When tourist Phillip Rogers took part in last month’s Exmouth Festival, the last thing he expected was to view an old film depicting his late father in his prime.

Some years ago thieves had stolen the few pictures of his dad; but now, thanks to the chance viewing, many have been replaced.

Last month several hundred people enjoyed seeing the films of old Exmouth over two days when the mobile cinema was in town.

But when Phillip Rogers of Barnstable took his seat he was taken aback when he watched an old film of the first rag day at Rolle Teacher Training College in 1948.

In the film female students were flirting with a dashing young police constable, while the male students made fruitless efforts to steal his helmet.

But when Phillip, from Barnstaple, looked again he got the distinct impression he had seen the young copper before.

He said: “He looked a bit like me, but more than that, he looked exactly like my son.”

After thinking it over he spoke to his son: ”We didn’t want to excite mother about the possibility that this 30 second sequence might be Dad, until we had had another look and showed it to the rest of the family.”

Andy Price, who runs the on-line film archive said: “Phillip’s son works in IT so it was very easy for him to go to the East Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty website which furnished the material for the mobile cinema.

“They showed it round the family and they all agreed it was definitely him.”

Phillip Rogers added: “What makes the find particularly pleasing is that a couple of years back thieves broke into mum’s house and made off with family photos of Dad.”