Dumbarton 1944-46 (clip 2)
VE Day celebrations in Dumbarton, 1945
- Description
- Questions & Activities
- Clip Details
- Print All
Description
A close up of the front page of "The Bulletin" May 1945 showing the headline 'War Over.' There are then various street shots, with flags and bunting celebrating the news. A Salvation Army band plays, and then crowds follow pipers as they down the street. There are more shots of flags and bunting, flying in the breeze, before footage of a pipe band with watching crowds. The clip finishes with people riding a merry-go-round.
Questions & Activities
Questions
- What exactly are the people celebrating?
- Was this the end of the war?
- What does VE Day mean?
- Why are the flags out?
- How many flags can you identify?
- What is a montage of shots and how does it convey meaning?
- Why were bonfires not allowed during wartime?
- How have High Streets changed in recent decades?
Activities
History (Home Front) / English / Local History: Work in teams to write your own narration and add your own soundscape. Think carefully about how you might best establish the time and place and communicate the excitement and other emotions of the day. You could even write the narration or a short story from the perspective of a child still waiting for their father to return from war. Interview local people who may remember VE or VJ celebrations in your town.
Geography / History: Compare Dumbarton High Street then and now and discuss whether it is important to preserve our town centres and why. Interview local people.
International Studies / Geography / Art and Design: Identify the different flags and then pick one and make a likeness.
World War II: Home Front / History: Arrange and film your own VE day party.
English: Write a story either from the perspective of a relative of someone yet to return from war or someone going to meet their husband/father/uncle/brother at the station not knowing how badly they are injured.
Clip Details
| Record Id | 007-000-002-227-C |
|---|---|
| Resource Rights Holder | Third Party Copyright licensed by National Library of Scotland |
| Project Ref | 1871 |
| Date | 1944 - 46 (original film made) |
| Genre | Amateur, Documentary |
| School Subject | History, Social Studies, Media Studies |
| Subject Matter | Home Front: World War 2 |
| Who | Ben H. Humble (director (attributed), ) |
| Where | Dumbarton |
| Event | World War II |
| Attributes | Colour, Silent |
| Clip Length | 1:51 |
| Film Length | 15:00 |