This film shows the various activities and training of the Morley Depot of the Central Hospital Supply Service (C.H.S.S.), the St. John’s Ambulance and the Home Guard, and the visit of H.R.H. The Princess Royal to Morley.  Later in the film, there is assorted footage of various military and civilian parades.  Throughout, the film switches between black and white and colour footage.  Inter-title: ‘Morley Depot of the C.H.S.S. doing valuable work for the Red X & order of St John’s.’ Second...

This film shows the various activities and training of the Morley Depot of the Central Hospital Supply Service (C.H.S.S.), the St. John’s Ambulance and the Home Guard, and the visit of H.R.H. The Princess Royal to Morley.  Later in the film, there is assorted footage of various military and civilian parades.  Throughout, the film switches between black and white and colour footage.  Inter-title: ‘Morley Depot of the C.H.S.S. doing valuable work for the Red X & order of St John’s.’ Second inter-title screen:  ‘Organiser   Mrs O.Rhodes            Ass Org   Mrs G. Shenton            Sec’y    Mrs C.F. Thetford            Treas    Mrs G. Jubb’ The film opens with an indoor black and white shot of the shield of the Red Cross & St John and the C.H.S.S. which is attached to a wall.  A wider shot then shows a desk under the shield at which a female C.H.S.S. worker is sitting, speaking to another woman holding a clipboard and some material. The next scene is filmed in a large hall, showing C.H.S.S. women in white uniforms  and hats.  They are working around tables, folding, labelling and stacking piles of blankets.  Other women cut material to size with scissors, sit at tables with sewing machines or cut material with handheld electrical cutting equipment.  One woman is stationed at an ironing board. Still in the hall, a number of women sit a long table with piles of material in front of them, sewing by hand or using a machine.  Some are chatting while they work.  Inter-title: ‘Packing & loading the finished articles for despatching to headquarters.’ Four C.H.S.S. workers stand at a table, sorting piles of blankets and preparing them to be despatched.  The footage then changes to colour.  The women file out of the back doors of the hall and load the bundles of sheets and blankets (pink, blue, white, brown) into a navy blue Austin Seven (?) parked outside.  The car then drives away, the camera follows it and a large trunk can be seen strapped to the back of the car. Inter-title: ‘Another fine effort by the C.H.S.S.  Funds raised to buy an ambulance for the Red Cross.’ Colour footage of the Red Cross’ new ambulance with four uniformed men standing in front of it and examining it.  The stretchers can be seen inside the vehicle. Inter-title: ‘H.R.H. The Princess Royal graciously accepts this gift – on behalf of the Red Cross’ The film returns to black and white.  The opening footage, filmed from a vantage point above street level, follows a uniformed man as he walks along a cobbled street towards the waiting crowd, which is several people deep.  The camera then films a frontal shot of the steps of a large public building down which a line of uniformed C.H.S.S. women proceed.  A car pulls up on the road at the bottom of the steps and several dignitaries spill out (H.R.H. and a man in Mayoral or similar garb).  H.R.H. is greeted with a handshake and a curtsey by a C.H.S.S. worker.  At the top of the steps, the Mayor(?) makes a speech, which is followed by applause.  H.R.H. appears then to say a few words. A senior C.H.S.S. woman then speaks.  The dignitaries walk down the steps, examine the ambulance through its open rear doors and then walk back up the steps to curtseys from either side. Various miscellaneous scenes follow: some of the crowds begin to disperse, supervised by policemen; C.H.S.S. women assemble on the steps; street-level footage of a uniformed St. John’s man in front of a crowd of onlookers.  Filmed from street-level, the dignitaries now proceed back down the steps, thronged with crowds, and get into the waiting car. The film continues indoors, in an office.  Uniformed men sit at wooden tables with paperwork, and one man is on the telephone.  Back outside again, and two more senior-looking uniformed men get into the back of a car. Inter-title: ‘Inspector Keyworth giving instructions to the section leaders’.  White Rose symbol of the St. John’s Ambulance(?) in the corner, as well as the first in a series of cartoon-like symbols to illustrate the inter-title. A number of men in suits (probably the section leaders) sit around a table as the camera pans across them.  A large map can be seen on the wall in the background. Inter-title: ‘Signing on for duty’ A uniformed man with a metal helmet attached to a bag on his back signs on in a book, watched by another. Inter-title: ‘Section Leader details his men for their beats’. Uniformed men line up two-by-two before the section leader, receive instructions in pairs, turn, and walk out. Inter-title: ‘Off on patrol – Civilians beware the plain clothes Tec!’ Colour footage again.  Pairs of uniformed men are filmed, in turn, on patrol on a residential street.  Two men dressed in suits and hats walk down the same street; nice shot of the sartorial styles of the day. Inter-title: ‘Special Constables taking part in a Mock Trial to learn Court procedure’. Black and white footage.  A series of dark shots from the inside of a courtroom: a man standing in the dock or witness stand; the public gallery, packed with people; the clerks; the bench of judges or magistrates.  One uniformed man, in the next shot, sits at a typewriter. Outside, senior-looking uniformed men (one man in a top hat and chain of office) walk onto some fields and inspect the assembled ranks.  They then stand and watch the men parade across the open space; factories and smoking industrial chimneys can be seen in the background.  Close-up shot of first-aid being administered.  The footage switches to colour.  