Otford in World War Two: the Home Guard on Parade

Subtitled 'the past in film', this was prepared from four 16mm reels which were rescued from a skip in Exeter and produced in 2018 by the Otford and District Historical Society. The B Company of the 20th Sevenoaks Battalion Home Guard comprised four platoons, one each from the villages of Otford, Shoreham, Kemsing and Seal. As well as contemporary scenes shot in each of the four villages, there is extensive footage of the whole company marching through Otford at some time in 1944 or 1945.
Although of poor quality in places, it is a remarkable and unique film depicting wartime village life, including scenes of bomb damage sustained in the area in August 1944. The camera work was by A G Boxall and film restoration by Rod Shelton. Post production work was carried out by Barbara Darby and the film is in the archive collection of local historian Ed Thompson.
The Otford Heritage Village TH-cam channel is an integral ingredient of the main Otford Heritage Village website. It contains the video productions and records from award-winning local video-director Barbara Darby, which concentrate on aspects of Otford’s history and heritage.
If you would like to know more about our ancient past and earliest forebears, visit otfordheritage...​
The producers have sought to make contact with all known persons seen in these early videos. Naturally this has not always been possible. We trust we do not cause offence to any other persons contained within them.

[@ellaott2319]

wow i didnt know my home has so much history