Calling Blighty: Search Help
This page provides guidance about searching the Calling Blighty database. Data for most of the Calling Blighty films in this collection has been obtained from typed records that were discovered with the original films.
Search by Name
Your first search is likely to be for a name, particularly a surname. For a small number of the films we have input data from listening to the messages as there were no typed records available. When we have been unable to distinguish a forename or surname then we have marked these fields as 'Unknown'. Note that some forenames may be initials or nicknames.
Search by Rank, Serial Number or Regiment
Data in these fields have been provided by the typed records which often displayed the rank and regiment in abbreviated form, e.g. 'Sgt' or 'Lancs Fus'. Regiments frequently appear with different styles of abbreviation and we have not attempted to standardise these, so try different permutations e.g. 'Lancs', 'Lancashire'.Where either rank, number or regiment information is unavailable the relevant field has been marked as 'Unknown'.
Search by District/Area or Town called
If you search by district, e.g. Moss Side, or town called you may be puzzled to see search results returned that do not appear to match your query.Participants in the Calling Blighty films provided names and addresses of family members and friends back home who would then be invited to attend the film screening. This may have include several addresses in different areas and towns.For the purposes of this website only the district and town of the primary address, likely to be the caller's home address, is displayed in the search results.Let's say Sergeant Smith provided addresses for his wife in Manchester, his parents in Salford and his aunt in Rochdale. His name would be returned in searches for the town of Rochdale and Salford as well as for Manchester, the town that actually appears alongside his name in the returned results.
Match Any
Ticking the 'Match Any' box allows you to return all results from queries in different fields, broadening your search.So if you wanted to find all participants with the surname Smith OR those calling a Manchester address then you'd type those search terms in the appropriate fields and tick the 'Match Any' box.To restrict results to just the Smiths from Manchester you should uncheck the 'Match Any' box.
Alter Search
After you perform a search your original search query will still be visible in the top section of the screen above your results. This enables you to alter, broaden or refine your search as needed.
New Search
To start afresh click the 'Reset this form' button.
Find All Records
The 'Find All Records' button returns all the records in the collection in alphabetical order of surname.
If you have any questions about the search process or require further information then please email us or contact a member of our access team by telephone 0161-247 3097.