Last Year of Peace

From the collection of

Screen Archive South East at the University of Brighton collects, preserves, catalogues and provides public access to its collection of films and magic lantern slides. The collection charts the rise of screen culture in the region and the nation and captures many aspects of life, work and creativity in the South East from the late 19th century to the present day. It is available for research, screenings, creative re-use and commercial access.

Last Year of Peace

Screen Archive South East at the University of Brighton
Egerton
1939-01-01
Silent
16m

An amazing film that contrasts the last months of peace in 1939 with scenes from the first year of the war - featuring dog-fights over Sussex and the effects of falling bombs.

Starting with spring blossoms and sheep, this film shows a burning windmill, a festival attended by the Archbishop of Canterbury and a Channel crossing to France. We also see the people of Egerton coping with blizzard conditions in the winter of 1939/40. Such peaceful images contrast sharply with scenes of aerial warfare during the Battle of Britain and the fire-bombing of local buildings. We see neighbours crawling over bomb craters and a girl posing between two bombs.

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