A film revealing inspiring stories of Bradford men and women who served in the armed forces over the last century will be shown in schools.

Bradford’s Armed Forces, Past and Present is produced by Bradford UNESCO City of Film with funding from the Community Covenant Fund.

Combining interviews, animation and archive film footage from the Yorkshire Film Archive, the short film re-tells the experiences of former and current servicemen and women and highlights the impact of the armed forces on communities and the nation.

It was premiered at the National Media Museum last month, then shown on the Bradford Big Screen for Armed Forces Day celebrations in City Park.

The film will continue to be shown on the Big Screen for three months, and will also be made available to schools in the district and will appear on the Ministry of Defence website.

Those featured in the film include James Hargreaves, who joined the Army as an apprentice in the Second World War and became a gun layer and chef, and Philip France, whose Army career also began during the war when he joined as a specialist due to his maths skills. Both men are now members of the Royal British Legion.

Mark Hill, of Cleckheaton, embarked on an Army career at 17 and became fluent in several languages.

Mr Hill said: “This film of soldiers young and old is a great idea. It will help our community better understand what military life was like years ago compared to modern times.

“My story of yesteryear will hopefully help young people understand what I went through when I left Bradford at 17 years old to join the Army all those years ago.”

The film also features Gerry Briscoe, a former member of the Bradford Royal Engineers who took part in the Normandy D-Day Landings, and Stephen Clayden, of Haworth, who joined the Army with his friend 23 years ago. Now at the end of his military career, Stephen learned skills in Arctic warfare.

There is also a focus on the Wrens – the Women’s Royal Naval Service formed during the First World War – with Bradford Wrens Eileen Parker, Jo Davanna, Kath Brey, Margaret Evans, Mary Thornton and Mavis Northrop.

City of Film director David Wilson said: “This project is a great example of Bradford’s UNESCO City of Film working with new young professionals and established animators and film-makers. This film provides a legacy of war veterans past and present. The stories cover relationships, skills and memories, highlighting the importance of armed forces within communities.”

The film was funded by the Armed Forces Community Covenant, which raises awareness of issues affecting the armed forces and encourages local communities to support them.

* To watch the film, visit bradford-city-of-film.com.