THEY are the picture of innocence – two unknown Edinburgh boys playing in Riddle’s Close. Yet, unwittingly, they are also part of a sophisticated propaganda effort designed to aid their country as it fought for survival against Nazi Germany.

The boys are among dozens of Edinburgh residents who appear in The Royal Mile – a film shot in 1943 and commissioned by the British Council to project the best of the Capital as the Second World War raged. The film – now digitised – was made available to the public for the first time last week and its makers are calling for residents of today’s Edinburgh to help identify and share the stories of the people portrayed.