This film documents salute the soldier week in Keighley, May 1944. The film features various community activities such as military parades, speeches, sports events, Scottish dancing, an open air service, school gymnastics, and a formal dance all in the aid of raising money for the armed forces. Title- Salute to the soldier. Title- 1944. Title- Victory in 1944. Title- A AHHH Production. Title- April 29 - 1944 - May 6. Title- Saturday. The opening shot shows a street in Keighley during a...

This film documents salute the soldier week in Keighley, May 1944. The film features various community activities such as military parades, speeches, sports events, Scottish dancing, an open air service, school gymnastics, and a formal dance all in the aid of raising money for the armed forces. Title- Salute to the soldier. Title- 1944. Title- Victory in 1944. Title- A AHHH Production. Title- April 29 - 1944 - May 6. Title- Saturday. The opening shot shows a street in Keighley during a parade. The camera stays in a fixed position capturing all the different bands and army regiments. Shops are visible in the background, and the pavement is lined with people watching a marching bag pipe band, who, dressed in kilts, march past the camera. A marching band with percussion and brass instruments follows the tartan band. Sailors, led by a senior official, march past the crowds in very traditional uniforms. Next several groups of scouts march down the street. Of various ages, some scouts hold flags, while others play tradition marching band instruments. Next, a big brass band march past the camera. The filmmaker captures them in some detail, and on a drum 'Skipton prize band' is stencilled on the skin. Women wearing military uniforms march past the camera, quickly followed by male soldiers (possibly commandoes), and then another group of female officers pass by. A saluting military official leads another marching band; they all hold instruments but do not play them. The filmmaker then cuts to another procession of sailors, who march to the beat of a drummer who can be seen in the background. A group of women, dressed in more civilian style apparel, march past the camera smiling and generally looking jolly. Various service men and women move down the street past the camera. Another large brass band follows; again they are not playing their instruments as they walk past. An older group of soldiers (most likely veterans) march past in an orderly formation. Title- By kind permission of Lt Col Villers Title- Officer commanding the Cameronian's Title- Pipes and drums of the Cameronian's The filmmaker has now moved the camera to a new location. The camera, facing downhill, captures children and adults waiting on a pavement. Kilted bag pipe players are then followed by a Scottish regiment wearing knitted bobble hats, both groups march up the small incline past the camera. As the Scottish regiment walk past, the title: '1944', is then superimposed over the original image. On another street the same bagpipe band march up the street and a church with a banner that reads 'Sunday Worship' can be seen in background. The filmmaker then cuts to a stage populated by a group of important looking officials. The mayor of Keighley stands on a raised platform addressing the crowd, which predominately consists of soldiers, who line the foreground. The stage backdrop has a poster of a soldier running with a tommy gun. Although not fully visible in this sequence, the poster in totality reads 'Keighley Salute the soldier week'. A target board is also displayed on the poster showing how much has been raised already, and at this stage of the event the total has reached £750,000. Next, a senior military official makes a speech into the microphone. A tug of war is underway, and the filmmaker focuses on one team fighting hard not to lose any ground. The men participating wear plain vests and shorts, and a referee, dressed all in black, watches over the proceedings. Following the tug of war are several athletic events. Throughout these events crowds gather round, and the filmmaker captures brief exerts of each individual discipline. The events include high jump, long distance running, hammer, and finally a fun run sprint that features men dressed in formal attire, who sprint towards the finish in a rather chaotic manor. A kilted individual plays bag pipes on top of a stripped down boxing ring. Then the filmmaker captures a shot-put event, with several different competitors making throws in front of a small crowd. This is followed by an event with slightly less sporting pedigree: a no hands eating contest. Several men attempt to eat some sort of dough based sustenance, which is suspended by string from a raised stick. In the next sequence, four kilted soldiers perform a jig or sword dance on a small raised platform. Using swords as a primary prop, they perform an intricate choreographed routine for a small audience. In the next shot, a line of uniformed soldiers are embroiled in a drinking race. Each man swigs from bottles containing a dark liquid; a man finishes just as the filmmaker cuts. A man rides past the camera on a bike draped in a Union Jack. In the following shots more bikes ride past, racing round a small course marked out. The final shot in this sequence shows another kilted marching band. Title- Sunday afternoon. The camera has been placed on an elevated platform looking down on a street. Soldiers march down the street carrying muskets, while a civilian on a bike stops to watch the parade. Sailors follow the soldiers, and the first group appear to be of a very young age. Following these groups, more military personnel pass by the camera including groups representing both genders. The filmmaker cuts from the street to Keighley football ground, where an open air service