Leicester Regiment / Ministry of Information

[Beaker123]

Evening,

Anybody have any thoughts on this photo. Cap badge is Leicester TA? and slip-on title is 'M. OF I.' over what looks like 'MMS DIVISION'. Presumably Ministry of Information but 'MMS Division'?

What role would he have played?

Photo came from Egypt where it may well have been taken but cannot confirm.

Apologies for poor quality of scan.

All best

Steve

[mike_vee]

Originally Posted by Beaker123

Evening,
Anybody have any thoughts on this photo. Cap badge is Leicester TA? and slip-on title is 'M. OF I.' over what looks like 'MMS DIVISION'. Presumably Ministry of Information but 'MMS Division'?

MMS - Mobile Movie Screens/Service ?

Mobile movie screens mounted on trucks and used to bring movies/propaganda to troops/civilians in 'remote' areas.

.

[mike_vee]

From Colonial Cinema magazine dated March 1945 :

The Mobile Cinema Van in the Villages

In four and a half years, four mobile cinema vans of the Department of Information have trekked round and round six areas: the Eastern, Central and Western Provinces of the Gold Coast Colony proper, Ashanti, the Northern Territories, and British Mandated Togoland. Each of these territories, though they differ in area, has a population so distributed, that one cinema unit can cover it every four or five months.

http://cinemastandrews.org.uk/wp-con...ema2,45-54.pdf

Full artice + photos from page 11

.

[Beaker123]

Hi Mike,

Many thanks for your suggestions and the time to find the link to the Colonial Cinema PDF on the St Andrews site - certainly a lot to look through! However, the article you indicated was interesting and shows that mobile cinemas were in use.

From the National Archives catalogue it would appear the MofI was organised into Divisions ie Finance, Admin, Film, Censorship, Empire, America etc but I can't find MMS. Building on your suggestions I have tried searching Military Mobile Screens but without success and the possibility it was a regional designation .. Something Mediterranean Sea? But nope!

I'll see if there are other suggestions or definite id!

All best

S