Prior to advent of television, the general public gleaned much of its information about the nation from the National Film Units Weekly clips that were shown at public cinemas.
The NFU covered a vast range of subjects resulting in a treasure trove of now historic clips illustrating the everyday activities of the average New Zealander over several decades up until the 1970’s when television took over that role.
During World War 2, NFU crews were embedded with New Zealand’s fighting forces wherever they might be engaged, often filming from the front lines and recording images of a time that still haunts us to this day.
These clips show the importance of trucks in the conflict, and many of the men behind the wheel of these trucks went on to establish the foundations of the modern road transport industry.
Our fighting forces were exposed to equipment of a size and capability previously unseen, especially so with some of the big American gear, but other equipment such as the Scammell tank transporters played a pivotal role in hauling massive loads in New Zealand after war’s end.
These clips are covered by Creative Common licensing and can be also found on ArchivesNZ Youtube channel.