Britain on Film

Wasn't sure if this would be of interest to anyone, but the BFI have opened up 1000s of films from their archive, making them available for free online. These are short film clips mostly, around 3 minutes in length is probably the average, but they're historic captures of various locations throughout Britain. Here's the link http://player.bfi.org.uk/britain-on-film/ Plymouth has some great films dated as early as 1901! Search around for other locations, its really fascinating stuff!

I have also come across this documentary from 1946 http://player.bfi.org.uk/film/watch-way-we-live-1946/. It is directed by Jill Craigie, who met her future husband Michael Foot while shooting this film. It details the post-war struggles of living in and rebuilding Plymouth.

There's another film of the opening of the speedway track in 1930 and another of some Pram Derby of which 50,000 Plymouthians turned up in the streets to see people race with their prams!

Good stuff Powelly,will explore in the next few days.

The Way We Live is also available in full on Youtube now. It's a fantastic film. If you are Plymothian then you really ought to watch it and if you're not then it'll lose some impact but is still quite incredible. It was a film in a series, I think, and there's a similar one about Middlesbrough.

Just glad my sharing of this wasn't in vain and that you guys enjoy it. Generally I'm not into my history, but these visual captures of different eras I find incredibly fascinating.

My parents were resident in Stonehouse during the blitz. Mum tells all sorts of stories about what happened when the feeling takes her. Their "safe" place during an air raid was the beach at Devil's Point where they used to sit and hope all the bombs missed them. They were sitting there watching when the fuel dump at Turnchapel received a direct hit (it burned for days afterwards).

Ordinary people in extraordinary times just doing what they could to make the best of dreadful events.