News on Screen

Series

Series Name

Mining Review 6th Year

Issue

Issue No.

11

Date Released

Jul 1953

Stories in this Issue:

• 1. CIVIL DEFENCE
• 2. THE WAFFLER
• 3. TRAMP’S BALL

Story

Story No. within this Issue

1 / 3

Summary

BFI synopsis: Civil Defence training for miners and the organisation of Civil Defence services at collieries in the East Midlands. Includes anti-gas training, fire fighting, casualty rescue and dealing with atomic explosions
NCB Commentary - South Normanton Colliery is the setting of this desolate scene. In the East Midlands, as in many other coalfields, Civil Defence has caught on as a spare time service for miners.
Instruction is on broad lines. Anti-gas training is still important, and for rescue men use to wearing breathing gear, a natural activity. In the smoke chamber, men exercise in their masks.
Firefighting is another Civil Defence need that’s useful in everyday life, too. Under instructor Bert McGregor of Stanwick Colliery, a firefighting team moves in to tackle an indoor blaze. For spreading a mist of water to smother a fire there’s no better tool than the old battle-tried stirrup pump.
From the smoke chamber - keep low down on the floor is the rule here - Bill Dove, a Rucknall Colliery shunter switches to the attack against an oil fire. Foam is the weapon for this job, foam that will blanket and choke a fire as it spreads out over the surface.
Rescuing casualties from a height is an important training technique. Whether the casualty’s real or not, there’s a right way to do the job, and that’s the one the men are being taught. And the same with this tangle. Underneath wll this is supposed to be an injured man; the way to get him out is to use a block and tackle on a movable derrick.
Atomic weapons call for their own special precautions. Here’s a class testing out individual meters which show the rescue workers, when they hold them up to the light, just how much radioactivity is being spread in their vicinity. G. L. Brown, Civil Defence coordinator for the region, is the guinea-pig for another test - this time with a sensitive contamination meter which traces raioactive materials on the body of rescue workers. This button, hidden in Mr. Brown’s collar, is radioactive.
These men, and hundreds of others like them, are giving their spare time to the Civil Defence forces to safeguard the homes and the pits of Britain’s coalfields.

Researcher Comments

BFI sources suggest that this story was researched by Bryant from the 9th to the 10th February 1953. It was then filmed from the 22nd to the 24th April 1953. Commentary recorded 8 June 1953.

Keywords

Education and training; Mining; Safety devices; Emergency services

Locations

England

Written sources

British Film Institute Databases   Used for Synopsis
Film User   Vol.8 No.87 January 1954, p32.
The National Archives COAL 32   /3 Scripts for Mining Review, 1949-1956

Credits:

Production Co.

Documentary Technicians Alliance

Support services

Gerard Bryant

Director

John Krish

Sponsor

National Coal Board

Camera

Newman

Camera

W. Donat