The new Films from the Home Front website puts historical research at the fingertips of web users © Screen Archive South East
An innovative website featuring films from World War Two Britain has been launched.
Films from the Home Front gives web users a chance to take an educational and nostalgic look at Britain during the Second World War.
The collection of amateur films, home movies and official newsreels was researched and digitised over the past year from regional archive collections and is now integrated into an historical online resource.
The £225,000 film archive project was developed by Screen Archive South East in partnership with six English regional film archives as part of the Big Lottery Fund’s £10 million Their Past Your Future programme. It was created by funds distributed by the Museum, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA).
The site shows amateur films, home movies and official newsreels © Screen Archive South East
The site will be used as a lifelong learning resource to develop people’s knowledge of the war effort.
"This website connects us to our past and to our involvement with the Second World War," said Justin Cavernelis-Frost, MLA’s Head of Archive Development.
The site is split into major themes exploring issues characterising British life during the war. Each theme is detailed and accessible for a varied range of readers.
These sections include Children in War Time, Civil Defence, Community Life, Displaced People, Home and Family Life, Women’s Role on the Home Front and 1945 Victory Celebrations.
Clippings and full-length footage is shown in black and white and colour and are either silent or with sound. Mini-features also accompany each film putting them in context. Audiences can also look at stills to get an indication of what they will be viewing.
Significant historical films have been digitised for the website © Screen Archive South East
There is a wide range of material, from family movies of wartime Christmas celebrations and holidays, amateur spoofs of British propaganda like the ‘Dig for Victory’ campaign, and also anti-war protest march films.
Forgotten aspects of wartime life are also covered, like road safety films and school activity pictures, produced to reassure parents of their children’s safety. Footage of German prisoners of war working in England sit alongside documentaries of ‘Salute the Soldier Week’ and end of war victory parades.
The Films from the Home Front has been designed to be accessible to all ages © Screen Archive South East
Margaret Cooney, Big Lottery Fund Deputy Director, Policy and Partnerships said: "The funding has introduced a new and enhanced dimension to the way in which people can view their recent histories."
"The quality and accessibility of the new digitisation will provide a highly effective tool for learning, both inside and outside of the classroom, to help people of all ages to understand and recognise the importance of sacrifices that people made during the Second World War."
The new site is part of the Moving History website, an online guide to the UK’s 12 public sector moving image archives that detail other aspects of 20th century film history.
