Exeter Blitz Aftermath

Archive: South West Film & Television Archive
ID No.: AD1716
Title: Exeter Blitz Aftermath
Date: 1942
Film-maker: Dartington Hall film Unit
Colour: Black & White
Sound: silent (sound commentary added)
Duration of complete item: 22 min.
Themes: Civil defence - civilian services

Summary:

Film of the 'Blitz' bombing of the city of Exeter in April 1942, with an accompanying commentary of eye witness accounts, supplied by the Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Exeter (RAMM).

Description:

The film shows scenes of destroyed buildings after Exeter was hit by Blitz bombing in April 1942, along with the recovery operations such as the missing persons unit, and rations being dispensed.

Context:

The Local Studies Library, Exeter, Devon donated this film to SWFTA as part of a larger collection. At the time of its donation very little was known about any of the films in the collection, subsequent research has shown that this footage was recorded by members of the Dartington Hall Film Unit. We have only sketchy anecdotal evidence of the date of recording, and although we have been told that the recording took place the day after the Exeter Blitz – and it clearly was shot very soon after the event – we believe it is more appropriate to state that it was shot sometime during the week after the Blitz. Similarly, we have been told that this was the film maker's last reel of 16mm stock: whilst this might well have been the case, we require better proofs before recording this as a matter of fact.
This film now forms part of an ongoing project with Royal Albert Memorial Museum (RAMM), working with both survivors of the Exeter Blitz and Exeter school children.

Dartington Hall School produced educational and natural history films from the early 1930s and operated until 1949. Along with making films, during the Second World War, Dartington Hall housed and distributed the Ministry of Information film library for the South West region.

See further information on the history of the Film Unit at The Dartington Hall Trust Archive and Collections