A-tish-oo!

1941
Sound
6m

The face mask comes of age in this intriguing wartime guide to germ prevention.

Learn how to make a germ mask, 1940s-style! Whether it's glamour or practicality you're after, this short instructional film - made in support of the wartime government's 'coughs and sneezes spread diseases' campaign - will tell you how. Scientifically proven to be effective against all forms of 'direct projectile infection', our advice is to go out and get one now!

Ministry of Information short dealing with the loss of working time through the common cold and instruction on how to make a protective face-mask from different materials.

Life Under Fire

The horror of Luftwaffe bombs coloured daily life in Britain's cities and beyond, and war brought myriad daily hardships besides. But Britain could take it!

The Blitz receded after May 1941, but even after the Battle of Britain, the nation faced a barrage of incendiary bombs, V-1s and V-2s. While young men fought Axis powers across three continents, their families listened anxiously to the wireless, while many worried too about children far from home. But in the face of the destruction, sirens, blackouts and hours in shelters, the now-legendary 'Blitz spirit' kept despair at bay. Britain held her nerve thanks to mutual support, defiance and wit - plus a good grumble and as many cups of tea as rationing allowed.