Australian
Screen

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Menzies’ Wartime Tour – England (1941)

Synopsis

This home movie filmed by Australia’s longest serving prime minister, Sir Robert Menzies, captures England during the Blitz in 1941. It features footage of the Churchills in their home, close-ups of various political leaders and prominent figures of England including Lord Beaverbrook, Sir Archibald Sinclair, Sir Charles Portal, Sir Walter Citrine, Oliver Lyttelton, Arthur Greenwood, Herbert Morrison, Duff Cooper, Sir John Anderson, Clement Atlee, Sir Kingsley Wood, David Margesson, Anthony Eden and Ernest Bevin. There are also views of the English countryside including Coventry, Fairford, Oxford and Menzies’ visits to Cardiff and Swansea.

Curator’s notes

This valuable record of Australia’s involvement in the Second World War was filmed by Sir Robert Menzies during his tour to England in 1941.