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Category: Social history video
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Pathé: What A Scorcher!
The National Archives education team’s film of the month highlights a Pathé film relating to current events, anniversaries or key topics that you may be cove... read more
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Pathé: The Motor Skater
The National Archives education team’s film of the month highlights a Pathé film relating to current events, anniversaries or key topics that you may be cove... read more
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Pathé: Want a fallout shelter?
The National Archives education team’s film of the month highlights a Pathé film relating to current events, anniversaries or key topics that you may be cove... read more
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Webinar: Grace O’Malley Pirate Queen of Ireland
Born to an Irish chieftain in a remote corner of County Mayo, Grace O’Malley forged a career in seafaring and piracy that spanned over 40 years. This webinar... read more
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Pacifists besieged in a London church, First World War
This footage shows a meeting of pacifists in a London church, which is interrupted by patriots. We see a large crowd outside the church, some trying to get in... read more
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Webinar: Using the 1939 Register, recording the UK population before the war
The preparations had been made well in advance. Now Britain was at war, and as the uniformed army prepared to face the enemy, a civilian army was mobilised at h... read more
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A momentous question: decorating the Victorian home
The rise of an increasingly affluent Victorian middle class and the availability of mass manufactured goods, including furniture and textiles, contributed to an... read more
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Hearth Tax: an introduction
The hearth tax was levied on householders in England and Wales between 1662 and 1689. Records of the assessments, returns and exemptions are a fruitful source f... read more
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CO 1069 – Australasia through a lens
A look at the work of Charles Percy Pickering and John William Lindt, two European photographers, whose varied paths had led them to Australia.... read more
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CO 1069: The Colonial Office Library Photographic Collection
Stephen Cable introduces CO 1069: The Colonial Office Library Photographic Collection.... read more
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Sarawak in pictures, a century of rule by the ‘White Rajas”
James Cronan introduces files related to Sarawak from the recently released CO 1069 Colonial Office photographic records.... read more
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Women Making Munitions
The film goes straight in to show women using heavy engineering machinery such as belt driven lathes. We see women on the production line assembling shells, whi... read more
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National Service – Women’s Land Army
This short clip consists of a romantic scene in which a noble woman runs a horse drawn plough across the field. It is taken from a recruiting film for more wome... read more
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Women’s Army in France
This clip comes from a compilation film of the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps in France, 1917-1918. In this segment we see women with their sleeves rolled u... read more
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Women Transport Workers
The film starts with a tram being driven and conducted by women. The journey continues as the women driver prepares the tram and we then see the women conductor... read more
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Dublin After The Easter Rising
The film opens with titles locating scenes of the fighting in Dublin at Easter 1916. Several different shots follow that focus on the huge amount of damage caus... read more
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Armistice Day Ceremonies
The film starts with titles explaining the Armistice Day ceremony. It then goes on to show the march past the Cenotaph in Whitehall. Context The Great War offic... read more
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London Church Completely Destroyed By Fire
The opening titles tell us that this is a church burned down by Suffragettes, causing £20,000 of damage. The scene then shifts to a church at New Cross that ha... read more
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For the Empire – Part 2
This clip takes us first through a sequence of ruined cities in Belgium and France and shows scenes of complete devastation. This is contrasted with London̵... read more
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For the Empire – Part 1
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... read more
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Emily Davison killed at Derby
Opening title says Tattenham Corner, followed by scenes of horses racing past. A new title then tells us ‘Suffragette killed in attempt to pull down the King&... read more
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War Between British Forces and Irish Republicans
This film opens with titles proclaiming ‘Terror In Ireland’. We then see a scene in which a British checkpoint blocks an Irish street. The scene then switch... read more
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Suffragist Rally in Hyde Park
The opening titles tell us that ‘Law Abiding Suffragists? from all over the country held a rally in Hyde Park. We then see a huge, orderly and very cheerful c... read more
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Suffragette Pageant in London
The clip opens with titles telling us the pageant contains over 66,000 women and they are showing examples of famous women in history. We then see a very large... read more
