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They Stand Ready: Central Office of Information Collection Vol. 3

The third volume in the COI Collection, They Stand Ready, looks at Britain's armed forces. To help paint a positive picture of life in the Services the COI produced morale-boosting documentaries, propaganda items and numerous recruitment films, which placed emphasis on escaping the humdrum of daily life. Join the Services, we are told, and a world of opportunity awaits you. Highlights include: Victory Parade (1946), in which troops from all over the British Empire arrive in London to celebrate victory over the Nazis; They Stand Ready (1955), a look at the vital role of national service; Suez in Perspective (1957), where the Suez Crisis is given a positive spin; Routine Adventure (1965), about the RAF's role in Aden; When You Wake Up (1974), a recruitment film for schoolgirls which attempts to lure them into the Women's Royal Army Corp (WRAC); HMS Sheffield (1976) and Tornado (1985), big boys' toys on the high seas and in the skies.


Disc 1
* Victory Parade (1946)
* Men of the World (1950)
* Eagles of the Fleet (1950)
* Out of the Groove (1950)
* They Stand Ready (1955)
* Suez in Perspective (1957)
* Musicians in the Making (1958)
* Military Policeman (1961)
* Ten Foot Tall (1964)
* Winged Horizons (1965)
* Egypt Today: The Anglo-French Aggression Against Egypt (1956)


Disc 2
* Voyage North (1965)
* Routine Adventure (1965)
* Army Summer of 1968 (1968)
* Exercise Enterprise (1968)
* Best of Both Worlds (1971)
* Community Relations Officer (1974)
* When You Wake Up (1974)
* Ark Royal (c1970)
* HMS Sheffield (1975)
* Tornado Trailer (1985)
* Royal Navy Amazon (c1980)
* Tornado (1985)


Extras
* Egypt Today: Anglo-French Aggression Against Egypt (1956, 11 minutes): a very different story is told in this Egyptian response to British Suez propaganda
* Fully illustrated booklet including comprehensive contextualising notes and essays