The Yorkshire Film Archive collects, preserves, and shows film made in, or about Yorkshire. Our collections are non-fiction, dating from the 1890s to the present day, and providing a rich and visually compelling record of all aspects of lives, cultures, landscape, industries, major events and everyday activities, many of which are available to watch, free of charge, on our website.
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Opening of the Serbian Orthodox Church
King Peter the second of Yugoslavia visits Halifax for the grand opening of a Serbian Orthodox Church.
From the collection of:
Overview
Chaperoned by bodyguards and surrounded by cheering crowds, King Peter the second of Yugoslavia attends the opening of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Halifax. Once inside, the film changes from black and white to colour, showing the ornateness of the interior of the Church, and marking an important milestone for the British-Serb community in Yorkshire.
King Peter II held strong links with the UK – he was educated in the UK and had royal godparents, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth (the Queen Mother). In 1947, The first Serbs arrived in Yorkshire from Germany to work in Britain’s coal mining, textiles and agricultural industries, which marked the beginnings of British-Serb communities in the region.
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