is in progress. A band plays on a stage surrounded by a large audience. Next, members of the clergy stand on the stage reading a passage from the Bible, and the filmmaker cuts away to show the attending audience. The filmmaker gets an expansive shot of the football ground; panning across the pitch to show the uniformed service men and women from the parade, and the brass band, who are led by a zealous conductor. Cutting away from the football ground, the camera is now placed by the side of the road, capturing the parade leaving the football ground. The brass band followed by the various other regiments of soldier and sailors march by the spectators who line the pavement. Title- Monday. Again, in the centre of Keighley, the target board is set up. The crowd of spectators which has gathered in the centre of town is made up of people from a diverse age range. The children smile, laugh and point at the camera. On the main platform the donation total has evidently increased, and more officials make speeches, followed by more shots of the crowd. Title- Tuesday. Still focusing on the stage, a man wearing a hat and glasses addresses the crowd while other important looking figures watch from the back of the stage. Title- Wednesday. On a pavement in Keighley, a group of officials and distinguished members of the local community walk down the street. At the main stage area, a women's regiment is lined up ready for inspection. A female officer leads two older women, wearing fashion primarily applicable to the bourgeoisie, up the row to meet and greet the female service women. One of the two women makes a speech to the crowd. An extreme wide shot of the stage allows for a comprehensive view of the event, showing, The 'Keighley Salute the soldier' poster in all its entirety, along with the service women lined up in front of the stage and flags strewn along over the crowds heads. Title- Haworth school pupils. Pupils attending school (mixed genders) perform synchronised gymnastics in front of a large crowd, and the filmmaker captures this event from various angles. Title- Thursday. Situated on a street corner opposite a busy road, a brass band sit and play for the passing public. Diverting away from this scene, the filmmaker switches the focus to another group of important officials and members of the community who walk down the pavement. One man carries a wreath, and in the next show the man places it beneath a war memorial. Scans of the crowd again; veterans, often with several medals, make up a large proportion of the attendee's. A high ranking military official places another wreath beside the memorial and salutes before marching off. Returning back to the main stage at the heart of the event, the crowd clap as an army representative is handed a large piece of paper (most probably a cheque). The next shot shows a band playing; unlike the large brass band this group of musicians mainly play more delicate instruments, such as flutes. Title- Friday. A group of people walk down a street in Keighley, presumably towards the main stage area. Cutting back to the main stage, various military officials and soldiers make speeches. Behind the speakers sit a group of other important figures, including the mayor of Keighley. Title- Friday evening. Title- The old timers band. Title- 1944. Title- Harold Kitchen - Piano. Title- Jim Bradley- Trumpet. Title- Herbert Rush- Cello. Title- Willie Rush- Drums. Title- Booth Anderson- Clarinet. Title- Abe Howarth- Violin. Title- Sam Harrison- Violin. In a fairly dark room, the band members listed in the inter-titles play on a stage with the various instruments, and each member is dressed in a full tuxedo. On the dance floor, women in dresses and men suits dance together, and throughout the sequence they perform different dance styles; such as waltzing and other more free form styles. In this fairly long sequence, the filmmaker frequently cuts between the dancers and the band. Title- St Bernards waltz - Progressive barn dance. Title- Waltz. Title- Tango Waltz - Veleta. Title- Naughty Waltz. Smartly dressed men walk passed the camera on a street in Keighley. One of the men holds a trophy. Returning to the main stage in Keighley, a woman in a stylish hat gives a speech into the microphone. On the total board behind her a new plaque has been added to the totals, it reads '1,047,579'. The woman finishes her speech and takes a seat towards the back of the stage. The filmmaker captures the crowd and the police men standing in the front row. Title- Grand total 1,102,941. At the side of the stage, two well-dressed men look into the camera while a police man stands just behind them. Within a group of people, the Mayor stands next to a woman who holds one handle of a trophy. As the film continues, it shows a man holding the other arm, and then on his other side, he is also holding a trophy with another woman. The filmmaker cuts to a senior military official moving along the ranks, inspecting of a group of cadets and soldiers who stand to attention. The official then inspects a group of service women and sailors, who hold standard army issue bolt action rifles. Title- Dec 1933 Last parade of Keighley home guards. Soldiers march past the camera, some stare at the camera; however most keep their eyes fixed staring straight ahead. A soldier on a raised platform salutes, and filmmaker cuts to soldiers walking past, who salute back. Down the street a crowd have gathered in the background, and more soldiers walk past saluting the senior officer standing on the raised platform. The final shot of the film shows the crowd dispersing after the parade has finished. Title- Salute to the soldier Title- God save the king - Behind text is a picture of King George VI and a Union Jack flag. Title- Sweet memories. Title- To. Tile- The end.