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At the start of this clip Britannia (representing Britain) points out ‘What others are doing for us’. We then see a young recruit being waved off to war by his poor, elderly parents. The action then moves to scenes of trench warfare. From here we see scenes of action in wintry conditions. Next the scene shifts to show the wounded in hospital and an appeal to the public to continue supporting the war. The next scene closes with the broken hearted parents of the son who went off to fight looking at the roll of honour. Following this we see a number of scenes showing the bereaved and broken-hearted families, both rich and poor.   Historians estimate that around 9 million people saw this film at cinemas all over the country. It was designed to generate support for the war, but it was also controversial because it gave audiences at home quite a good idea of what conditions in the trenches were like. The main action scenes probably come from the film ‘Battle of the Somme’, the main battle involving British forces in 1916. The action scenes are mixed with scenes designed to boost support for the war. Rather like the ‘Battle of the Somme’, this film is interesting in the way in which it sometimes glosses over the horrors of war but is also quite open about losses and some aspects of the hardship of war. It compares very well to modern coverage of warfare.
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Video Length: 200
Date Found: April 05, 2008
Date Produced:
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UK National Archives |
February 17, 2010
Short film describing the role of one of William I’s Domesday commissioners.
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UK National Archives |
February 08, 2010
A documentary re-creation of the 1951 Festival of Britain South Bank Exhibition
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UK National Archives |
December 16, 2008
This is an impressive display of US military might. Landing craft take marines to the beach who then storm ashore. Since the 19th century France had ruled Vietnam. During the Second World War Japan had taken over Vietnam. At the end of the war the French wanted to rule Vietnam but Ho Chi Minh, ...
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UK National Archives |
September 29, 2008
Henry explains how important letters were. The post is good on the whole. He explains that soldiers like descriptions of ordinary daily life. He also explains that long letters can also be used as toilet paper! He also points out that soldiers often get bad news. He then explains censorship and ...
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UK National Archives |
July 25, 2008
This clip shows trainee Tommies digging trenches, probably in England in 1915. The clip closes with instruction on rifles and a machine gun. The film shows troops training before being sent to the western front in 1915. They are all volunteers, persuaded to join up by Lord Kitchener's ...
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