Shaw Wildman’s big studio in Hendon, London, saw the peek of his artistic and business success, before the outbreak of the second world war during which he worked for the Ministry of Information. He directed films such as Crossing the Road and many others with Richard Massingham, including Women After the War; Harvest Camp; the Long, Long Trail; Arthur Askey on Going to the Dentist; The Mirror Can Lie and many more.
His pictures at that time included digging for victory, factory production and magazine covers. During this time, with his wife Joan, he moved his family to Hammondhead, Yorkshire for safety and then to wonderful Malham.
In the dreary days of continued rationing after the war, the family moved to Crammers Farm in Devon, which soon bustled with the labour of successive members of the six Wildman children; Jean, Kin, Cedric, Sally, Jane and Liz. Shaw returned to advertising, the type of photography needed at that time.