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The Canterbury Tour – Part 2
This is a film taken from the back of a truck with the cameraman filming everything in his wake. It starts at one end of Canterbury and takes us to the other en... read more
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The Canterbury Tour – Part 1
This is a film taken from the back of a truck with the cameraman filming everything in his wake. It starts at one end of Canterbury and takes us to the other en... read more
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Edwardian Folkestone at play
In this clip we see people bathing in the sea with interesting details like the bathing booths. Later people are shown having portrait photos taken. We get a br... read more
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Africa through a lens: Focus on Nigeria
Presented by James Cronan, diplomatic and colonial records specialist at The National Archives.... read more
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Africa through a lens: The history of colonial South Africa
The history of colonial South Africa, presented by Daniel Gilfoyle, diplomatic and colonial records specialist at The National Archives.... read more
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Africa through a lens: Origins and aims
The origins and aims of the Africa through a lens project, presented by Caroline Kimbell, head of licensing at The National Archives.... read more
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Africa through a lens
Africa through a lens, presented by Jenny Orme, Diverse Histories Specialist at The National Archives.... read more
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What Titanic means to me: Rudi Newman
Academic and Historian Rudi Newman talks about what Titanic means to him.... read more
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What Titanic means to me: Peter Boyd-Smith
Maritime Historian Peter Boyd-Smith talks about what Titanic means to him.... read more
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What Titanic means to me: James Cronan
Records Specialist James Cronan talks about what Titanic means to him, and a document of special significance.... read more
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To Her Most Excellent Majesty…
An introduction to the Privy Purse 1 (PP1) series of records. The beautiful, rarely-seen congratulatory addresses in the Privy Purse series were presented to Qu... read more
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New Zealanders Illustrated
One of the gems of the CO 1069 collection is a publication by the explorer, naturalist and painter George French Angas, entitled the New Zealanders Illustrated.... read more
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UFO file release August 2011
Highlights from the eighth release of files from the Ministry of Defence.... read more
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Edwardian Folkestone at work
The film opens with well to do Edwardians in a well off street. We then see sailors on the docks, followed by a range of street urchins and slightly more well t... read more
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Living the Poor Life – Paul Carter talks about some stories from the files
Paul Carter, The National Archives’ principal modern domestic record’s specialist, talks about some of the personal stories that have emerged from t... read more
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The Titanic
A short film highlighting the records held by The National Archives on the sinking of the Titanic.... read more
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UFO file release February 2010
Dr David Clarke, an expert in UFO history, guides us through the highlights of the UFO files at The National Archives, released in February 2010... read more
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Carve Her Name With Pride
This videocast is part of the War on Film series, created by The National Archives to mark the 70th anniversary of the Second World War. The series recounts the... read more
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Hope and Glory
‘Hope and Glory’ tells the story of a young boy growing up in London during the Second World War. The film explores two themes that greatly affected the Hom... read more
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UFO file release August 2009
Dr David Clarke, an expert in UFO history, guides us through the highlights of the newly released UFO files at The National Archives.... read more
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UFO file release March 2009
The third instalment of UFO files, transferred by the the Ministry of Defence, covers the period from 1987 to 1993. One of the more unusual cases recounts the e... read more
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Irish land records – British Sign Language video
With the loss of the 19th century census returns for Ireland, Sharon Hintze guides us through the alternative sources for family historians researching their Ir... read more
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Civil registration and beyond – British Sign Language Video
The National Archives’ Audrey Collins takes civil registration as her topic and reveals some of the little-known facts and stories behind the records.... read more
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The Manorial Documents Register – British Sign Language Video
Liz Hart, from the National Advisory Service, provides an introduction to the various types of manorial records and offers a practical guide to using the Manori... read more
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Introducing the 1911 census – British Sign Language Video
Mark Pearsall is a family history specialist at The National Archives. Here he provides an introduction to the newly released 1911 census and tells us how inval... read more
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Child emigration to Canada – BSL Sign Language Video
Find out about the British child emigration schemes from 1618 to 1967 as Roger Kershaw examines the reasons and the records behind the schemes to Canada, Austra... read more
