A Welcome to Britain

A Welcome to Britain 1943

7.00

An uncredited Anthony Asquith is one of the directors of this WWII film (a joint UK/US production) which aims to explain British culture and character to the newly arrived American soldier. Starting with the ubiquitous pub visit, the film breezes through geography lessons, food and entertainment on the Home Front.

1943

Meet Sexton Blake

Meet Sexton Blake 1945

5.50

The famous detective and his trusty side-kick, Tinker, are called in by the War Office to find some important papers that were stolen from a man killed during an air raid.

1945

New Towns for Old

New Towns for Old 1942

1

Sheffield stands in as 'Smokedale', an industrial Everytown, in this stirring call for "new schools, new hospitals, new roads, new life", after WWII.

1942

The Feather

The Feather 1929

1

'A clerk embezzles money to pay for a girl's singing lessons in Rome.' (British Film Institute)

1929

This Is Colour

This Is Colour 1942

1

A short documentary to demonstrate what can be done with Technicolor film and to show various other colourful products.

1942

Eastern Valley

Eastern Valley 1937

1

Unemployed miners in South Wales are helped to form a Subsistence Production Society to farm and produce goods co-operatively.

1937

The Echo Murders

The Echo Murders 1945

4.50

Detective Sexton Blake takes on Nazi spies while solving a series of crimes.

1945

Tank Patrol

Tank Patrol 1941

1

Made in 1941, this stirring Ministry of Information dramatisation tells the story of a Crusader tank crew trapped behind enemy lines in the Desert. With no intercom, a wounded crewman and little fuel, they must fight their way through an Italian column to freedom.

1941

The Duchy of Cornwall

The Duchy of Cornwall 1938

6.00

This survey of early Cornish history looks at the country's language, landscape and industries.

1938

Village School

Village School 1940

2.00

A real Buckinghamshire schoolteacher - the kindly Mrs James - is the star of this persuasive WWII propaganda film. Shot on location in Ashley Green, it shows how evacuees from surrounding towns adapt to village life and wartime conditions. With its images of happy, healthy children, the film was clearly designed to give reassurance to city-dwelling mothers separated from their offspring.

1940

Balloon Site 568

Balloon Site 568 1942

1

Women from a variety of professions sign up to join a volunteer group looking after barrage balloons. Working through all weathers and all hours, after an eleven-week initial training period, they are committed to their work as well as their leisure-time activities.

1942

Night Watch

Night Watch 1941

1

Two lovers search for some privacy to kiss during the blitz.

1941

The Way to the Sea

The Way to the Sea 1936

1

A 1936 documentary film about the London to Portsmouth railway. A lesser known contemporary of Night Mail, also featuring the music of Benjamin Britten and poetry of W.H. Auden.

1936

Tomorrow Is Theirs

Tomorrow Is Theirs 1940

1

Tomorrow is Theirs examines provisions for secondary school education during the war, arguing for the importance of maintaining excellent, thorough schooling in spite of wartime obstacles.

1940

The People's Land

The People's Land 1943

1

A short documentary about the work of the National Trust in Great Britain

1943

Today We Live

Today We Live 1937

1

Two case studies highlighting the work of the National Council of Social Service: the conversion of a barn into a village hall in South Cerney, Gloucestershire, and the building of an occupational centre in the depressed mining village of Pentre in the Rhondda Valley, Wales.

1937

Behind the Scenes

Behind the Scenes 1938

1

A playful and affectionate look at London Zoo and the people and animals who make up its daily life.

1938

Our Country

Our Country 1944

1

A romantic tour of Britain set to Dylan Thomas's poetry.

1944

Cotswold Club

Cotswold Club 1944

1

How Somerton, Oxfordshire benefits from membership of the Village Produce Association during WWII.

1944