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Town And Family Scenes

1939 - 40 , Clacton-on-Sea (Essex)

Cat no. 536

Evacuees arriving in Clacton-on-Sea.

This film begins at Clacton Station, showing evacuees arriving in Clacton. Some leave by car. Others are herded together and are looked after by girl guides. In the family home a small boy blows out the candles on his cake. There are exterior shots of Clacton County High School. Women leave riding bicycles and there are shots of children in leaving. At home, the two oldest children are in school uniform. At home, the family sort Christmas cards, make paper chains and put up the black out. A small boy is filmed playing at soldiers and then playing with a carpentry kit. Outside there are snow scenes on Upper Branston Road with the young boy snow balling. The next shot shows girls from the Clacton County High School being evacuated from Clacton. In school uniform and carrying gas masks the girls march along the Road. At Clacton station, they board the train. Many boys, generally younger, have joined them and are looking out of the window. One gives a thumbs up to the camera. The train leaves and the children wave. The family leave the station. The next sequence shows Peter Smerdon with his hosts after evacuation. The family leave Dudley Road, a row of terraced houses. Shots in Clacton town centre at the junction of Station Road and Pier Avenue show shops boarded up. The film ends with the family having Christmas dinner.

Featured Buildings

Clacton County High School; Clacton station

Keywords

Children; Christmas; evacuees

Background Information

Herbert Lyne Smerdon was a photographer with the East Essex Gazette, formerly the Clacton Times. He and his wife Bertha lived with their four children, Kathleen, John, Monica and Peter at 120 Dudley Road, Clacton. The family had to leave the house as it was taken over by the army during the war. Clacton suffered the first civilian casualties of the war in 1940 when a German plane crashed when flying over England. As the plane had narrowly avoided hitting a school, there was a rush to evacuate the children. As nothing happened for some time, many of them returned again, only to be caught by the Blitz. (See Essex, 1975, Finest Hour.)

Manifestations

Town And Family Scenes

  • Activities
    Barcode
    INV159984
    Canonical Identifier
    S 585
    Canonical Title
    Unknown
    Carrier Type
    Digibeta tape
    Dimension
    Identifier
    Modification Date
    16/08/2012
    Parts
    Reference
    735349
  • Barcode
    INV394683
    Canonical Title
    Unknown
    Carrier Type
    MP4 H264 digital
    Dimension
    Duration
    0:07:36
    Modification Date
    23/11/2011
    Parts
    Reference
    734243
  • Barcode
    INV391663
    Canonical Title
    Unknown
    Carrier Type
    MP4 H264 digital
    Dimension
    Duration
    0:07:36
    Modification Date
    23/11/2011
    Parts
    Reference
    734242
  • Barcode
    INV371824
    Canonical Title
    Unknown
    Carrier Type
    MP4 H264 digital
    Dimension
    Duration
    0:07:36
    Modification Date
    23/11/2011
    Parts
    Reference
    734241
  • Activities
    Barcode
    INV362554
    Canonical Title
    Unknown
    Carrier Type
    DV digital
    Dimension
    Duration
    0:07:18
    Modification Date
    10/05/2011
    Parts
    Reference
    710784
  • Activities
    Barcode
    INV308529
    Canonical Identifier
    TB 1968
    Canonical Title
    Unknown
    Carrier Type
    DVD disk
    Dimension
    Has Sound
    Y
    Identifier
    Modification Date
    12/02/2009
    Parts
    Reference
    678095
    Sound
    sound
  • Activities
    Barcode
    INV232381
    Canonical Identifier
    TB 1944
    Canonical Title
    Unknown
    Carrier Type
    DVD disk
    Dimension
    Has Sound
    Y
    Identifier
    Modification Date
    30/01/2009
    Parts
    Reference
    677759
    Sound
    sound
  • Activities
    Barcode
    INV296628
    Canonical Title
    Unknown
    Carrier Type
    master digital
    Dimension
    Duration
    0:07:24
    Modification Date
    05/08/2008
    Parts
    Reference
    675300
  • Activities
    Barcode
    INV158576
    Canonical Identifier
    TB 996
    Canonical Title
    Unknown
    Carrier Type
    Umatic tape
    Dimension
    Identifier
    Modification Date
    28/07/2008
    Parts
    Reference
    674178
  • Activities
    Barcode
    INV171922
    Canonical Identifier
    TB 710
    Canonical Title
    Unknown
    Carrier Type
    Umatic tape
    Dimension
    Identifier
    Modification Date
    23/07/2008
    Parts
    Reference
    673805
  • Activities
    Barcode
    INV150931
    Canonical Identifier
    TB 339
    Canonical Title
    Unknown
    Carrier Type
    Umatic tape
    Dimension
    Identifier
    Modification Date
    22/07/2008
    Parts
    Reference
    673308
  • Activities
    Barcode
    INV156329
    Canonical Identifier
    2011/140
    Canonical Title
    Unknown
    Carrier Type
    Umatic tape
    Dimension
    Identifier
    Modification Date
    22/07/2008
    Parts
    Reference
    673218
  • Activities
    Barcode
    INV157005
    Canonical Identifier
    TB 216
    Canonical Title
    Unknown
    Carrier Type
    Umatic tape
    Dimension
    Identifier
    Modification Date
    22/07/2008
    Parts
    Reference
    673111
  • Activities
    Barcode
    INV265528
    Canonical Identifier
    A-474
    Canonical Title
    Unknown
    Carrier Type
    16mm film
    Duration
    0:07:24
    Identifier
    Image Polarity
    negative
    Modification Date
    25/06/2021
    Parts
    Reference
    656048
  • Barcode
    INV403553
    Canonical Identifier
    VP-455
    Canonical Title
    Unknown
    Carrier Type
    16mm film
    Duration
    0:10:00
    Identifier
    Modification Date
    25/06/2021
    Parts
    Reference
    563170

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