History and preparation for ‘Cadet Force Four‘, our 2024 Cadet Force series project:
Mr. Churchill took up residence in a ‘secret safe house’ at Clapham Park, Clapham, near Bedford during the Second World War and probably made also a visit to the nearest regimental barracks at Kempston.
Whether he did or did not visit the barracks in reality is quite irrelevant, within the cadet force series he most certainly did ! — And not in a Jeep but in his own Land Rover. ’Cadet Force 4′ is an idea whose time has come. We decided to share results as we headed into a story board and techniques we might use to make the movie come to life. The on-line video was updated with each new version, there is no change of link (Vimeo) or large screen page. YouTube version was uploaded 5Oct24, scenario 19, no changes have been made since.
Scenario
We begin with a way to bring the great man to the barracks, followed by grand-stand seating installed on the parade ground . The scenes are populated with many cadet force clones for the celebration.
The film makes good use of our Vevey Arena raising staircase model and the large expanse of the original Kempston barracks parade ground.
More than nostalgia!
A rare view of the barracks parade ground and buildings from the Keep. The lawn was added for the Churchill celebrations.
from under the raising staircase of the arena grand-stand
Churchill, was born in 1874, he received his Land Rover for his 80th birthday in 1954. He died in January 1965, so our barracks scenario cannot be later than summer of 1964. As he was not in the best of health, we shall set his Kempston visit for spring or summer of 1963 – 18 months before Sir Winston died at age 90. He was knighted in April 1953 and received the Nobel prize for literature later that same year.
The whole event scenario is, of course, totally fictional, but fits to his association with Bedford and the armed forces.
There will be some errors of decor to be sure, and also some deliberate anomalies – such as the retractable borne at the barracks road entrance – invention not available until 1985!
And once we go inside, there will be others like the giant video display in the arena which seems like an LED screen, visible in bright sunshine which 1960’s projection outdoors could not match. Artistic license prevails!
Music for the intro is by Purple Planet (heroic last stand, recall of Cadet Force 3.
Churchill speech was given at the University of Zurich 19 Sep1946 (‘Let Europe Arise’).
Flag video by Media center of the European Parliament, additional UK and Swiss flags by Videezy.
‘Morning has broken’, A Christian hymn first published in 1931. Written by English author Eleanor Farjeon. It was made famous by Cat Stevens (1971) and instrumentally augmented by Rick Wakeman. So far I cannot locate the instrumentalists on this version but when I do they will be credited.
Essence of Sir Winston’s 1946 speech featured in the film at Kempston
We hesitate to make any political statement, but the shameful and shambolic exit of the UK from the European Union is counter-productive to the wisdom and foresight of Churchill’s plea for peace through unity, which to be fair has now contributed to 70 years without European military conflict. Our critics will point to other words included in the 1946 speech which suggest that the UK not be a member state of a unified Europe, but an interested on-looker. Well that is true, and is now all which remains! Irresponsible, short-sighted, egoistic, and very sad.
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