News on Screen

Series

Series Name

Mining Review 11th Year

Issue

Issue No.

8

Date Released

Apr 1958

Stories in this Issue:

• 1. SHOTFIRER
• 2. MANSFIELD WOODHOUSE
• 3. NAILBREAKER
• 4. AIRBREAKER

Story

Story No. within this Issue

1 / 4

Summary

BFI synopsis: underground worker Charlie Swann, ace pigeon shooter, combines sport with useful service to local farmers by shooting unwanted pigeons
NCB Commentary - Past Shireoaks Colliery, where he works, underground worker Charles Swann drives off into the winter landscape.
In Nottinghamshire, as in other farming counties, pigeons are a serious menace to growing crops.
Charlie Swann, well-known as a broadcaster in "Country Magazine", claims to be the nation’s top pigeon shooter.
On off-duty days, he does a service to local farmers by clearing their land of unwanted pigeons.
But there’s more to it than just shooting them out of the sky. From the back of his van Charlie unloads some of the gear he’ll need. These are fir tree branches.
While his dog scouts out the land, Charlie’s first step is to clear a level space where a hide can be built.
He cuts saplings which he drives into the ground to make a framework. Over this framework he ties netting and finally finishes off the job with the fir branches and bracken.
To make a good hide is quite a lengthy job.
Now he spreads decoy birds around the field. The idea is to make visiting pigeons come down and investigate.
Charlie Swann’s pair of guns are nearly a hundred years old. He knows how to use them all right.
Once in the hide it’s a matter of waiting and then being very quick on the trigger.
Over 20 years Charlie has accounted for more than 75 thousand pigeons. He can knock down around 300 in a day.
To the farmers around this district Charlie Swann’s sport doubles as a useful service.

Researcher Comments

Commentary recorded 10th March 1958.

Keywords

Shooting; Agriculture; Mining; Birds

Written sources

British Film Institute Databases   Used for synopsis
Film User   Vol.13 No.147 January 1959, p27.
The National Archives COAL 32   /12 Scripts for Mining Review, 1956-1960

Credits:

Production Co.

Documentary Technicians Alliance

Sponsor

National Coal Board