About 20 minutes of color footage was discovered in the attic of a former mayor of St. Marylebone — who was also the chief air raid warden in his area. After it was recently discovered by his family — it was digitized for a website — West End at War. Here’s a bit:.
UPDATE: Video below the fold… it plays automatically though it is not on a loop.
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Here’s more info at The London Telegraph as well as other videos of Churchill reviewing Civil Defence groups, et al.
The 20 minute film covers the period between Sep 7, 1940 and May 10, 1941, and was shot by the wartime mayor of Marylebone in west London, Alfred Coucher, who was also the area’s chief air raid warden.
After the war he stored the films in his attic where they were recently discovered by his family and passed on to the St Marylebone Society, an architectural preservation group of which he was founder.
The films have now been digitised with the help of Westminster Council, which is making them available to view on a dedicated website to mark the 70th anniversary of the Blitz.
UPDATE: The video plays automatically once and is not on a loop.
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I can’t help thinking as I watch that they thought they were facing their greatest challenge. But their greatest challenge would be the peace and prosperity that would follow victory. And that challenge they would lose.