A new short film giving a vivid depiction of life on the Home Front in Buckinghamshire during the First World War is being distributed free to all schools in Buckinghamshire. Gateways' network member Professor Ian Beckett was the historical adviser for the film, which premiered at Pinewood Studios on 28th June 2016.
Through an extraordinary range of original visual material from all round the county, the film shows how the War affected everyone’s lives. Bucks lost over 8000 men and many were badly wounded. Back home, the images in the film show the disruption to family life, how the role of women changed, and how Buckinghamshire children played their part, leaving school early, digging allotments, collecting scrap metal and raising funds.
It provides a unique insight into the critical part played in the War effort by the larger country houses such as Chequers in the days before the house was given to the nation for the use of her Prime Ministers. In the north of the county, the film reveals the important contribution made by Wolverton Works in supporting the military, including adapting circus trains into mobile hospitals. It also shows how a Rothschild house was transformed into an infantry training camp which, in 1918, became RAF Halton. In addition, the film covers the contribution of farms to the war effort and the first real mechanisation of agriculture.
The DVD will be distributed to schools in the autumn, and will also be available for general interest in exchange for a suggested donation to the Armed Forces Charity, SSAFA, and the BMMT. Details will be released shortly.
For further details please visit the Buckinghamshire Military Museum website.
Professor Beckett is also collaborating with the Museum on a project sponsored by Gateways exploring the casualty books of the 1/1st Bucks Battalion, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry. Further details will be published on our Projects page soon.