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New files From 1978 – BSL Sign Language Video
Contemporary historian Mark Dunton discusses the release of high-profile records from 1978, which provide fascinating insight into the thinking of key governmen... read more
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The real Little Dorrit: Charles Dickens and the debtors’ prison – British Sign Language video
David Thomas examines the reality behind Charles Dickens’ fiction – what were Victorian debtors’ prisons really like and how accurate was Dick... read more
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The parish: administration and records – British Sign Language video
For hundreds of years the parish was the most important unit of local government. This talk covers the historical administration of the parish, its officials an... read more
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UFO file release May 2008
Nick Pope, former UFO investigator at the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and now independent expert on the unexplained, discusses the UFO files released by UK MOD.... read more
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UFO file release May 2008 – Part 1 (audio with slides)
Dr David Clarke, UFOlogist and senior lecturer in journalism at Sheffield Hallam University, talks about The Ministry of Defence files recently transferred file... read more
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UFO file release May 2008 – Part 2 (audio with slides)
Dr David Clarke, UFOlogist and senior lecturer in journalism at Sheffield Hallam University, talks about The Ministry of Defence files recently transferred file... read more
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Nigeria – The making of a nation
This film, in terms that are patronising today, shows how the British government viewed this handover of power in Nigeria. The British government saw itself aft... read more
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Suez In Perspective
Dating from 1960, this film concerns the controversial Suez Canal Crisis in 1956. Explaining the background to the abortive British and French intervention of t... read more
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1971 Census
A census can paint a comprehensive picture of the social and domestic conditions in a nation. Census returns are essential tools for effective policy, planning... read more
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Gold Coast (Ghana) greets Kwame Nkrumah 1951
In this film Gold Coast independence leader Kwame Nkrumah is freed from prison after winning victory in the country’s elections in 1951. A huge crowd welc... read more
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Climate Change – Tomorrow’s Climate – Today’s Challenge
Opening with a wide-angled shot coming towards the earth from space, the voice over begins, “Life depends on the warmth of the sun being trapped by the la... read more
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Mental Health – Interview
We sit in on a young man’s interview…all is going well until he tells the interviewer that he used to suffer from depression. Embarrassingly the intervi... read more
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Gimme Five – Five A Day
This advert made for the Department of Health symbolises the eating of ‘5 A Day’ portions of fruit and vegetables. The Government now recommends an intake o... read more
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Internet Shopping – Virtual Mall
Set in the virtual mall, a couple out shopping are advised to get real addresses and phone numbers to be safe when placing orders on the net. In recent years th... read more
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Bullying – Tell Someone
Bullying of children is an issue that has seen much publicity in recent years. This film conveys the message that children who are being picked on should not ... read more
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Think Bubble – Adult & Child
This was a modern version of the ‘say no to strangers’ message, seen most famously in the Charley the cat animations of the1970’s. The film is targeted at... read more
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Crime Prevention – Hyenas
The ‘Hyena’ campaign was launched in 1992 – with the long-term objective of making car crime socially unacceptable. The campaign likens car criminals to s... read more
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Fireworks – The Management
The comic duo Hale and Pace insist that “there is nothing more stupiderer… than messing about with fire works on the street!” According to the Explosives... read more
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Electricity Privatisation – Breakfast
From the 1980s many formerly state-owned industries in the United Kingdom were privatised. Initiated by Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative Government, privatisa... read more
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AIDS Monolith
In 1987 the British Government launched a major public information campaign with the slogan “AIDS: Don’t Die of Ignorance”. A leaflet about AI... read more
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Smoker Of The Future
In Britain there has been a history of innovative anti-smoking campaigns. Recent adverts have featured smokers with fat dripping from their cigarettes to reinfo... read more
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Drug Misuse – Dummy
Heroin abuse became a high-profile problem in the 80s as anti-drug messages began to appear in fictional programming. The troubled character Zammo, who appeared... read more
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Close To The Edge
This 1980s update of the Green Cross Code uses vibrantly coloured film, and a variation on the Grandmaster Flash track ‘The Message’, which tells us: “... read more
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Rabies Advice
The British Isles may have been free of rabies for many decades, but abroad the disease presents a hazard to anyone oblivious to the dangers. This is the key me... read more
