DO YOU know these men who served in the Second World War?

Can you help the North West Film Archive reunite them and their families with films they appeared in 70 years ago?

While serving in the Far East they all appeared in Calling Blighty, a series of short films made between 1944 and 1946 of individual servicemen and women, sending personal messages home to their family and friends.

These poignant moments were shown to invited audiences in local cinemas, bringing much laughter and certainly a few tears. Often stilted, occasionally emotional, but mostly stiff upper lip, the testimonies were filmed direct to camera often in one take.

Sometimes funny and always moving, they reflect the understated courage of servicemen who had endured separation from home – often since the start of the war.

Now a new project, A Message Home, is trying to find as many families and veterans as possible, to bring them together to experience the films again and to share their stories.

Of nearly 400 issues made, only 48 are known to survive and of these 25 were discovered in the North West.

They feature messages from more than a dozen service personnel from East Lancashire – though it is known that many more have been lost.

Nearly all were found complete with the sheets of contact details showing the names and addresses of the family and friends who were invited to the screenings.

They include leading aircraftman Jack Bowcock, with 2941 Squadron; Bombadier T H Livesey; J W Pickup and W Scott, both of RAF Ceylon and Sgt G P Walmsley, who all came from Blackburn.

Also on film are Lance Corporal J Banks, of Haslingden, Sgt T Ogden, who served with the 23rd India Signals, of Cloughfold, Rossendale and gunner ? Robinson, of Rawtenstall.

From Burnley are leading aircraftmen Albert Dugan and W Holdsworth; field dressing station captain W Hacking; Percy Hanslip of the Royal Army Service Corps and Sgt Major C W Long.

Saying hello to his family are private J Ridge of the Parachute Regiment, from Padiham; private F Irving of the 12th Yorks Para battalion and Cpl J Greasley of the Lancashire Fusiliers, who came from Bolton-by-Bowland.

The North West film Archive has now put online a searchable database of more than 600 records and film clips – you can find it at nwfa.mmu.ac.uk/blighty/index.php.

If you find someone you know and can help reconnect the people to the films you should email blighty@mmu.ac.uk or phone Marion Hewitt on 0161 247 3097.

n Alongside the attempt to trace people, a new film is being made that will highlight some of the most interesting and appealing stories from the original Calling Blighty issues, and will be screened once again to audiences including family and friends.

The screening will take place on the evening of Monday, November 23, at Manchester’s new arts venue, HOME. The Archive is also working with Oxford Scientific Films and the Imperial War Museum on a documentary about Calling Blighty and the war in the Far East, to be broadcast on Channel 4 early in 2016.