During such a traumatic and difficult time for society, cinema helped bring people together and show support to those in need. By having wounded soldiers brought together in what was provided as a safe and comforting space the cinema was used as a communal and positive environment.

The cinema facilities themselves proved worthy of serving purposes outside the realm of film as entertainment. For instance, the military started to screen training videos in local theatres, meaning that soldiers, be them recruits or veterans, could attend drop-in or mandatory classes in order to develop their wartime knowledge and skills. Furthermore, due to the high congestion of certain urban areas due to stationed soldiers, and the fact that people would be praying for loved ones, many cinema theatres were used to hold small-scale church ceremonies for garrisons. Notably, certain cinemas such as Exeter’s Odeon theatre were used to hold certain events for the troops. In this case, it was used for troop talent contests and a live music venue for a charity gig where the band of the Devonshire performed, raising a total of £60 Battalion Commanders Fund.

The Odeon in Exeter held a screening for the members of the mickey mouse club every Saturday morning. They aspired to include the soldiers and patients of the Princess Elizabeth Orthopaedic Hospital weekly so that the they were able to get out of the hospital and enjoy some company with each other. The members of the mickey mouse club ‘promise’ was:

I promise to tell the truth, to help others and to obey my parents;
I promise to be thoughtful of old folks and to be kind to animals and always to play the game;
I promise to try to make this country of ours a better place to live in;
I also promise to come to the cinema lots

Having to live in a such a dangerous world must have been incredibly difficult for these children, and the mickey mouse club was a way of trying to give back their childhood and bring joy back into their lives. This promise shows how adults were trying to teach children to create a future for themselves in which a World War would not be a feature. What seems to be an odd combination to us now, children and wounded soldiers, would have been a positive experience for both. The soldiers could have been energised by the children, inspiring them to get better. And the children would have been so used to seeing the injured they would not have been deterred, and teaching them to respect and take care of their elders.

The cinema was not only a place of entertainment, it was a social sanctuary. People would gather in the cinema to see their friends and socialise. It was warm, inclusive and affordable, which meant that anyone was able to access it, proving a boost in moral as people of all ages would stick together and take care of each other. In some ways, it can be argued that cinema going during the Second World War was ultimately similar to that of religious practice, as it gave people the same comfort and togetherness associated with church going.