Ferry Pilot

Ferry Pilot 1942

5.00

Focuses on the work of the Air Transport Auxiliary or ATA. By 1941, literally hundreds of RAF fighters and bombers needed to be flown each day between aircraft factories, maintenance depots and RAF aerodromes. This vital task was carried out by the men and women of the ATA, a civilian air force operating from their own pools and stations all over Britain. Essentially a dramatised account of typical ATA deliveries, the film features coverage of the ATA's own fleet of Ansons, as well as being notable for some excellent Spitfire film and very rare footage of the Whitley bomber, including take off and in-cockpit sequences.

1942

Listen to Britain

Listen to Britain 1942

6.10

A depiction of life in wartime England during the Second World War. Director Humphrey Jennings visits many aspects of civilian life and of the turmoil and privation caused by the war, all without narration.

1942

Fires Were Started

Fires Were Started 1943

6.10

British film written and directed by Humphrey Jennings, filmed in documentary style showing the lives of firefighters through the Blitz in World War II.

1943

Target for Tonight

Target for Tonight 1941

6.10

This is the authentic story of a bombing raid on Germany... how it is planned and how it is executed. Every person seen in the picture is a member of the Royal Air Force from Commander-in-Chief to aircraft hand, re-enacting his own daily life on the job. They are the men and women who actually direct, plan and execute the raids.

1941

The Silent Village

The Silent Village 1943

6.80

The true story of the massacre of a small Czech village by the Nazis is retold as if it happened in Wales.

1943

Mary's Birthday

Mary's Birthday 1951

4.50

The flower fairies help a little girl named Mary to thwart germs.

1951

A Diary for Timothy

A Diary for Timothy 1945

6.60

A narrator recounts the state of Great Britain near the end of WWII via a visual diary for the titular baby boy born in September 1944.

1945

Daybreak in Udi

Daybreak in Udi 1949

4.30

An African tribe in the Eastern Nigerian village of Umana work to build a maternity hospital, with the aid of government officials, and against the opposition of some tribal members.

1949

It Might Be You

It Might Be You 1946

1

A doctor talks about the number of injuries and deaths resulting from automobile accidents.

1946

Coastal Command

Coastal Command 1942

4.00

Documentary style presentation of the work of RAF Coastal Command. Shows their work in protecting convoys and attacking enemy aircraft, ships and U-boats, all done by the actual men & women of the RAF.

1942

The People at No. 19

The People at No. 19 1949

4.50

Reported cases of sexually transmitted disease took a sharp rise during and after World War II, but as this film testifies, sexual license amongst soldiers on the frontline wasn't the sole cause. Back on the home front, for many women, like Joan from No. 19, loneliness or newfound independence acted as an incentive to extramarital promiscuity.

1949

Caribbean

Caribbean 1951

4.00

Tradition, dance and song, modern customs and development and welfare services in the Caribbean Islands.

1951

V1

V1 1944

1

Depicts the aftermath of German air raids on Britain with V1 rockets during World War II.

1944

Instruments of the Orchestra

Instruments of the Orchestra 1946

1

British educational documentary film about the principal instruments in the modern symphony orchestra, illustrated through Benjamin Britten's composition, "The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra", for which it was commissioned.

1946

Copy Book Please

Copy Book Please 1948

1

This short post-war film was made to inform people how to address a letter correctly.

1948

Words for Battle

Words for Battle 1941

6.20

Poetry by Rudyard Kipling, John Milton, and William Blake, and excerpts from speeches by Abraham Lincoln and Winston Churchill, all read by Laurence Olivier, illuminate documentary footage of England during its defense against the Nazi blitz in World War II. This short film serves as both propaganda and as a rallying cry to the British people.

1941

Mr Jones Takes the Air

Mr Jones Takes the Air 1946

1

Perhaps the characters in this film are stupid or even laughable. Before YOU laugh at them remember that people behaving like them often cause accidents on the roads - and country roads are no exception.

1946