VE Street Party, Service of Thanksgiving, Lampton Park, May 1945
16mm film Colour Silent 5.1945 6:04
Summary: A film of a VE street party and the service of thanksgiving at Lampton Park Hounslow 1945.
Title number: 421
LSA ID: LSA/552
Description: An ariel view of a suburban street on a sunny day, terraced houses with grass verges. A street party(VE celebration) is taking place, a long table has a large group of children seated, and a group of adults are ferrying plates of food and drink to them. Everyone appears smartly dressed, and red and white bunting is hanging over the road, with a large public address style loud speaker. Close up of the party group, some of the children are wearing party hats, they wave very enthusiastically at the camera,and we see the road in the distance with a single black car(possibly a Ford Prefect/Worseley). The table is ladled with food and red and white flower table decorations are seen. The women fuss around the children making sure they have food and drink, and one women hands a cake stand down to the children at the end of the table.
A close up of a young girl in a green and red crown hat, shows that she has a milk bottle with a straw for her drink, women look on intently clearly making sure that everything goes to plan!
Three men are in fancy dress, two men are wearing red and white school hats,blazers, and yellow cravats, the man in the middle wears a red and blue hat and a harlequin design outfit, they dance around and are clearly going to entertain!
Two women dance around with two small babies trying to entertain them. A banner(long May They Reign) is draped across the front of a terraced house together with two union jack flags.
The party appears to be over, and we see food being ferried back to a house by a group of people to a house decorated with union jack flags, the table is being cleared and we can see the white tablecloth over the long table that just a few moments ago was full of food.
Children are enthusiastically playing a tug of war game helped by an adult in the shoolboy costume ,who is at the back of the rope dragging his heels unsuccessfully, as his team are carried forward despite his efforts!, the referee is at the centre of the rope carefully looking at who is winning!
The children are now playing a game of musical chairs, carefully walking around the chairs, waiting for the music to stop when they all energetically take a seat!, a man in a black blazer and white shirt, referees, accompanied by the man in the harlequin costume who encourages and guides the children,particularly one small boy who has wandered from the main group and seems reluctant to take his seat, the game progresses to the last two children a boy and girl who are left with one chair!
A formal ceremony(thanks giving service) is taking place in some grounds, a man dressed in a black gown carries a ceremonial mace onto a stage, followed by a line of dignitaries, including a mayor and a number of clergymen. The mace is placed on a long table which has red white and blue cloth, at the base of the stage there are red and white flowers. A number of Coldstream guards stand formally in front of the ceremonial party. At the edge of the stage three clergy men stand together and holding hymn(?) books.
A group of choir boys at the side of the stage sing, in the foreground are two men in uniform, the conductor is conducting the choir standing on a garden chair, it is a breezy and blustery day, as the camera pans away we see their a group of soldiers with a union jack flag,they are holding hymn books.
A group of servicewomen are standing holding hymn books, the four service women at the front are in full uniform, while the women behind do not have jackets on, we see various groups of service personnel,in different uniforms, standing looking solemn.
A group of spectators are behind a white rope watch proceedings. The mayor is making a speech, spectators look on intently, the Coldstream guards band are marching and playing in the park, the leader of the band twirls his baton,and the drummers behind him play in perfect coordination, the band march pass by the spectators in the park.
Troops march pass the spectators as the ceremony ends.
A London Trolleybus No. 657(Hounslow to Shepherds Bush) travels along a high street(possibly Hounslow High Street),a young schoolboy in a brown suit looks towards the camera as the trolleybus passes by.Their are a number of people on the high street and some bunting and union jacks can be seen hanging form the building.
A number of people are walking down the high street,with a group of cyclists moving down the road,flags and bunting can be seen hanging from the building, and service men are among the people walking up and down the high street(possibly Hounslow High Street).
A union jack is flapping in the wind on top of a tall white building,the full building comes into view and is called Platts, it has an impressive clock jutting out from the building, and is covered in bunting, a close up of a sign on the building shows a star shaped sign with a picture of a large hand holding a torch in the centre.
A residential road, a semi detached house with lots of bunting outside.
Further information: Details of the 657 Trolley Bus seen in the film and Route
http://www.geoffbannister.com/tod/two_routes_657.html
Keywords: World War II; Transport; VE Day
Locations: United Kingdom;London;Hounslow;Lampton Park
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