U.N.R.R.A. presents In the Wake of the Armies ...

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U.N.R.R.A. presents In the Wake of the Armies ... is a 13‑minute Canadian documentary from 1944 made by the National Film Board of Canada for the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA). It’s part of the wartime Canada Carries On series. The film was directed and edited by Guy Glover and narrated by Lorne Greene. The French title is À la suite de nos armées viendra l’entraide.

What the film covers
- UNRRA was created in 1943 to help people from Allied nations. By 1944, millions of Europeans were refugees, with cities destroyed and scarce food, water, and infrastructure.
- The film explains UNRRA’s expanded duty to assist all in distress and how relief work began under chaotic postwar conditions.
- It notes how UNRRA worked with volunteer charities and allied governments to deliver basics like food, fuel, clothing, shelter, medicine, tools, seeds, fertilizer, and farm equipment.
- Canada contributed five million tons of wheat, and the United States helped supply other foods.

Production and style
- The film was made to boost morale during the war and uses mostly newsreel footage from British, American, and Canadian military film units.
- Lorne Greene provides the narration, earning fame as a strong “voice” of Canada.

Distribution and afterlife
- It was produced in 35 mm for theatrical release and shown in about 800 theatres across Canada for six months, with a deal to be distributed by Columbia Pictures and Famous Players theatres.
- After the six‑month run, it was released on 16 mm for schools, libraries, churches, and factories, often extending its life for another year or two.
- Overall, 199 films were made in the Canada Carries On series before the series ended in 1959.
- The film was produced with cooperation from the Director of Public Information, Herbert Lash.