Woking reaches its target and military marches

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.

Woking reaches its target and military marches

Screen Archive South East at the University of Brighton
Woking
1944-01-01
Silent
16m

Over £680,000 is raised by Wartime Woking in this film from 1944 which features women on parade, Air Training Corps cadets and the Home Guard.

This 1944 film begins with uniformed women marching smartly on a parade ground and saluting a high-ranking officer. Next, young cadets from the local ATC practise parade ground drill before moving to a large park for a military parade. Home Guard and uniformed women salute a fund-raising display in the town – where an aircraft symbolises the amount of money raised by the people of Woking. An all-girls ball game is followed by dancing before we return to more parades.

Keep the Wheels Turning

The State seized control of much of British industry at the start of the war. Mills and factories now produced munitions, planes, tanks and uniforms, while mines yielded the coal to power it all.

Production went into overdrive. Workforces in key industries like coalmining and shipbuilding were classed as 'reserved occupations' and spared the draft, while an army of women took to the machines to meet the constant demand for munitions and uniforms. In hindsight, we can see that the foundations of the postwar settlement were being laid. The wartime economy was formidable: workers pulled together to meet ever-increasing demand for resources and government oversight kept the motors running.