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Stupid Git, John Altman
Think before you drink before you drive. This film features a youthful John Altman. Altman went on to earn fame as “Nasty” Nick Cotton in the BBC soap opera... read more
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Think Bike – Jimmy Hill
Featuring well known sports presenter Jimmy Hill, ‘Think Bike’ encourages motorists to take extra care to look out for motorcyclists when pulling out from j... read more
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Pedal Safety Song
Dating back to 1978, the same year that ‘Saturday Night Fever’ and ‘Grease’ hit the silver screen, the ‘Pedal Safety’ film encourages cyclists to we... read more
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Keep Britain Tidy
Over the last 50 years the ‘Keep Britain Tidy’ campaign has encouraged the public to put rubbish in the bin. This over-the-top film from 1975 ironically hig... read more
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Jobs For Young Girls
Highlighting the problem of girls leaving school without thinking about further education or training, this film’s message appears to be: don’t be tempt... read more
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Keep It To yourself
Made in 1968, this film features a young Roy Hudd as the shadowy spy-figure mischievously dropping litter. As one of the ‘Keep Britain Tidy’ campaigns, this... read more
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Army Recruitment
The 1957 Defence White Paper announced that the army would be reduced in size from 330,000 to 165,000. The last National Serviceman was discharged from the Brit... read more
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Joe and Petunia – Coastguard
Cartoon couple Joe and Petunia appeared in a number of films starting in the late 1960s. Covering subjects such as the countryside code, the dangers of worn tyr... read more
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The Blue Streak Rocket
In 1955, Britain began developing a long-range liquid-fuelled missile, the Blue Streak programme. Designed to deliver nuclear weapons, as part of Britain’s in... read more
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This Week In Britain No.199 ‘The Caretaker’
‘This week in Britain’ was one of a series of magazine films or Cinemagazines produced by the COI for consumption abroad to promote Britain and the Commonwe... read more
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Streaked Lightning
In the Royal Air Force (RAF) recruitment film ‘Streaked Lightning’, we see a Lightning jet demonstrating why it once held the world air-speed record. As an... read more
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In The Shadow Of The Wall
Telling the tale of two Berlins, this propaganda film was produced to help Britons understand why the East German Communist authorities constructed the Berlin W... read more
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The British Policeman
Most public information films were made for domestic consumption, publicising initiatives or campaigns; but not all were. This portrait of a British Policeman w... read more
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Atomic Achievement
In the 1950s nuclear power stations were seen as the future, providing a clean alternative to fossil fuels. The ‘Atomic Achievement’ film triumphantly celeb... read more
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Into The Blue
In April 1944 Great Western Aerodrome started its transformation from a privately owned small grass airfield to Heathrow; by 1946 one of the world’s busie... read more
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Operation Hurricane
British scientists had been heavily involved in the US wartime Manhattan Project to develop a nuclear weapon. After the war, the United States, keen to maintain... read more
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Brief City
Unlike the Global theme of the Great Exhibition of 1851, the Festival in 1951 was specifically focussed on British achievments. Labour politician Herbert Morris... read more
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Wing to Wing
The development of the ‘jet propulsion gas-turbine’, otherwise known as the jet engine, transformed flying in the post-war era. This was both in mil... read more
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Festival in London
Unlike the Global theme of the Great Exhibition of 1851, the Festival in 1951 was specifically focussed on British achievments. Labour politician Herbert Morris... read more
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Men of the World
Released in 1950, Men of the World, was produced for propaganda purposes to parade the worldwide commitments of the British Armed Forces. However the timing was... read more
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Journey by a London Bus
Most government information films were made for domestic consumption, publicising initiatives or campaigns, but not all were. The British Government were commit... read more
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The Wonder Jet
The development of the ‘jet propulsion gas-turbine’, otherwise known as the jet engine, transformed flying in the post war-era. This was both in mil... read more
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London Airport
In April 1944 The Great Western Aerodrome started its transformation from a privately owned small grass airfield to Heathrow; by 1946 one of the world’s b... read more
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Berlin Airlift
At the end of the Second World War, Germany was divided into four zones under the administration of Britain, France, the United States, and the Soviet Union. Th... read more
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Five Pounds in Notes
This film short is trying to relay the message that only five pounds in notes could be taken abroad in the late 1940s. Although the message offers little or no... read more
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What A Life!
