This film is part of Free

Salute the Soldier Parade

Cambridge takes part in a national wartime fundraising effort; amateur filmmaker and Cambridge don Trevor Spittle captures the military and girl guide procession.

Amateur film 1944 2 mins Silent

From the collection of:

Logo for East Anglian Film Archive

Overview

Lead by British Servicemen with Girl Guides bringing up the rear, those vital to the war effort parade through a Cambridge street, to participate in 'Salute the Soldier' week, a national fundraising effort to encourage civilians to place their money in government accounts, as Britain prepares for a final assault on Nazi Germany. The film concludes at the filmmaker's family home, Herschel Road, Cambridge, where the family remained throughout wartime.

It is thought the Girl Guide featured is filmmaker Trevor Spittle's daughter, Heather. The Spittle family stayed in Cambridge throughout wartime, on Herschel Road. Each played their part in the war effort. Trevor's wife organised ARP Training, being a Civil Defence volunteer, and is featured later in the footage with Canon W. Knox. Girl Guides did a lot to help the war effort. From helping to direct evacuees; becoming electricians, mechanics, first-aid givers and signals as required; stepping in as teachers and nursery nurses; keeping up morale in bomb shelters with singing; collecting materials for recycling; painting curbs white for people to find their way in a black out; and digging for victory.