Baer: VE Day

Summary

Amateur film shot at Littleover in Derby showing V E Day celebrations including a children’s party and sporting events held on fields at Littleover County Primary School. Also the film maker, William Baer's family at home and on holiday in Devon.

Year:

1945

Duration:

0:19:14

Film type:

Black & White / Silent

Genre:

Home Movie

Master format:

8mm

Description

The film opens with shots of children wearing party hats walking in a 'crocodile' along a street, some of the older boys at the rear of the group are carrying wooden guns. We then see a group of girls on the playing fields at Littleover County Primary School playing rounders with a tennis racquet. We also see a group of men and boys playing cricket. Next we see a group of children sitting at tables for an outdoor street party in Gayton Avenue, Derby and being served food by the adults. The next sequence shows a pageant of children, teenagers and adults in costume, including a woman dressed as Britannia. We see them parading around a yard and then through the streets, they are also seen marching behind a man carrying a union flag. This is followed by a sequence showing a women’s football match. The following scenes are from a family holiday in Devon. We see shots of a coastline filmed from a boat. We then see a group of adults seated in front of a pavilion at a table with parasol and then sitting on a beach and climbing over rocks and on a cliff walk. There are views of a quaint street (possibly at Lynmouth) and we end with views of Ilfracombe showing the lifeboat being pulled into the sea by a crawler tractor at low tide.


Credits

No credits specified


Notes

The VE day parade shown in the clip started at Littleover County Primary School and made its way to Gayton Ave in Littleover where the street party took place. Before and after the street party there was a mini sports day on the school’s playing fields. The school was later renamed as Gayton Junior School.