Around Big Ben

"As the pearly dawn gives way to soft sun rays, so the city of London lifts her sleepy head to greet another day…"

War, what war? In this London travelogue Oxford Street teems with shoppers, couples stroll through Hyde Park, and Chelsea pensioners collect their morning ration of free beer. If it wasn't for a shot of St Paul's Cathedral standing proud amid the ruins, a 'Public Shelter' notice in Trafalgar Square, or the fleeting mention of ration coupons, you'd hardly guess that World War Two was in full swing.

The film is testament to the resilience of Londoners at a time when the city was being routinely raided by the German Luftwaffe and the deadly 'doodlebugs' (V2 Rockets). B.S. Productions was a prolific producer of short documentaries and travelogues throughout the 1940s.