FILM archivists are appealing for help tracing Armed Forces personnel from Bolton and Bury who appear in a series of moving videos shot during the Second World War.
Calling Blighty was a collection of short movies made between 1944-46 of servicemen and women in the Far East, sending personal messages home to their family and friends.
The poignant films were shown to invited audiences in local cinemas, bringing laughter and tears to those keeping the home fires burning.
A Message Home is a North West Film Archive and Manchester Metropolitan University project to reunite families with the films their loved ones appeared in 70 years ago.
"These few remaining films are a unique picture of 600 young Manchester servicemen and two women in the Far East around VJ day,” explained MMU School of Art Professor Steve Hawley.
“As a research resource this is priceless and as a human document the spirit and humour of the soldiers shines through in a very moving way.”
Of nearly 400 Calling Blighty issues made, only 48 are known to survive.
Of these, 25 were discovered in the North West and feature service personnel from Greater Manchester and beyond.
Nearly all were found complete with the sheets of contact details showing the names and addresses of the family and friends who were invited to the screenings.
The new project aims to find as many families and veterans as possible, and bring them together to experience the films again, and to share their stories.
Of the films, an archive spokesman said: “They are partly stilted, occasionally emotional, but mostly stiff upper lip testimonies, filmed direct to camera often in one take. Sometimes funny and always very moving.
“In a way, they predict video communications such as Skype, but also offer a window on the understated courage of servicemen who had endured the long separation from their home – in both time and space – often since the start of the war.”
Alongside the attempt to trace people, a new film is being made by Prof Steve Hawley combining some of the most interesting stories.
The film and highlights from the original Calling Blighty issues, will be screened to audiences including family and friends on November 23 at HOME, Manchester.
A documentary about Calling Blighty and the war in the Far East will also be broadcast on Channel 4 early in 2016.
A searchable database of more than 600 records and film clips from the remaining Calling Blighty issues can be found at http://www.nwfa.mmu.ac.uk/blighty/index.php
If you find someone you know in the archive, email blighty@mmu.ac.uk or phone Marion Hewitt on 0161 247 3097.
The archive’s service manager Marion Hewitt added: “This is a project I have been hoping to do for many years, and now with funding from Film Hub North West Central, and support from Manchester School of Art and HOME, we can finally achieve this long held aim.”
Featured service personnel in the clips are, by Surname Rank Forename Regiment:-
Bolton
Tonge Gnr T E Ra
Jones Gnr W 184/59 Laa
Walkden Leading James P/mx
Blackley Lac F S Raf Ceylon
Gillibrand Lac Unknown Raf Ceylon
Tomlinson Ac1 J Raf Ceylon
Halliwell Cpl Unknown Raf Ceylon
Mckie Sigmn J W Ceylon Army Signals
Jackson Sgt A 61 (z) F D S Eaamc
Morgan L/bdr Ellis 304 (ea) A Tk Regt
King L/cpl K 11th (ea) Div Sigs
Laine Pte A P Acc Att 5th Fld Coy Re
Lowe Pte J S 5 Field Ambulance (british)
Berry Cpl William No 3 F R Raf
Lock Pte J G Hampshires
Farrimond Sgt L 96 Sqdn Seaaf
Greenhalgh Gnr E 86 Medium Regiment Ra
Lester L A C T 2852 Raf Reg Sqdn
Leach Pte A C 126 I B G H (bt)
Collier L A C G 2 B P U Raf S E A A F
Partington Pte Unknown 2nd Suffolk Regt
Sutherland Bdr A Res Mob Aa Regt
Bury
Meigh Gnr W F 24/aa/a Tk Regt Ra
Nelson Pte R 13 Parachute Bn
Brownrigg Cpl Humphrey B O R Survey Cadre R E
Chadwick Pte Brian 1st Bn The Kings Regt
Oldham
Baker Cpl J R 716 Coy Para Pltns
Chadwick Sigmn H R Sigs 8th Fld Regt
Connolly Unknown Johnny Or Jack Unknown
Cunnington Pte Stan Rapc
Dickson Unknown Abe (?) Unknown
Doherty Unknown Alec Unknown
Evans Unknown Bing (?) Peter(?) Unknown
Green Sgt J 2837 Sqdn Raf Regt
Greenhalgh Tpr H 25 Dragoons Fvs
Greenott Or Greenhalgh Unknown Tom Unknown
Hardy Unknown Ken Unknown
Hedge Unknown Betty Unknown
Hilton Unknown Jim Unknown
Howard (or Howarth) Unknown Jim (or Jed) Unknown
Ingham L/bdr H 53/303 E A Light Regt
Kershaw Gnr H 136 Fd Regt Ra
Kershaw Lance T 165/86 Med Regt Ra
Lees Pte Jack 1st Lincs Regt
Marshall Unknown Harold Unknown
Martin Unknown Bob Unknown
Melia Gnr J Gnr 44th L A A Regt R A
Mellor Cfn Cyril K 10 Base Tank W/shop
Mills William Royal Army Medical Corps
Phillipson Cpl W 2960 A A Squdn Raf
Rhodes Unknown Cecil Unknown
Richardson Pte Frank Kings Regt
Saxon Pte Donald 81 Suffolk Regt
Slagg Or Slack Unknown Sammy Unknown
Stringer L/ Cpl J 7th King’s Own
Taylor Unknown Bob Unknown
Tenneton Or Pemberton Unknown Matthew Navy
Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown
Unknown Unknown Frank Unknown
Unknown Unknown Eddie Unknown
Unknown Unknown Harry (?) Unknown
Unknown Unknown Fred Unknown
Unknown Sgt Major Unknown Unknown
Unknown Unknown Ernie Unknown
Unknown Unknown Cliff Unknown
Waller Cpl F Mp 6 Ops Room Raf
Whittaker Unknown Eddie Unknown
Wrigley L/bdr M J 13 Ind Haa Regt Ia
Rochdale
Ashworth Lac W E Raf Ceylon
Butler Sigmn J H Ceylon Army Signals
Coomer Gnr T 27 Fd Regt R A
Irvine L/cpl A 49 B S D Rasc
Lees Pte Jack 1st Lincs Regt
Maguire L/cpl Jimmy 15 Bn Para Regt
Rhodes Sgt S 304 (ea) Atk Regt Eaa
Richardson Pte Frank Kings Regt
Saxon Pte Donald 81 Suffolk Regt
Smith Coder A N Royal Navy
Varnom L/cpl William R Signals
Woodward Pte B Kings Regt.
Yarker Lac L Raf Ceylon
Wigan and Leigh
Surname Rank Forename Regiment
Barber Lac James C Raf Ceylon
Hughes L A C H 5008 Sqd
Lyons L A C Austin R A F Kuala Lumpur Malaya
Potts Pte J 13 Bn Lancs Para
Sephton Pte W 227/76 Laa Regt Ra
Turton Dvr J 86 Medium Regt Ra
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