This film is part of Free
Lest We Forget
Charles Laughton stars in this appeal film for Enham Village Centre, where WWI servicemen with disabilities are cared for.
Overview
Charles Laughton and Flora Robson are among the stars of this appeal film for Enham Village Centre. Robson visits to find out how injured and war-disabled soldiers are being rehabilitated. She hears from a worker about the challenges faced by the men in finding suitable employment. The residents are offered retraining opportunities in various trades, including basketry, carpentry and furniture making. She also meets the worker’s wife in their nearby cottage, illustrating that housing was provided for married couples. Unfortunately we cannot hear the dialogue nor Charles Laughton’s direct appeal to send donations, as the soundtrack is presumably lost, but there are plenty of images here to savoir.
The Enham Village Centre, located north of Andover in Hampshire, was established in 1919. The estate covered over 1000 acres, incorporating three hamlets and five farms. The charity still exists today under the name of The Enham Trust. The stars made some memorable films around this time; Flora Robson played Queen Elizabeth I in Fire Over England, while Derrick De Marney - the clerk at the Labour Employment Exchange – had a title role in Alfred Hitchcock’s Young and Innocent. Director Anthony Asquith was the son of the Prime Minister during the First World War.
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