At Wessex Film and Sound Archive you can see and hear history, from late Victorian times to the present day, through moving images and sound recordings. The Archive contains over 36,000 film and sound recordings relating to Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire, including film and tapes of local TV and radio.
This film is part of Free
General Election Slough 1950
A remarkable film showing the Municipal Borough of Slough's preparations for the 1950 General Election.
From the collection of:
Overview
Starting with newspaper headlines announcing the date of the General Election we next see election fliers from four of the main candidates. Then we're out on the campaign trail following the candidates as they speak to the voters. On Polling Day we see people arriving to cast their vote at various polling stations around the town, followed by the votes being counted. The Mayor reads out the result and the winner, Fenner Brockway, addresses crowds outside Slough Town Hall.
Fenner Brockway was an anti-war activist, anti-colonialist and politician. A member of the Independent Labour Party since 1907, he was imprisoned during the First World War for refusing to be conscripted. Brockway finally elected Member of Parliament for Leyton East in 1929. However, the Spanish Civil War marked a change in Fenner Brockway's pacifist views and he supported the struggle against fascism. An active supporter of Britain's role in the Second World War, he later became involved in various anti-colonial movements, being especially critical of Britain's handling of the Mau Mau emergency in Kenya. In 1950 he won the Parliamentary seat of Eton and Slough which he held until 1964.
Related
Watch for free
Vote for Froglet Vote for Froglet
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1974 7 mins
As the general election is held in the UK, it's polling day for the Clangers on a small blue planet far away.
Watch for free
Sam Small at Westminster Sam Small at Westminster
Promotional 1935 3 mins
It's the 1935 general election and Stanley Holloway recites a comic monologue promoting the policies of the National Government.
Watch for free
Bristol Fashion Bristol Fashion
Party political broadcast 1959 25 mins Location: Bristol
The Labour Party takes a heartfelt look at Bristol council’s social(ist) housing and education agenda, spinning a 'new story from an old city'.
Watch for free
Mr. Jenkins Pays His Rates Mr. Jenkins Pays His Rates
Documentary 1957 19 mins Location: Slough
Slough gets a resounding thumbs-up from a reluctant ratepayer in a surprising 1950s government film.
Watch for free
Socialist Car of State Socialist Car of State
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1930 9 mins Silent
Party-political hyperbole meets Wacky Races in this spirited cartoon produced for the Conservative Party.
Watch for free
Children and Politics Children and Politics
News 1964 3 mins
Some remarkably well informed (well, for the most part) children interviewed prior to the 1964 General Election.
Watch for free
Return to Action Return to Action
Documentary 1947 19 mins Location: Egham
Bricklayers, lawyers, teachers – disabled men and women are encouraged to retrain for new jobs
Watch for free
General Election 1951 General Election 1951
Government sponsored film 1951 8 mins Silent Location: Slough
A remarkable film showing the Municipal Borough of Slough's preparations for the 1951 General Election.
Watch for free
Mr. Jenkins Pays His Rates Mr. Jenkins Pays His Rates
Documentary 1957 19 mins Location: Slough
Slough gets a resounding thumbs-up from a reluctant ratepayer in a surprising 1950s government film.
Watch for free
Khichdi Khichdi
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2023 16 mins
The interwoven stories of four best friends who reunite in the UK, thirty-five years after training together as nurses during their teens in Ferozepur, Punjab.
Watch for free
Dr XYZ: A Medical Drag Transthology Dr XYZ: A Medical Drag Transthology
2023 15 mins
A satirical take on the healthcare service announcements of the 1960s and 70s.
Watch for free
Every Moment Counts Every Moment Counts
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2023 9 mins
A short animation that offers a window into the world of children’s palliative care.
Watch for free
Police Story: Panel Discussion Police Story: Panel Discussion
Inside Film 2024 24 mins
Panel discussion on Jackie Chan's 1985 action classic Police Story, with Chase Armitage, Sam Mak and Jadey Duffield.
Watch for free
China O'Brien: The Reunion China O'Brien: The Reunion
Documentary 2024 60 mins
Cynthia Rothrock, Richard Norton and Keith Cooke reunite three decades on from the groundbreaking martial arts classic.
Watch for free
Women in Action Panel Discussion Women in Action Panel Discussion
Inside Film 2024 28 mins
Action Xtreme - the UK's leading action film studio - hosts this panel discussion with four leading women in action cinema - Soo Cole, Jo Rolison, Jadey Duffield and Ioanna Karavela.