Crown Film Unit

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

Part of BFI collection "Police and Thieves."

Documentary short about how Britain is improving after WWII and what the populace can do to help.

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.

A short film about how builders help contribute to the war effort.

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.

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.

A documentary about how a bill for education (also known as the children's charter) passed by the British government in the 1940's will help all children get a good education.

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

Documentary about an average day during the Blitz.

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.

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

The ill effects on children's bodies and minds of the chaotic conditions being countered by the endeavours of UNESCO. The film emphasises especially the problem of the devastated areas.

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.

Documentary by Humphrey Jennings

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.

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.

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

A woman blames herself for her husband's death. To overcome her grief and her guilt she becomes a nurse but then a patient dies while under her care.

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.