monastery in Osek and was attended by 50,000 people. Images of the crowd of the bereaved by the coffins. After the funeral ceremonies, the funeral procession makes its way through the streets of the town. In the early evening, the coffins with the victims´ remains are interred in graves at the Osek cemetery.
The segment captures the funeral of theatre director František Neumann held in Brno on 27 February 1929. The coffin is carried out of the building of the Mahen Theatre and loaded onto a horse-drawn hearse. The funeral procession moves along the streets of Brno towards the railway station, where the coffin is placed in a special funeral carriage. The train leaves for Prostějov, Neumann´s final resting place. The footage includes two versions of the film capturing the same event.
Segment from the weekly Deglův žurnál (Degl´s Journal) 1928 No. 15 captures the funeral of the theatre actor Vendelín Budil held in Pilsen on 29 March 1928. The coffin is carried out of the Church of St. Bartholomew on Republic Square. The funeral procession makes its way through the city, stopping in front of the Tyl Theatre, where mourners deliver their speeches. Footage of the speech given by actor Alois Charvát (silent). The mourners include the late actor´s wife Krescencie Budilová and actors Jiří Steimar, Anna Steimarová and Rudolf Deyl Sr. Mourners arrive at the cemetery. The funeral ceremony will continue with the interment of the remains of the late Vendelín Budil in the family tomb at Olšany Cemetery in Prague.
Segment from the weekly Deglův žurnál (Degl´s Journal) 1929 No. 38 captures the funeral of Antonín Selnar, Jaroslav Böll and Jaroslav Pekárek, airmen of the 1st Regiment of T. G. Masaryk, who died a tragic death during a military exercise near Přední Chlum on 5 September 1929. The funeral ceremony was held on Charles Square in Prague on 10 September 1929. The coffins with the deceased are carried out of the building of the General Hospital and transported on aircraft fuselages along Ječná Street towards I. P. Pavlov Square. The segment includes bird´s-eye views of the crowded streets of Prague.
Segment of the Český zvukový týdeník Aktualita (Czech Aktualita Sound Newsreel) 1940 No. 52 captures the funeral of violinist Jan Kubelík held at Vyšehrad Cemetery in Prague on 10 December 1940. The coffin with the musician´s remains is carried out of the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul. The funeral procession is led by the late conductor´s son Rafael Kubelík and other family members. The funeral is attended by Minister of Education and National Enlightenment Jan Kapras and Chairman of the National Society Josef Nebeský. The ceremony continues with funeral speeches in front of the Slavín Tomb. After the ceremony, the coffin is lowered into the Slavín Tomb.
The segment captures the funeral of writer Alois Jirásek held in Prague on 16 March 1930. Crowds stream to the Pantheon of the National Museum, where the coffin containing the late writer´s remains is displayed. A car carrying President Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk arrives at the National Museum. In the upper part of Wenceslaus Square, a monumental cenotaph is erected and passed by a number of commemorative processions, Sokols, soldiers, legionnaires, and members of political parties and various associations. Officials of the Czechoslovak Sokol Society carry the coffin with the deceased from the Pantheon of the National Museum. University dignitaries and distinguished Czech writers walk behind the coffin. The event is also attended by the guard of honour of the Vysoké Mýto 30th Infantry Regiment of Alois Jirásek. Prominent politicians present at the ceremony. The segment concludes with a view of the urn containing the writer´s remains in a car heading to the late writer´s final resting place in his native Hronov.
Segment from the weekly Elekta-journal 1929 No. 5 captures the funeral of writer František Herites held in Prague on 22 January 1929. The flag of mourning is raised above the National Museum. The coffin with the deceased is carried out of the Pantheon of the National Museum. The funeral procession, which includes church dignitaries and Sokol representatives, heads to the Main Railway Station, from where the coffin will be transported to Vodňany to be interred in the family tomb.