This documentary film is part of the C.H. Wood collection and looks back at the history of Bradford City Football Club before and during the war. There are shots of some of the former team members, as well as archive footage of the football team and trips that they made to Bournemouth and Chester. Title-Paraders Past, Bradford City AFC 1943-49. The voiceover talks about the 1939/1940 football season, and the problems that the players and fans experienced due to air raids, travel problems and...

This documentary film is part of the C.H. Wood collection and looks back at the history of Bradford City Football Club before and during the war. There are shots of some of the former team members, as well as archive footage of the football team and trips that they made to Bournemouth and Chester. Title-Paraders Past, Bradford City AFC 1943-49. The voiceover talks about the 1939/1940 football season, and the problems that the players and fans experienced due to air raids, travel problems and new rules. Accompanying this is lots of archive footage of people running along a street and into air raid shelters, men digging holes in the ground and dignitaries handing rifles to a line of men. The voiceover talks about Councillor Robert Sharp, who was the Deputy Lord Mayor of Bradford, was a Director of Bradford City AFC, and ran a flooring company. This is followed by footage of a man who is being interviewed about Robert. Another former Bradford City football player talks about playing for the team before the war. Accompanying this is archive footage of several football matches, showing the team sheet for a match between Bradford City and Bradford on 23 January 1943, including Adama on loan from Spurs, and the programmes for February 10 and Sepember 8th 1945.  There are lots of interviews with a few of the former players, who talk about the people involved, the wartime experience and the football. There is also lots of footage of the matches. Title-Military Boxing Valley Parade 1944. In the next section is archive footage of a boxing ring which has been set up in the middle of a pitch and two men fight while being watched by some men. One of the men takes a beating and has to stop for a few seconds. The next shot is of him sitting on a stool with his trainer fanning him with a towel. Following this are some shots of an Armistice Day Parade 1943, with rows of children of all ages, marching in uniforms. Title-Barnsley 16th October 1943 There is colour footage of the football match at Oakwell Park, with the men talking over it. Title-Barnsley v Bradford 1943 Some of the game is showed, with oen team in red shirts and white shorts. Title-City v Newcastle United Valley Parade November 1944. This is followed by colour footage of a section of the match. Title-Training at Valley Parade 1944 The men talk about their training and this is accompanied by black and white archive footage. The original voiceover talks about more of the history of the club and their successes and failures on the pitch. Title-Wartime Game, Horsfall Playing Fields There is a long sequence of shots of black and white photographic stills of players from the 1948/49 season. Title-City's Journal Title-Bournemouth v Bradford City. Footage of a trip taken by the football team to Bournemouth, including inside the trip there and playing cards. The men walk along beside the sea, smiling and posing for the camera. They joke around a lot. Title-Incidents at Bournemouth There are more interviews with the former Bradford City football players and some of what they say is played over footage of the team enjoying their trip to Bournemouth. Title-Bournemouth v Bradford City, FA Cup December 1947 (0-1 defeat) There is a long sequence of shots of the crowd, taken from the stands. Title-Returning Home They travel by coach and then by train which arrives into the station, with some men and women posing for the camera, before walking around London. Title-Chester v Bradford City, Sealand Road Chester, April 1948 The team get onto a bus and then having tea in the tea room of Mount Sarah's hotel. The following shots are of them arriving at the football stadium on their bus and then the spectators arriving. The team lines up on the pitch facing the camera, and then the game gets under way. Title-Southport v Bradford City, Haig Avenue, Southport, April 1948 There is colour footage of Robert Sharp, his wife and the other members of their group, getting onto a bus. Following this is a shot of some women and men coming out of the `Ribblesdol Arms'. In the next section is great footage of the passengers on the bus walking around a town, followed by close ups of old-style kettles in a shop window and also two fashionable dresses. A traffic police officer stands in a small box in the middle of the road and directs the traffic. There are lingering shots of two women who are on an amusement ride. The ride goes up in the air, down very near the ground, and around and around very quickly. There are other shots of a roller coaster, dodgems and some stalls. Following this is a shot of Robert Sharp and his wife and some other people sitting in the stands of a football stadium, and a row of spectators in wheelchairs in a line alongside the pitch. There is another long sequence of footage taken from the football match. The final shot is of the group getting off their bus and smiling at the camera. Title-Paraders Past Credit Introduction-Chris Cooper-The Pulse Memories-Peter Sharp, Ken Teasdale (Goalkeeper 1943-1945), Eric Walker Thanks to-Sharps (Floor Furnishers) Ltd Bradford. Title-Films commissioned by Cllr Robert Sharp. Director Bradford City AFC 1938-43. Filming-Sgt Fred Dewhirst, City of Bradford Constabulary. Video Conversion-David Wood, Wood Visual Communications Ltd. Direction-John Dewhirst, the City Gent & Dave Pendleton, the City Gent.