https://peertube.dngr.us/videos/watch/e7dfcc7a-e59e-46c3-ace1-634ef696918b Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCddem5RlB3bQe99wyY49g0g/join Join us on Patreon. Visit https://www.patreon.com/PeriscopeFilm Visit our website www.PeriscopeFilm.com View our Amazon store here: https://amzn.to/3XQHsVD Produced in 1951, "The Waking Point" is a British Civil Defense film aimed at increasing recruitment to the now defunct Civil Defense Corps. The narrative of the story is set around an “everyman” character in Joe Mercer who comes to realize that civil defense is universal after a mishap with his son getting trapped in a sandpit. At the end of the film he realizes there is “still time” to train in civil defense after he dreams about WWIII being declared before he’d finished his training. One of the reasons Britain's Civil Defense Corps was disbanded is that, in nuclear warfare it was determined that there could be no appropriate civil response to the numbers of injured and trapped. In a 1980 exercise dubbed Operation “Square Leg”, an estimated 29 million were declared killed and 7 million predicted to be substantially injured -- far too many to be managed even under normal circumstances. The film begins with a discussion of the geopolitical tensions in East Asia and Europe, highlighting the importance of civil defense and the need for volunteers. Characters debate the necessity of civil defense efforts and reflect on the inevitability of war and the importance of being prepared. A woman joins a civil defense recruitment campaign after watching a film, and a retired man explains his involvement in civil defense. The film describes a civil defense exercise, including rescue efforts and the emotional reunion of a rescued child. Civil defense leaders emphasize the importance of being prepared for future conflicts and reflect on the spirit of past wars. It also highlights the urgency of preparing for an unexpected declaration of war and the overwhelming influx of people seeking civil defense training. It concludes on a hopeful note, emphasizing that there is still time to prepare and prevent disaster. • 0:18: Discussion about the geopolitical situation, highlighting tensions in East Asia and Europe. • 1:42: Introduction of characters discussing civil defense recruitment. • 2:22: Emphasis on the importance of civil defense and the need for volunteers. • 3:04: A mother warns her children not to play in a dangerous area. • 3:11: Debate about the necessity of civil defense efforts. • 4:00: Characters reflect on the inevitability of war and the importance of being prepared. • 4:17: A woman joins a civil defense recruitment campaign after watching a film. • 5:02: A retired man explains his involvement in civil defense. • 5:33: Civil defense exercise begins, with participants reporting for duty. • 6:10: Children are instructed to stay back during the exercise. • 7:08: Rescue efforts are simulated, with characters working together to find a missing person. • 8:10: Emotional reunion as a child is found and rescued. • 10:11: Civil defense leaders discuss the importance of being prepared for future conflicts. • 12:11: Break during the exercise, with characters discussing their roles and responsibilities. • 14:06: Reflection on the spirit of past wars and the importance of civil defense training. • 16:09: Characters emphasize the need for proper training and preparation. • 17:10: Urgency as characters prepare for an unexpected declaration of war. • 18:05: Overwhelming influx of people seeking civil defense training. • 19:23: Characters clear the building as part of the exercise. • 19:54: Hopeful note that there is still time to prepare and prevent disaster. Motion picture films don't last forever; many have already been lost or destroyed. We collect, scan and preserve 35mm, 16mm and 8mm movies -- including home movies, industrial films, and other non-fiction. If you have films you'd like to have scanned or donate to Periscope Film, we'd love to hear from you. Contact us via the link below. This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD and 2k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuQgpmIf_2A Mirrored from Periscope Film (https://www.youtube.com/@PeriscopeFilm) Sat, 13 Jun 2026 05:28:18 GMT https://validator.w3.org/feed/docs/rss2.html PeerTube - https://peertube.dngr.us https://peertube.dngr.us/lazy-static/avatars/41a6fee9-7f57-42d0-a5fc-5db4f1af2e31.png https://peertube.dngr.us/videos/watch/e7dfcc7a-e59e-46c3-ace1-634ef696918b All rights reserved, unless otherwise specified in the terms specified at https://peertube.dngr.us/about and potential licenses granted by each content's rightholder.