News on Screen

Series

Series Name

Mining Review 17th Year

Issue

Issue No.

4

Date Released

Dec 1963

Length of issue (in feet)

968

Stories in this Issue:

• 1. SING IT ABROAD
• 2. TROUT AGAIN
• 3. SUPPLY VEHICLE
• 4. TIME IN THE SUN

Story

Story No. within this Issue

2 / 4

Summary

BFI synopsis: A miners’ angling club on the Sirhowy river in South Wales, where the water is now made clear by new coal washing techniques.
NCB Commentary - Before coal reaches the customer it must be carefully prepared.
Today in the washeries the dirt is removed and the coal graded for the market.
In the Sirhowy Valley in South Wales, Pochin Pit, like many other small pits, has its won washery. Once in the bad old days the overflow water from the washery passed into the Sirhowy river in the valley below. As a result no fish swam in the polluted waters.
Thanks for improved washery techniques - and an idea from Jack Williams of Markham Pit - the Markham Angling Club was born.
"It’s not exactly beer," Jack said, "but it’s clear enough for fish." This was in September, 1962. Now with Jack as Chairman the Club has 85 members, most of them miners.
First thing they did was to acquire the fishing rights from the Coal Board and local farmer. Then they started stocking the river. By the end of 1963 the Club had placed 1500 brown trout in the river at a cost of £250 raised by the Club members. Very much alive and kicking the new arrivals dark off into their fresh environment - but, of course, having put them in - now they have to be fished out.
It’s a Saturday morning and in the valley below the Club members - and the trout - are on the move. Jack Williams has a final check on his reel.
The Hollybush Inn is the Club’s headquarters - after a little preliminary fish talk - it’s off to business.
And as always along fishing water, there are those who sometimes land one - and there are those who just sit - but then that’s fishing.
Mr. Pearce is the manager of Markham Pit, and Jack Williams an onsetter - both not only know how to get coal out of the ground.
But whatever luck the sport holds for the Markham miners - the brown trout are running again in the quiet waters of the Sirhowy.

Keywords

Sport; Entertainment and leisure; Mining

Locations

Wales

Written sources

British Film Institute Databases   Used for synopsis
The British National Film Catalogue   Vol.2 1964, p.55
The National Archives COAL 32   /13 Scripts for Mining Review, 1960-1963

Credits:

Sponsor

National Coal Board

Production Co.

National Coal Board Film Unit