We Serve

We Serve is a British short film about the lives of officers in the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS).

[1] The involvement of Reed as director enabled Box to secure the services of several leading British actresses for the film, all agreeing to be paid the small sum of £5 per day.

[2] The 30-minute film was commissioned shortly after the British government changed the nature of the ATS from being a voluntary body to becoming a professional service with full military status in April 1941.

[3] It was concurrent with a wider recruitment drive to expand the size of the ATS.

[4] In its efforts to attract recruits, the film emphasised that femininity could be retained in wartime.