Screen Archive South East is a public sector moving image archive serving the South East of England. The archive's collections of magic lantern slides, films, videos and associated materials capture the many varied aspects of life, work and creativity from the early days of screen history to the present day and serve as a rich and invaluable historical resource.
This film is part of Free
Start a Land Club
The wartime potato shortage is addressed in this marvellous film from 1942 - exhorting workers and school children to lend a hand on local farms by joining Land Clubs.
From the collection of:
Overview
A Ministry of Information film which exhorted audiences to start Land Clubs in their local area, using the Surrey Land Club as an example, in order to address food shortages. We see school children, in their uniforms, tilling and harvesting, while young women plant potatoes. City workers work the land while a girl drives a tractor. We also see a committee organising teams of weekend workers to help a potato farmer get his valuable crop sown in time.
In the run up to World War 2 and for the duration of the conflict, new voluntary groups were set up alongside established organisations to provide assistance in emergency health care, welfare, civil defence and farm labouring, as seen in this film from 1942. Civilian men, women, and even children, were encouraged to ‘do their bit’ by joining voluntary organisations like Land Clubs which had been set up to provide assistance for farmers in need of help with working the land. Land Clubs relied on local volunteer participation unlike the Women’s Land Army, whose members were conscripted when, by 1941, it was realised that voluntary service could not fulfil the demand for labour in a time of total war.
This government film is a public record, preserved and presented by the BFI National Archive on behalf of The National Archives, home to more than 1,000 years of British history.
Related
West Sussex Home Guard 1 West Sussex Home Guard 1
Instructional film/TV programme 1941 4 mins Silent Location: West Sussex
There's a wrong way and a right way to deal with Nazi spies and fifth-columnists - as you'll see in this this hilarious colour film starring the Home Guard and various Nazi rotters.
Warwork News No 33 Warwork News No 33
Government sponsored film 1943 11 mins
Wartime news magazine for factory workers, sponsored by the Ministry of Supply. News items often stressed the value of the 'factory front'.
Citizen's Army Citizen's Army
Documentary 1941 10 mins Location: London
Ordinary men from all trades and professions lead double lives to hone their soldiering skills in Britain during the Second World War.
When the Pie Was Opened When the Pie Was Opened
Government sponsored film 1941 8 mins
Welcome to an obscure but delightful corner of film history where Masterchef, rationing and surrealism meet public information films.
Family and Friends in War Time Family and Friends in War Time
Home movie 1941 26 mins Silent Location: Pudsey
Forget the war; life goes on in West Yorkshire, with weddings and family days out, the lively Pudsey Carnival and, on the eve of the Battle of Britain, an overflowing Ilkley Lido.
V.E. Day May 8th & 9th 1945 – Thanksgiving Day May 14th 1945 V.E. Day May 8th & 9th 1945 – Thanksgiving Day May 14th 1945
Amateur film 1945 10 mins Silent Location: Gateshead
You can almost hear the cheers in this gorgeous silent film of VE day celebrations on the red, white and blue decked streets of Gateshead
Getting it Back: The Story of Cymande - Q&A Getting it Back: The Story of Cymande - Q&A
Inside Film 2024 22 mins
The director of a documentary about British funk pioneers Cymande joins the band at BFI Southbank to talk about the film.
The West Case The West Case
Action and Adventure 1923 28 mins Silent Location: Tilbury
Plotting world domination, Devil Doctor Fu-Manchu steals plans for a new aero-torpedo in this earliest surviving thrill-a-minute serial instalment.
Enter the Scala!!! Enter the Scala!!!
Inside Film 2024 16 mins
Filmmakers Jane Giles and Ali Catterall discuss their documentary Scala!!!, revisiting the legendary and inspirational cinema venue and some of the most notorious films that screened there.
Smith Smith
Charity appeal 1939 10 mins
Long thought lost, this Powell-directed promotional short for a veteran’s charity was only rediscovered in 2003.