Submitted by
Nicky Smith
The Thunderer
June 29th 1939
"SMITH"
FILM OF EMBANKMENT FELLOWSHIP
Smith, a short film setting forth the aims
and achievements of the Embankment
Fellowship Centre, was shown privately
at the House of Comons yesterday, after
a luncheon at which Field-Marshal Lord
Milne, who is a vice-president of the centre,
presided. The centre exists to care for
destitute and friendless middle-aged
ex-Service men - the minimum age limit is 45
- and the film discusses, with the aid of
Mr. Ralph Richardson, Miss Flora
Robson, Mr. Alan Jeayes, and Mr. Wally
Patch, the case of a typical ex-Service
man who is helped by the centre.
The film is to the point, and it naturally
includes a brief account of what the centre has
effected. In the four years of its existence it
has dealt with 3,000 cases, 2,000 of which have
resulted in re-employment after an average
stay in the centre of six weeks. Last year
emplyment was found for 549 men, of an
average age of 53; and as for the rest, men who
are too old and, to use Lord Milne's words
"have no chance of getting into the turmoil
of the labour market again," these are being
trained "in the smaller things of life."
Lord Milne first apologised for the
absense of Lord Hollenden, the chairman of
the centre, who was recuperating abroad. He
said the officials of the centre hoped they might
be helped by some of the many distinguished
members of the film profession who were
present to get the film into general distributionb
all over the country. He emphasized that the
Embankment Fellowship Centre was essentially
a national undertaking. Rather less than
20 per cent. of the men came from London, and
the rest came from all parts of the country.
The film, he said, showed how the typical
ex-Service man in need was housed, fed, and
reclothed by the centre, which trained him for
new work, and finally found him new employment.
By general distribution of this picture
it was hoped to secure a substantial sum
towards the total of £50,000 sought by the centre
for purposes of organization. Part of this
sum would be devoted to the acquisition of a
country home for veterans with good records
who had no pensions and were too old to work.
Sir Patrick Hannon, M.P., replied, and
said that with many of his colleagues he had
made determined efforts to induce the
Chancellor of the Exchequer to moderate
taxation on the film industry. It would be an
act of gratitude on the part of the film industry,
he said, for what the Chancellor had done
if it would cooperate in showing the film in
cinemas throughout the country.
After the film was shown, Lord Milne
announced that three of the most important
men in the film industry had said they would
give every assistance they could in showing the
film.
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