MEMORIES of hot chocolate, marshmallows and chicken reigned supreme as budding filmmakers from two Barry primary schools documented the Second World War.

Youngsters from Cadoxton and Barry Island primary schools gathered at Cadog’s cafe, Cadoxton, to premiere three films they made as part of the Greatest Generation’ Filmmaking Project from Into Film, BBC Learning, BFI and British Council.

The filmmakers saw their own documentaries about Britain’s wartime generation screened at a 1940s-style event.

The event - complete with bunting, cakes and music from the Second World War era - took place as part of a UK-wide filmmaking project organised by the education charity Into Film, BBC Learning, the British Film Institute (BFI) and the British Council.

VIP guests included Tom Clemett and Diane Jeffery who were the focus of attention in Cadoxton primary’s film.

The project was inspired by the BBC Two series Britain’s Greatest Generation, which was screened last month to mark the 70th anniversary of the Second World War.

It invited children aged seven to 11 to explore and commemorate local history by recording interviews with members of the wartime generation and combining the footage with archive clips to create their own short documentaries.

Cadoxton and Barry Island Primary schools used the dedicated ‘Make Film – Greatest Generation’ curriculum linked resource and filmmaking guides produced by Into Film, an education charity supported by the BFI with Lottery funding.

Schools also made use of a unique and diverse selection of archive clips from the BFI and British Council archives made available specially for this project.

Greatest Generation member and past pupil Diane Jeffery, whom the students interviewed for their film along with local historian Tom Clements, attended the screening along with parents and members of the local community.

Diane, 74, said: “I really enjoyed it. The children were so sweet. The part that tickled me was when they asked about the hot chocolate and they said did you have marshmallows on it? I think they were interested that you couldn’t just go into a shop and buy sweets. I’d like to thank the children for asking me. I thought it was just for the school. I didn’t think it was going to be such a grand scheme.”

Cadoxton primary head teacher Janet Hayward said pupils had benefited from the project.

She said: “The children found interviewing both people interesting and insightful. They learned a great deal about the history of the area and also filmmaking skills. All children thoroughly enjoyed the experience, but one in particular excelled expectations. She has become more confident since participating in this project. The children are very excited about seeing the finished film and very proud of what they have achieved. They worked with Into Film without whose guidance they would have struggled to produce such a high quality film.”

Into Film CEO Paul Reeve said: “This exciting collaboration, encompassing teaching resources, filmmaking guides and a treasure trove of archive clips, is a wonderful opportunity for the young generation to explore life from 1930 to 1960 in a memorable and creative way through the accessible, immersive medium of film.

By interviewing members of the wartime generation from their local community these young people have gained a unique understanding of what life was like at that time. I look forward very much to seeing the results.”

For details, visit www.intofilm.org or call 0207 288 4520.