This Richard Massingham film is a bizarre contribution from the Crown Film Unit, and addresses the challenges Britain faced in the austere post-war era. Wartime... read more
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Charley’s March of Time
The key principle underpinning the Welfare State was that it was universal. And that it would also be free of discrimination, free of stigma and paid for by eve... read more
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Your Very Good Health
The National Health Service (NHS) was one of the major achievements of Clement Attlee’s Labour government. By July 1948, Minister for Health, Aneurin Beva... read more
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Pop Goes the Weasel
In ‘Pop Goes the Weasel’ (as with the cartoon ‘Charley’s March of Time’ from the same year) the Attlee government demonstrated its commitment to infor... read more
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Pedestrian Crossing
In 1951 there were two million cars registered on the roads of Britain, a figure that rose by 250 per cent over the next ten years. The rapid growth of car owne... read more
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Don’t Spread Germs
The century between the first Public Health Act of 1848 and the start of the NHS in 1948 has been regarded as the golden age of public health. Coughs and Sneeze... read more
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Charley in New Town
In the immediate post-war period ‘New Towns’ were considered to represent one of the main hopes for the future. Designed to alleviate overcrowded in... read more
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Shown by Request
When the Government decided to replace the wartime Ministry of Information in March 1946 with the Central Office of Information (COI), an official information s... read more
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Read Any Good Meters Lately (Watch your Meters)
The end of the war in 1945 did not result in the immediate end of shortages and rationing. By 1948 rations had fallen well below the wartime average. In some ca... read more
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Modern Guide to Health
The century between the first Public Health Act of 1848 and the start of the NHS in 1948 has been regarded as the golden age of public health. Coughs and Sneeze... read more
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Coughs and Sneezes
The century between the first Public Health Act of 1848 and the start of the NHS in 1948 has been regarded as the golden age of public health. Coughs and Sneeze... read more
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Play Safe – Frisbee
Part of the ‘Play Safe’ campaign, ‘Frisbee’ was one of a number of films that used chilling electronic music and frightening sound effects to highlight... read more
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TV Licence – Columbo
“Don’t get a fine, get a licence,” the authoritative voiceover man advises. This public information film was designed to encourage evaders to pay up, or s... read more
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Green Cross Code 3 with Dave Prowse
The ‘Green Cross Code Man’ was famously played by Dave Prowse, the man who later starred as Darth Vader in the original Star Wars movies. Designed to bring... read more
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Swimming – David Wilkie
Public Information film, in which Olympic medal winner David Wilkie encourages children to learn to swim.... read more
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SPLINK – Jon Pertwee
‘SPLINK’ was a slogan aimed at improving road safety for children, and came a year after Dave Prowse had first played the Green Cross Man. The film dates fr... read more
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Rabies Outbreak
The British Isles has been free of rabies for many decades, but the disease still exists elsewhere in the world. In the United Kingdom there are precautions to... read more
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Peach And Hammer
“You can’t argue with a car…” This film, like so many before and since, was commissioned to highlight the dangers of crossing a road. Far more hard-hitt... read more
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Children’s Heroes – Kevin Keegan
In 1976 the series entitled ‘Children’s Heroes’ showed celebrities from Alvin Stardust to Kevin Keegan telling children how to cross the road using ca... read more
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Protect and Survive – Casualties
Protect and Survive was the title of a series of booklets and a Public Information Film series produced by the British government during the late 1970s and earl... read more
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Protect & Survive – Action After Warnings
Protect and Survive was the title of a series of booklets and a Public Information Film series produced by the British government during the late 1970s and earl... read more
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Green Cross Code 2 with Dave Prowse
The ‘Green Cross Code Man’ was famously played by Dave Prowse, the man who later starred as Darth Vader in the original Star Wars movies. Designed to bring... read more
