"The Home Front" - Wartime Aspley Guise & Woburn Sands 1939-1945.

Off air recording of BBC2 TV: “The Home Cinema Front” on wartime Aspley Guise, 1939-1945. It was made in 1985. The war-time footage was filmed by Dick Sinfield and Son. The film is a mixture of World War 2 film and photographs with modern views of the same area and filmed interviews of the residents.

The video starts with an aerial view of the south eastern view of the UK with the area of Aspley Guise highlighted, then pans into a video of school children on a fundraising parade. A voice over by Eleanor Allen introduces the film and describes Aspley Guise. Several people then introduce themselves and say their link to Aspley Guise and what they did during World War 2.

00:04:40 – Jim Broadbent talks about the Aspley Guise Home Guard, their training at the Bell, uniforms and parades. He describes what is happening in the film.

00:09:31 – Eleanor Allen talks about her work as a billeting officer for the WPS. Bill Blowes and his mother Ester talk about their memories of the evacuation and life as an evacuee and at the local school.

00:15:31 – Clarice Dudley and Vera Leigh-Lancaster talk about food during war time including the meat ration and growing your food in allotments. Mrs Dudley also gives a description of the stores in the village.

00:20:00 – Clarice Dudley and Vera Leigh-Lancaster talk about the clothing ration and dances and Zoe White and Bob Brown talk about the cinema run by Dick Sinfield. It showed comedies and films he had shot of the area. A clip of the film ‘Old Mother Riley MP’ is shown.
00:24:18 – An unidentified woman and Eleanor Allen talk about the garden parties and fundraising. They describe what can be seen on the film. Harry Clothier (the Rector) explains why he did not like to raise money for the war effort.

00:29:00 – Dot Lawrence talks about losing her husband in the war.

00:31:28 – Jim Broadbent and Eleanor Allen talk about the bombers flying overhead and when they dropped a bomb on Aspley Guise, narrowly missing her children.

00:34:08 – Peter Calvocoressi talks about what happened at Bletchley Park, where he worked, and Woburn Abbey. During this there is a short break in the film. Clarice Dudley talks about what the local people thought about what was happening in Bletchley Park and Woburn Abbey

00:38:57 – Clarice Dudley and Eleanor Allen talk about VE Day.

00:41:29 – The film ends with footage of the VE day anniversary held in 1985, showing a street party with people singing “There’ll always be an England”. We then see film footage of the village lamp being relit after 5.5 years, a bonfire lit by Bob Sims and a couple dancing in front of it.