In the first weeks of the Great War, the Bioscope journal noted:
“There are very few signs of the terrible struggle in which the country is engaged to be noted at Brighton. The panic of the first week, of course, had a very bad effect, but things soon resumed their normal course. The picture theatres are doing a brisk business, and the patriotic and war films which are the order of the day are proving a great draw.” The Bioscope,10 September 1914
It was indeed the case that in Brighton and Hove, residents (and many visitors) continued to amuse themselves as well as busying themselves with their contributions to war work and fund raising.
French Brighton 