[Note 1] In 1940, a peaceful and democratic Great Britain stood in vast contrast to the evil of Nazi Germany, whose territorial ambitions have resulted in the invasions of Czechoslovakia, Poland, Norway and Belgium.

Although facing great odds, Britain has withstood the threat of invasion before when Napoleon had also taken over a large expanse of Europe and had his armies poised to attack.

B. Priestley wrote and narrated the film with the intended message that Britain is responsible for "... the future of the civilised world ..." and faces a "dark" evil.

British civilians are seen contributing towards the war effort and scenes of Allied troops are juxtaposed with an extract from Winston Churchill's "We Shall Fight on the Beaches" speech.

[5] Each film in the series was shown over a six-month period as part of the shorts or newsreel segments in approximately 800 theatres across Canada.

[6] The NFB had an arrangement with Famous Players theatres to ensure that Canadians from coast-to-coast could see the Canada Carries On documentary series, with further distribution by Columbia Pictures.