Nottinghamshire - SISTER
Series
- Series Name
- Mining Review 20th Year
Issue
Story
- Story No. within this Issue
- 3 / 3
- Summary
- BFI synopsis: A day in the life of Cotgrave Colliery’s pit nurse.
NCB Commentary - Just 2 miles from Nottingham City Centre you can sail on the River Trent. A bracing way to unwind after a day at the office or the factory - or, in Charmain’s case, a day at the pit.
Keen about the open air life, sunshine and salt water, Charmain is better known as Sister Mordaunt. She’s in charge of the medical Centre at Cotgrave Colliery, one of the brand new pits that are fast working their way into the league of the bog coal producers. The day starts with a check on any casualties that might have occured in the night. These would have been dealt with by Keith Needham, one of the three medical attendants at the centre. They work at night - Sister has the day shift. One of her many duties is to further the training of her attendants.
Every miner at the pit has his own record card. Every injury, however small, has to be reported.
Eye and hand injuries are not uncommon - but bruises, cuts, abrasions and strains are the most frequent hurts Charmain has to deal with. Serious injuries, fortunately, are rare. ‘People get funny ideas about nurses’ says Charmain. ‘Landlords think us immmoral, politicians think we can live on dedication alone, and men think we know much more than we do. But it’s an interesting, worthwhile job, with good conditions, and we generally have some time to spare in the medical centre - which says a lot for pit safety today.'
Today, every mine in the country has its own medical centre. Sister Mordaunt is one of the 1100 permanent medical staff that look after our miners - a vital link in the chain of skill and devotion that mining safety and welfare demand. Another of her duties is to go down the pit occasionally. Although the first aid equipment underground is maintained by the medical attendants or the regular pit staff it is important to know the layout of the mine, to know the difference between a goaf and a ripping lip - to know and understand what her patients are talking about.
Charmain works closely with the pit’s safety officer to help prevent accidents before they happen.
A modern, power-loading face is a mass of metal and machinery. It is the safety officer’s job to prevent accidents - and the pit nurses’ job to deal with them as quickly and efficiently as possible should they happen.
Sister Charmain Mordaunt talking over points from her underground tour with Chief Safety Officer Ray Bilson, has been working here for 5 years now - working amongst men from her native Nottinghamshire, and among men who have moved down from Durham and Northumberland, and up from Wales.
It’s a job to be proud of and the thousand men of Cotgrave are proud of her. - Keywords
- Health and medicine
- Locations
- England; Nottinghamshire; Cotgrave
- Written sources
- British Film Institute Databases Used for synopsis
The National Archives COAL 32 /13 Scripts for Mining Review, 1960-1963
- Credits:
-
- Sponsor
- National Coal Board
- Production Co.
- National Coal Board Film Unit