Description
Object description
Second World War British Ministry of Information newsreel trailer appealing for blood donors and explaining the process of blood transfusion.
Full description
The film opens with a distant shot of an explosion and a staged shot of two soldiers lifting a wounded comrade, followed by a close-shot of a discarded steel helmet and a patch of "blood" on the ground. The commentary states "This is the blood of a soldier. This blood must be given back to him to make him well again and there are people who do it". Brief shot of a blood donor card detailing Francis Peter Dixon. The commentary then introduces Wing Commander Dixon, RAF Surgeon, standing in his surgery, who speaks directly to camera "thousands of lives have been saved in this war by blood transfusion and thousands more will be saved provided that it is given quickly enough. It can be done if the supply of blood to all Battle Fronts does not fail. It is really very simple, you should volunteer at once whenever a drive for blood donors is held in your area, or you can register now at your nearest hospital. Later you will be called for a contribution which is taken under strict medical supervision". The Surgeon then describes the process which is illustrated by brief film sequences "your blood is separated" (two female technicians pouring bottles of blood in to apparatus), "frozen and evaporated in to a powder" (masked and gowned technician watches the bottling process and then views a bottle containing powder) "it is then despatched to the Battle Front where it is ready for use" (troops loading red cross boxes on to a lorry). The Surgeon continued with his appeal "any normal man or woman can give blood without damage to health, often they feel better for it. Thousands of pints are given every week, but there are still many empty bottles awaiting volunteers". View of empty bottles lined up on a table. Caption "YOUR BLOOD CAN SAVE A LIFE" Commentary "don't let him down". The film ends with the soldier "casualty" lying on a stretched, wrapped in a blanket, smiling weakly for the camera.
Physical description
35mm