A wider camera shot shows similar exercises being performed by a number of teams. Inter-title: ‘The Home Guards go into training’ Black and white film.  Three men are in an office – one examining a map, one at a typewriter, one on the telephone.  Other men crowd around a map spread out on a table; others look at a map on the wall. Colour film.  Lines of (Home Guard?) men stand in front of a large building in dark green uniforms practising manoeuvres with rifles. Inter-title: ‘Same old fatigue duties!’ Four young men in green uniforms and berets shovel coal into a wheelbarrow in front of a parked car. Black and white film.  Columns of men – some with rifles – leave what may be the barracks and march through the streets.  This is much to the interest of on-looking children, who trot alongside.  The men march to the outskirts of town; fields can be seen in the background. Inter-title: ‘Eyes – right!’ The men continue to march in formation, looking right.  Inter-title: ‘Machine Gun Drill’ Five men set up a machine gun on a tripod and appear to load ammunition into it.  The job done, they quickly retreat.  A close-up shot of the machine-gun.  Next, the men run into some fields (houses in the background), set up the gun again and rotate it on the tripod. Inter-title: ‘Home Guard.  Practice in hand grenade throwing’ On open fields, one man demonstrates to the rest of the assembled Home Guard men the correct technique for throwing a hand grenade (straight-armed throw).  Inter-title: ‘A Wardens Post.  Every Night Wardens Throughout Morley Stand To.  Many Enjoyable Hours Are Spent in A1 Company.’ Assorted indoor footage of wardens in a common-room area reading, playing darts, smoking cigarettes and pipes, playing cards, using the telephone. Inter-title: ‘Air raid message – red!  The Wardens set out on patrol or to man the smaller posts.’ The wardens don their metal helmets, get their bags and leave. Inter-title: ‘Those on night duty make themselves comfortable, others snatch what sleep they can.’ One warden passes around a cigarette case to his colleagues; others sleep on beds or benches. Inter-title: ‘Morley Report Centre.  Officer in Charge: Mr R.B. Stead.’ Inter-title 2nd screen: ‘Raid Messages Being Received.  A Voluntary Staff is on duty night and day ready for all emergencies.’ Four women sit at a telephone switchboard and hand documents to a man who passes them on. Inter-title: ‘Mapping & Control Room.  The Heads of the many Services detailing their teams to the scene of action and mapping’. Indoor shots of men and women sitting around a large table; men pressing pins into a large wall-map under a sign which reads, ‘Silence is essential’. Inter-title: ‘Outgoing messages are dealt with by a separate staff of phone operators and messenger boys.’ Women on the switchboard look at the camera and smile.  Messages are passed to messenger boys wearing raincoats and helmets who then leave the room.  A member of staff leaves the underground control room, and two boys cycle down the road on a tandem. Inter-title: ‘The Night Staff sleep at their post.’ Three of the women workers are asleep on the floor underneath the telephone switchboards. Inter-title: ‘Casualty Headquarters.  Commandant F.J.R. Batten.  Practice in bandaging, while standing to.’ Fully uniformed and helmeted men bandage the legs and body of a ‘casualty’ and lift him onto a stretcher.  One man wears a white helmet with the initials ‘F.A.P.’ stamped on it. Inter-title (red background): ‘St Mary’s First Aid Post.  Practice night under the supervision of Dr E.F. Kenny’ Colour footage.  Indoor shot of nurses in white uniforms sitting around a table in an office, writing.  Film of the inside of a large hall, possibly taken from a balcony; nurses are practicing first aid on various ‘patients’ in beds.  Close-up shot of nurses swabbing a young man’s upper torso and shoulder.  One is wearing latex-type gloves and using metal tongs.  The Doctor comes around to demonstrate.  Other procedures are demonstrated – possibly stitching, and attaching a wooden leg splint. Inter-title (colour): ‘We all appreciate the training these voluntary nurses are taking on our behalf. A group of school boys are standing on a corner, where nearby a shot down German Messerschmitt aircraft is on display. Inter-title(colour): ‘1941.  The Military and Civil parades at the close of Morley’s War Weapons week’.  Wooden model soldier in pieces at the bottom of screen. Black and white film.  Outdoor view of military personnel lined up beside a military vehicle in the town.  The military practices manoeuvres, and there is other footage of inspections, military personnel and vehicles. Footage of closing ceremony and speeches of dignitaries on the steps of same public building H.R.H. visited earlier in the film.  At least one senior military man, a judge(?) and perhaps Lord Mayor in attendance.  There are panoramic shots of the assembled crowds on one side of the road, and soldiers on the other.  Military vehicles drive down the road on parade; a military band follows: drums, tubas, trumpets, saxophones, clarinets.  The dignitaries continue to watch from the steps in the driving rain.  Further parades of men, women and children follow; some are waving Union Jacks; others are on motorcycles and push bikes; cars and lorries follow (some fire fighters?); a P.D.S.A. truck brings up the rear. Inter-title: ‘August 1945.  The Mayor announces the end of the war with Japan.’ Colour footage.  Outdoor shot of the Mayor, flanked by officials, speaking before a large crowd.  Black and white footage.  Soldiers and other uniformed men are being inspected and parading on open fields.  Young men row in small wooden boats on a river, and other uniformed young men standing and drinking tea at an outdoor table. Colour footage.  Assembled ranks of uniformed young men, as though lined up for a photo.  Assorted colour footage of more military parades and military marching bands: young women in navy blue/black uniforms; young men in (possibly Navy) uniform.  The film ends abruptly.