Gretna Cinema Programme, November 1941
Museum
The Devil's Porridge Museum
Date
November 1941
Object Number
DPM.2018.1203
Title

Cinema Programme

Object Name
Cinema Programme
Description

This programme is for the “V” Prize Cinema on Central Avenue, Gretna, and dates from November 1941. The cinema was opened in 1915 and the building still exists today despite being becoming a Bingo Hall in the 1980s.

As well as listing the films showing at the cinema, the cover of this programme also explains what cinema goers should do in the case of an air raid. There is a particular emphasis on not showing any light when leaving the building.

Published over 6 months after the deadly Gretna Bombing, some accounts tell that 14-year-old Helen Graham, the 29th victim of the raid, was at the cinema when the air raid sirens began. She left to check on her family and was tragically killed in a blast.