FILM archivists are appealing for help tracing Armed Forces personnel from Trafford who appear in a series of moving videos shot during the Second World War.

Calling Blighty was a collection of short movies made between 1944-46 of servicemen and women in the Far East, sending personal messages home to their family and friends.

The poignant films were shown to invited audiences in local cinemas, bringing laughter and tears to those keeping the home fires burning.

A Message Home is a North West Film Archive and Manchester Metropolitan University project to reunite families with the films their loved ones appeared in 70 years ago.

"These few remaining films are a unique picture of 600 young Manchester servicemen and two women in the Far East around VJ day,” explained MMU School of Art Professor Steve Hawley.

“As a research resource this is priceless and as a human document the spirit and humour of the soldiers shines through in a very moving way.”

Of nearly 400 Calling Blighty issues made, only 48 are known to survive.

Of these, 25 were discovered in the North West and feature service personnel from Greater Manchester and beyond.

Nearly all were found complete with the sheets of contact details showing the names and addresses of the family and friends who were invited to the screenings.

The new project aims to find as many families and veterans as possible, and bring them together to experience the films again, and to share their stories.

Of the films, an archive spokesman said: “They are partly stilted, occasionally emotional, but mostly stiff upper lip testimonies, filmed direct to camera often in one take. Sometimes funny and always very moving.

“In a way, they predict video communications such as Skype, but also offer a window on the understated courage of servicemen who had endured the long separation from their home – in both time and space – often since the start of the war.”

Alongside the attempt to trace people, a new film is being made by Prof Steve Hawley combining some of the most interesting stories.

The film and highlights from the original Calling Blighty issues, will be screened to audiences including family and friends on November 23 at HOME, Manchester.

A documentary about Calling Blighty and the war in the Far East will also be broadcast on Channel 4 early in 2016.

A searchable database of more than 600 records and film clips from the remaining Calling Blighty issues can be found at http://www.nwfa.mmu.ac.uk/blighty/index.php If you find someone you know in the archive, email blighty@mmu.ac.uk or phone Marion Hewitt on 0161 247 3097.

The archive’s service manager Marion Hewitt added: “This is a project I have been hoping to do for many years, and now with funding from Film Hub North West Central, and support from Manchester School of Art and HOME, we can finally achieve this long held aim.”

Altrincham and Sale soldeirs featured are: Pt Dennis Chapman, 30 Field Dental lab (Hale); LAC FE Doyle, RAF 3 Fileter Room (Timperley); LAC LA Malia, BAO RAF (Timperley); Bdr GT Page, 286/76 LT AA Regt RA (Hale Barns); Gnr F Taylor, 238/76 LAA Regt (Timperley); SapperWT Turney, BOR Survey, (Sale).