British News No 2

• This newsreel is a very useful primary source for the World War II (1939-45) depth study in the year 10 history curriculum. It is especially relevant for the content description about the course of the war. The ships and boats involved in the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force from Dunkirk from 27 May to 4 June 1940 are seen in the seventh segment; the entry of Italy into war on the German side on 10 June in the ninth.
• The first segment of the newsreel is particularly valuable for the content description in the depth study about the experiences of Australians during the war. Australians are shown enlisting after the announcement in September 1939 of the formation of the Second Australian Imperial Force. They are seen in training camps wearing the so-called 'giggle suit', a cotton overall and crumpled hat, and embarking for the Middle East, probably on 9 January 1940.
• The whole newsreel is of considerable value for the content description in the depth study that refers to the impact of World War II, including the use of wartime government controls such as censorship. June 1940 was one of the darkest months of the war for the Allied cause but no hint of this is evident in the newsreel. Newsreels were controlled by the censorship rules of the Ministry of Information and one of the rules was that newsreels must boost civilian morale.
• The resource may make some contribution to students attaining the year 10 history achievement standard. It provides a multimedia source from World War II that may help students explain the context for people's actions in the past. It could also be used by teachers to provide students with an opportunity to sequence events and developments within a chronological framework and identify relationships between events in different places in June 1940.

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