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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Settle Warships Week
This is a fine example of an amateur filmmaker giving a real feel of their local town; here pulling together to raise money for a warship, and providing a glimpse into wartime life.
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Overview
Made by a local filmmaker, William Greenall, this film wonderfully captures the atmosphere of this market town at the height of the war. It shows the people of Settle, not only raising funds, gathered in the market square where the fundraising board proudly stands, and with accompanying parades of wartime services, but also out shopping, at work and enjoying some leisure time. For the enthusiast, it also features a motorcycle convoy making its way along a winding road.
This film is one of two made in Settle during the Second World War by William Greenall, of whom, unfortunately, nothing is known. This one is of the Warship Week from 21st to 28th February 1942. He also filmed the War Weapons Week in Settle, in March 1941, which raised Ј206,350, an average of Ј13 per head of the population (about Ј516 per head at today's values). Throughout the war towns and cities across the country organised events to raise money for battle ships, airplanes and other weapons. In order to help with this the Government set up the National Savings scheme in 1941, which it pushed for into the middle of 1942 with campaigns during the special ‘war savings weeks’.
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