081-100

081 LOUTH HOSPITAL FETE
Louth 1939
5.75 min B/W Sound* 16mm See note, page 12
Complete with Baby Show, a push-ball match, a mannequin parade, and a truly gigantic prize-winning cabbage. Traditional subject matter, but presented in a less than traditional manner.

082 CONSERVATIVE RALLY
Tealby 1939
4.25 min B/W Sound* 16mm See note, page 12
Introductory scenes of the rally at Bayon's Manor, a "folly" now demolished, are followed by a superb display of historic dresses and shawls.

083 THATCHED HOUSES
Legbourne 1939
1.75 min B/W Sound* 16mm See note, page 12
A survey of recently re-thatched houses in the neighbourhood. Though these are impressive, no scenes of work in progress are included.

084 WATERY LANE
Legbourne 1939
1 min B/W Sound* 16mm See note, page 12
A humorous item, specially staged, but nevertheless of interest. A car breaks down in the middle of Watery Lane, and village boys fetch a horse which eventually tows it to safety.

085 LNER SAFETY AWARDS TO DRIVERS
Louth 1940
1.75 min B/W Silent 16mm See note, page 12
Railway lorries in the Goods Yard of Louth station. Their drivers are presented with certificates. The film includes close-ups of drivers, the Station Master, the local Police Chief, etc.

086 HIT THE DECK
Louth 1938
4.5 min B/W Sound* 16mm See note, page 12
Scenes, both backstage and on-stage, during the dress-rehearsal of a production by the Louth Operatic Society.

087 MAYOR'S SUNDAY (1937)
Louth 1937
3 min B/W Silent 16mm See note, page 12
Procession through Louth Market Place, featuring the British Legion band, War Veterans, Girl Guides, St John Ambulance, Fire Brigade, etc, with Councillors in bowler hats or silk toppers, and the Mayor in full regalia preceded by the mace. They enter the church, and are later seen outside the Town Hall.

088 THE MODERN ARMY AT LOUTH
Louth 1938
2.5 min B/W Sound* 16mm See note, page 12
An impressive display of the latest military hardware parades through the streets and takes up position in the Market Place for inspection by the public. This visit was part of a public relations tour of the whole district.

089 FUN OF THE FAIR
Louth 1938
1.75 min B/W Sound* 16mm See note, page 12
The fair is officially opened, and the Mayor rides on the dodgems.

090 ARMISTICE DAY (1938)
Louth 1938
3 min B/W Sound* 16mm See note, page 12
Coming six weeks after Munich, the 20th Anniversary of the 1918 Armistice strikes a sombre note. Will it really be "Peace in Our Time"?

091 MAYOR'S SUNDAY (1938)
Louth 1938
6.5 min B/W Sound* 16mm See note, page 12
An extra big parade this year, with the addition of a strong contingent from RAF Manby. A solemn civic occasion, but recorded with a definite eye for humorous detail.

092 WILFUL DAMAGE
Louth 1938
2.5 min B/W Sound* 16mm See note, page 12
Filmed in the Playhouse Cinema, this was a humorous but heart-felt protest against vandalism and the anti-social habits of some of the patrons: the seat-slashers, ashtray benders, fish and chip eaters, and female gossipers. An item of some period interest.

093 CARRY YOUR GAS MASK
Louth 1940
5 min B/W Sound* 16mm See note, page 12
During the Sitzkrieg, people had been getting slack about this, but the German invasion of the Low Countries meant that the carrying of gas masks by the public had once again become necessary. This local propaganda film features a Civil Defence exercise in which the public participate, and includes various humorous exhortations designed to encourage people not to leave their gas masks at home.

094 AJAX HERO HOME
Louth 1940
1 min B/W Sound* 16mm See note, page 12
Leslie Bradley returns home after serving in the Battle of the River Plate, during which HMS Ajax sank the pocket battleship Graf Spee.

095 ARMISTICE DAY (1939)
Louth 1939
2 min B/W Silent 16mm See note, page 12
Chiefly scenes of wreath-laying at the War Memorial. A few crowd shots.

096 WAR WEAPONS WEEK
Louth 1941
8 min B/W Sound* 16mm See note, page 12
Fund raising activities, parades (including the Salvage Family, and the Land Girls), speeches, a poster competition for schoolchildren, etc. A huge clock dial in the Market Place records progress, and the final sum raised vastly exceeds the target.

097 MAYOR'S SUNDAY (1940)
Louth 1940
3 min B/W Silent 16mm See note, page 12
Troops and local organisations march to the Church, and enter. After the service, they have a wet journey back to the Town Hall. Dignitaries scuttle into cars, others huddle under umbrellas.

098 GRENADIER GUARDS VISIT LOUTH
Louth 1940
1.75 min B/W Silent 16mm See note, page 12
After inspection at the station, troops march through the streets. (The chief interest now lies in the onlookers and the street backgrounds.)

Note: Items 057, 063 - 072 and 074 - 098:
These titles comprise the entire surviving output of the late Bert Hallam and Bert Rawlings, who together produced local newsreels and featurettes for showing at Louth's Playhouse Cinema. Their productions are notable for their wry humour and first-hand knowledge of the people, places and events depicted. Seen today, they vividly recapture the life and atmosphere of a small market town during the last uneasy days of peace and the early stages of the Second World War.
When screened originally, the films had live microphone commentary (often varied to mention specific patrons known to be present) with music and effects played in from discs, using multiple turntables. Virtually all the commentary scripts survive and are held by the Archive. After the war, the original tracks for several of the films (063-8, 070, 080-4) were specially re-created by the original production team, and recorded. Also, in consultation with the late Bert Hallam, LFA has re-created tracks for a number of the other titles, using the original commentary scripts.

099 DOWN BELOW (1926)
The Wash, Boston 1926
8 min B/W Silent 16mm
A group of Boston's leading businessmen on a light-hearted day trip out into the Wash. They picnic informally on board a fishing boat, race across the sands, paddle, swim, etc. There are also scenes of the fishermen at work.

100 HOSPITAL CARNIVAL (1932)
Boston 1932
14 min B/W Silent 16mm
The Carnival Queen is crowned in the Market Place, and visits the Hospital with her retinue. A children's costume procession follows, the floats depicting scenes from history or literature. Later in the week come a Market in 18th Century costume, and the main Carnival procession of floats.