Rare glimpse of Cambridge life in 1945 released by British Film Council

Rare historic footage of Cambridge life in the 1940s has been released for the first time by the British Film Council.

One film, shot in 1945, shows life at Cambridge University, with students attending lectures, punting and reading on the Backs, as well as preparing for wartime fire drills and training with the Army, Navy and Home Guard. Despite the shadow of war, the film shows Cambridge as a peaceful and serene environment to live and study, largely unaffected by the surrounding conflict.

The film shows both men and women studying together in lectures, though separated by Colleges, with only Girton and Newnham taking female undergraduates at the time. Despite the social changes since the film was made, much of Cambridge life is strikingly similar today.

St John's College Archivist, Tracy Wilkinson, was interviewed about the film by ITV News Anglia. She was struck by how much certain aspects of University life have remained largely unchanged since the 1940s. Tracy said:

"Particularly at this time of year, you still see students wandering through the Backs with their books, reading on sunny days and taking breaks out punting. And you still get run over by cyclists!"

The ITV News Anglia report has been made available to watch online HERE.