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Green Cross Code 1 with Dave Prowse
The ‘Green Cross Code Man’ was famously played by Dave Prowse, the man who later starred as Darth Vader in the original Star Wars movies. Designed to bring... read more
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The Fatal Floor
“Polish a floor, put a rug on it, and you might as well set a man trap…” Like many of the featured public information films, ‘The Fatal Floor’ is an a... read more
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Switch Off Some Power
In late 1973 the Conservative Government was locked in a dispute with coal miners over measures introduced to assist Britain’s poorly performing economy.... read more
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Tufty Under 5’s – Ice Cream Van
Tufty Fluffytail was born in 1953. It was a hugely successful road safety campaign aimed at young children. The late Elsie Mills MBE created Tufty, who featured... read more
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Lonely Water
Warning children not to play near ‘dark and lonely’ water, a horror film style look and voiceover is used in this film to highlight the dangers. An ominous... read more
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Charley – Strangers
In 1973 the incomprehensible pronouncements from a ginger cat named Charley warned children against strangers, matches, water safety and other everyday perils.... read more
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Charley’s Tea Party
In 1973 the incomprehensible pronouncements from a ginger cat named Charley warned children against strangers, matches, water safety and other everyday perils.... read more
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Charley – Mummy Should Know
In 1973 the incomprehensible pronouncements from a ginger cat named Charley warned children against strangers, matches, water safety and other everyday perils.... read more
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Charley – Matches
In 1973 the incomprehensible pronouncements from a ginger cat named Charley warned children against strangers, matches, water safety and other everyday perils.... read more
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Charley – In The Kitchen
In 1973 the incomprehensible pronouncements from a ginger cat named Charley warned children against strangers, matches, water safety and other everyday perils.... read more
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Charley – Falling in the Water
In 1973 the incomprehensible pronouncements from a ginger cat named Charley warned children against strangers, matches, water safety and other everyday perils.... read more
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Broken Glass
As part of a wider anti-litter message, this film addresses the problems of rubbish left on beaches. Showing a boy running on the sand, and abruptly ending befo... read more
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Teenagers Learn to Swim
Released in 1972 this cartoon aimed at teenagers warns them to learn how to swim, or risk social embarrassment and failure to attract the opposite sex. The fema... read more
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Joe & Petunia – Acceptance of the Country Code
Cartoon couple Joe and Petunia appeared in a number of films starting in the late 1960s. The animations covered subjects such as the Coastguard, the dangers of... read more
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Decimal Currency – The System
February 15 1971 marked the official date the United Kingdom decimalised from its historic pounds, shillings and pence to the new system of 100 new pence to the... read more
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Children and Disused Fridges
This public information film is concerned with the problem of children being suffocated in old fridges that, tempted by their playful imaginations, they want to... read more
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1971 Census
A census can paint a comprehensive picture of the social and domestic conditions in a nation. Census returns are essential tools for effective policy, planning... read more
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Keep It To yourself
Made in 1968, this film features a young Roy Hudd as the shadowy spy-figure mischievously dropping litter. As one of the ‘Keep Britain Tidy’ campaigns, this... read more
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Suez In Perspective
This film is about the controversial Suez Canal Crisis in 1956. The film was made in 1960 four years after Suez. It views the Suez Crisis from a British perspec... read more
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Nigeria – The Making Of A Nation
After the Second World War and following Indian independence, the British government envisaged the gradual and ordered replacement of the Empire. The Empire wou... read more
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Charley Junior’s School Days
The immediate post-war Labour government introduced many social reforms under the guise of the Welfare State and nationalisation. But steps to reform the educat... read more
