🎬From British Gaumont, an unusual method of wildlife filmmaking. A family of rabbits are under threat from foxes, badgers, a shotgun wielding home-owner and the German Airforce.

The "Secrets of Life" series ran from 1934 to 1950

Gaumont British Instructional Films - Secrets of Life.
Released by General Film Distributors Ltd
Release Date: 1942
Film Title: Once We Were Four...
Director: Mary Field
Photography: Oliver Pike
Commentary: EVH Emmett

🎬British Pathé – New RAF air sea rescue boat being tested on Solent. Air sea rescue launch tested on Solent near Portsmouth, Hampshire. Various point of view shots from back of speed boat. Various shots of RAF (Royal Air Force) air sea rescue speed boat at sea. C/U of helmsman at wheel. The boat passes a liner. C/U of controls inside wheel house. More shots rescue boat speeding past. L/S raft on fire at sea. The rescue boat passes it, crew direct hoses at blazing raft. C/U of man operating foam hose. C/U of foam squirting onto raft. Note: newspaper cutting and press release from Ministry of Supply about launch on file.

🎬British Pathé – Young unemployed men live and work at the Grith Fyrd camp in the New Forest. Titles read: "The army of peace. Grith Fyrd, it is called, and the camp consists of many who are unemployed, but by no means unoccupied." On the bank of the River Avon near Fordingbridge we see various shots of the Grith Fyrd or Peace Army Camp, where "young men of all classes can develop themselves both physically and mentally". Bare chested young men cut down a tree and carry it back to the camp. Several shots of the men working in the camp, making concrete buildings, weaving rushes for shelter mats, weaving cloth for their clothes, doing woodwork and making sandals, milking goats, taking classes from other camp members, cooking, bathing in the river, drying themselves and running back for dinner. Commentator says this is neither a vocational training centre nor a holiday camp and adds "One of the main objects is to make constructive use of leisure, whether enforced or otherwise". Good footage of camp for unemployed young men during the Depression. Note: there is a letter on file from the Organising Secretary of the Camps

🎬British Pathé – A Sikorsky helicopter carries out a practise air / sea rescue in Calshot, Hampshire. Air-Sea rescue demonstration. L/S of a stranded pilot in a dinghy. Various shots of a Sikorsky helicopter coming to the rescue. C/U's of the pilot and joystick. M/S propellors revolving. L/S of the dinghy from the air, M/S as the helicopter hovers over it and drops a ladder, M/S as the pilot climbs to safety. M/S of the water. L/S of the helicopter flying away

🎬British Pathé – Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, opens Bournemouth's new pavilion. GLOUCESTER, DUKE OF. PRINCE HENRY Item title reads - Duke of Gloucester opens Bournemouth's magnificent £250,000 Pavilion. Dorset. M/S of soldiers standing to attention. M/S of Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, walking down the line and inspecting them. M/S profile of him stood with the mayor (?) L/S of the pavilion, the camera pans across people walking in front of it.

🎬British Pathé – Humorous film made for delegates to the Cinema Exhibitors Association Conference. High waves crash against a seaside seafront. A man in an overcoat and hat runs out to a shelter on the front. A man walks along the sea front under an umbrella. Flooded road (Alvis Ave.), water several feet deep in garden. Man and woman in rain coats and holding umbrella stand on pier. Flood water in front garden - sign reads 'Chalet to Let'. LV seafront with pier. People line up outside cinema ticket booth. LV Seafront at Llandudno in Wales. Various shots of men playing golf. (The voiceover describes it as "Work... work ... work") Men stand under golf umbrella marking scores. SV. Film Stars Lex Barker and Arlene Dahl at Meyrick Park bowling green. (From CEA Conference 1951 Bournemouth). Various traffic scenes from the turn of the Century. Female musicians in orchestra pit of Electric Palace cinema (clips from TTR - Edwardian Summer). Old fashioned Opel car driven along road, passed by man on a penny farthing bicycle. Man rides bicycle of the end of a pier. CU hand turning over pages in a picture book. View of Porthcawl, Wales. Seafront. Man tries to get statue of reclining female to drink from wine glass. Group of CEA (Cinema Exhibitors Association) delegates chatting. CU two men's feet walking along pavement. CU sign reading 'Kenilworth Hotel'. More feet on pavement. CU ext. Earls Court. Ext. Buckingham Palace, London. Views of various hotels in Bournemouth. Delegates at conference. Men playing golf. Young woman rides motorcycle around 'Wall of Death'. Strange rotating funfair ride. Centrifugal spinning ride - man pinned to wall by centrifugal force. Speeded up film of people riding Merry-go-round. Speeded up film of driving style ride. Speeded up film of roller coaster. Speeded up film of watersplash ride. POV speeded up shots of driving through London traffic. GV of Llandudno, Wales seafront. Voiceover describes the next sequence as being wives of delegates to the CEA (Cinema Exhibitors Association) Conference - in fact we see - Glamorous women combing hair and getting dressed in backstage dressing room. Two women doing keep fit exercises. Four women in leotards exercising with balls. Woman having legs stretched by physiotherapist. (Great CU of her face). Women in leotards exercising on floor with balls. CU and MS of woman having some kind of beauty treatment applied - possibly petroleum jelly - smeared over skin. Two women in leotards and fishnet tights exercise. Woman fastens strap on dress (Voiceover makes a joke about support). Woman exercises by rolling ball around waist. Mr Fuller (CEA General Secretary) and Mr Bill Speakman (President of CEA) at table looking over papers. Mr Speakman puts on a traditional Welsh cap and bonnet. End title reads - "Good Wishes from Pathe to Our C.E.A. Friends."