The North East Film Archive is one of a network of regional film archives established to collect, preserve and show film made in, or about the North East of England. Our collections are non-fiction, and date from the early 1900s to the present day, providing a rich record of life in the region over the 20th century. Many of our films are available to watch, free of charge, on our website.
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Berwick on Tweed
Happy days as a Middlesbrough family revisit a favourite holiday haunt in this portrait of Berwick- upon -Tweed after World War Two.
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Overview
A Middlesbrough family leave behind memories of ‘holidays at home’ and Anderson shelters and take a trip to Berwick-upon -Tweed. This delightful Kodachrome home movie captures local fishermen at work on the river, and the magnificent bridges and centuries-old military architecture in this Borders town soon after the end of World War Two. Victory Day flags and Home Guard uniforms still linger as a reminder of this recent past.
Tom Brown, who shot and composed this film, was a Middlesbrough dentist and chairman of the Tees-Side Cine Club. He made many home movies, documentaries and travelogues between 1930 and 1960, but his filmmaking activities (and holidays) almost halted during World War Two. The War Office issued orders regulating where filming could occur, and restricted the availability of film stock. Petrol was rationed and non-essential travel by public transport was discouraged. Despite the Browns’ relative affluence, Kodachrome colour film was especially hard to come by, and the services still had first call in 1945.
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