Gaumont-British Instructional

In Australia, five children pursue horse thieves through the mountains.

A party of children take an eye-opening tour of John Brown's Shipyard in Clydebank.

Story of how two youngsters round up crooks planning to blow up the British fleet off Gibraltar.

Adventures on a fishing boat as told by two young boys who experience what it takes to be a fisherman at sea.

A film based on a story by Leo Tolstoy about a cabinet maker, his wife and an angel punished by God.

Time-travel to a 1940s classroom with this exemplary educational film.

A dramatization to promote the Territorial Army.

A teaching film about the human skeleton with animated medical illustrations as well as an actual skeleton with commentary. A man, naked to the waist, also demonstrates the relevant anatomy. X-ray cineradiography illustrates the movement of the arm.

The Case of The Missing Scene is a children's crime thriller that has been designed in the tradition of classic British children's films. A camera team takes pictures of rare birds from a hide when a poacher happens to get into the picture. The evidence (namely shot 63) disappears under mysterious circumstances. As always in these films, the case can only be solved with the help of a few bright children.

Explores the natural history of the otter, depicted through the fictitious account of a day in the life of Otto the Otter and his mother. The narrator claims that the short features "the first film ever taken of an otter swimming underwater."

Documentary about the building of ships at Barrow-in-Furness.

The Secrets of Life series (1934-50) may not conform to modern expectations of nature filmmaking, inclined as it is towards giving cute fluffy creatures human names and characteristics. But it couldn't be accused of shielding kiddies from the harsher realities of the food chain, as this exercise in ruthless Darwinism demonstrates to unintentionally hilarious effect. A more than usually eccentric narrator introduces us to the newborn bunny quartet of Donald, James, Charles and Clifford, but as the film's title gives away, "the boys" aren't all long for this world as they face an assault course of hungry owls, predatory badgers, shotgun-happy gardeners and aerial bombardment (no harm in a little anti-Nazi detour, this is 1942 after all). (from http://player.bfi.org.uk/film/watch-once-we-were-four-1942/)

Part of the archive's Junior Biology series, this study of maize is aided by diagrammatic, time-lapse, and microscopic footage.

This documentary starts with the theory as proposed by John Dalton in 1808, and outlines the progress made during the nineteenth century bringing in Faraday's early experiments in electrolysis, Mendeleeff's Periodic Table, and ending with ideas of the size of molecules and atoms then current. (Part 1 of 6)

Claustrophobic train-set comedy-thriller (produced by H.G. Wells son) with an ace reporter coming up against crooks intent on stealing a gold shipment on the Scotland to London express. A scatterbrained scientist, a gun-toting dame with revenge on her mind and a pair of eccentric spinster crime novelists – who steal the film – round out the motley band of passengers who cross the path of our intrepid hero as he tries to get his big scoop.

Story of young boy and girl who help aircraft designer to outwit gang of spies trying to steal secret plans.

Documentary highlighting how land has been reclaimed for agriculture in Scotland.

Poetic tribute to Mrs Turner's vegetable growing prowess, plus the delights of "wartime steaks".

A look at the Lake District and its famous poet.

Explore London Zoo with one of its greediest residents, Sally the sparrow.