British Pathe

Item title reads - Victory Parade.

London.

Soldiers emerge from tents, wash their faces and shave. Firemen polish their engine. M/S of men brushing horses in readiness for the parade. Various shots as people sleep and read on pavements before the parade, some people lie in hammocks...

Item title reads - Victory Parade.

London.

Soldiers emerge from tents, wash their faces and shave. Firemen polish their engine. M/S of men brushing horses in readiness for the parade. Various shots as people sleep and read on pavements before the parade, some people lie in hammocks strung between lampposts. M/S of a train in a station, M/S of a little boy emerging from his house, he puts his jacket on and pulls his socks up. A man in tails puts on his top hat. M/S of a woman getting ready. People wait and watch, some sit on top of lampposts and in trees.

M/S of the royal family leaving Buckingham palace to cheers from the crowds. L/S of Winston Churchill and military leaders at saluting base, M/S of Field Marshal Viscount Harold Alexander chatting. King George VI, Queen Elizabeth (later Queen Mother), Princess Elizabeth (later Queen Elizabeth II) and Princess Margaret ride by in a carriage. A dog runs along Charing Cross road and people laugh at it. Various shots as servicemen march along. M/S of Elephant and Castle. Mechanised vehicles drive by, pans across to foundations of blitzed buildings. Various shots as sailors march through. M/S of Nelson's statue. Library footage of naval fleet, guns fire and a ship sinks then explodes. Various shots of the Merchant navy, a shivering man sits on a raft. The Merchant navy march past in the parade, people cheer. Various shots as the infantry marches past and we see footage of war in the desert. Various shots of the air force and civil defence units marching past. Various shots of houses hit during the blitz.

The forces make their way up Parliament Green. Men and machines continue the parade. M/S of two land girls waving from truck. M/S of Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery waving and smiling from his car. The parade continues under Admiralty arch. M/S of pipers and drummers. M/S of the King and Queen with the two Princesses and Queen Mary at saluting base watching the march past. Various shots as troops from all nations of the Empire parade. M/S profile of the royal family on the platform. Various shots of women in the forces marching past from army, navy, and air force. Good shots of the royal family watching. Huge crowds cheer the women's section. Crowds disperse at the end of the parade.

M/S of a soldier with his wife and little daughter. There follows a section devoted to the role of housewives in the war. Various shots as women stand in a long queue for food. A woman puts her baby in an iron lung. Various shots of children being evacuated, mothers cry as they leave. M/S of ration and diet books. M/S of tins in shops with signs saying how many points they are worth. Various shots as shopkeepers shake their heads to show they are out of food. A woman looks out to see a bomb dropping, a little boy is pulled into a shelter. L/S of an explosion in the countryside. M/S of an injured woman being pulled from a bombed house during the blitz. Various shots as women sew, knit, and look at their food coupons. M/S as woman dishes out a small amount of food. Montage showing women scrubbing the floor, washing up, washing clothes and feeding their baby. A group of women pick their children up from school. C/U of Lady MacRobert in her garden, she lost three sons in the war. M/S of Mrs Harden and her son with close up of Victoria Cross medal won posthumously by Lance Corporal Harden. Mrs Harden and her son look at each other. Various shots of a soldier with his wife and daughter walking along in front of blitzed buildings and St. Paul's cathedral. C/U of the wife. C/U of a statue of people and horses.