As the convoy of ships set out, the main British battle fleet, on alert because of the German Deutschland battleship lurking in the Atlantic, took over escort duties.

Once settled into their new quarters, the Canadian soldiers begin a strenuous regimen of training that includes becoming proficient with new infantry tactics, weapons and equipment, such as the new Bren light machine gun and the despatch riders' motorbikes.

With the assistance of a British camera crew, a number of the soldiers were able to make personal "letters home" messages that will end up on cinema screens back in Canada.

In the tradition of their forebears, the first Canadian troops to reach English shores during the Second World War showed they were ready to "do their part".

Typical of the NFB's Canada Carries On series of morale-boosting propaganda short films, Letter from Aldershot was made in cooperation with the Director of Public Information, Herbert Lash.

Quick and Walter Darling, the overseas material, along with film shot in Canada, was edited by Stuart Legg to provide a coherent story.