Hound Trails

Series

Series Name

Mining Review 1st Year

Issue

Issue No.

6

Date Released

Feb 1948

Length of issue (in feet)

838

Stories in this Issue:

1. 1Diesel Locos
2. 2Miners visiting Ruhr
3. 3Hound Trails

Story

Story No. within this Issue

3 / 3

Summary

BFI synopsis: Hound trails in Cumberland.
COI Commentary - Six to four the field! Six to four the field! It’s hard work for Charlie Parkinson’s lungs, but he’s not afraid of that - he used to be a shotfirer.
Come along, let’s cut the cackle and get down to the horses. Horses? What, no horses? What is all this, then? And what is that?
It’s a drag. It’s being soused in aniseed, turpentine, and a few other choice perfumes. When the trail layer pulls it across the countryside it’ll leave a scent for hounds to follow.
Hound Trailing’s one of the favourite sports among miners and others in Cumberland, Westmorland and North Lancs. Today’s the big day for the three counties - Produce Stakes and Maiden Stakes are the equivalent up there of the Derby and Oaks.
Here are some runners longing to get their noses on the job. Before the day’s out, one of them may be a champion - there’s no such thing as a cert in hound trailing, though this fancier seems to think she’s on to something pretty hot.
The trail layer’s coming in now. He’s been half way round the course, and met the other layer, who will be coming in from the opposite direction. They’ll be off as soon as he comes in sight, so people are moving over to the starting point.
They’re lined up. On your mark, hounds! The other trail layer’s in - what are we waiting for? We aren’t - they’re off! Well, one of them is anyway. Hey you, can’t you see there’s a queue? Wait your turn like the rest! (Heel, I say, heel!)
That’s better. The judge is at the alert. Watch that flag until ... THEY’RE OFF!
I’ll say they’re off! Crikey! That’s a trail, that was.
Over to the finish. Twenty minutes come up, and the Official Runner’s going to give a shout - watch your eardrums. TRAIL! Hound catchers to your posts, hound owners behind your barriers!
Any minute now the leaders will come over St. Bees Head. Here they are. You can hardly see them in this weather, but the winner won’t be long now.
You may think that the hounds did all the work round here but don’t forget the owners! They say that doctors in these parts work overtime on hound trail days, coping with burst blood vessels. And it your hound can’t hear you, perhaps he’ll see you - if a handkerchief isn’t big enough, try waving a tablecloth!
They’re coming! If you’ve got sharp eyes you can spot the winner now - perhaps.
And this is where the hound catchers come in. The judge details them off to nab the first six and hold them for identification. You can tear up that bookie’s card now - that tip of yours hasn’t come in at all.
It’s hungry work all that running - a hound’s glad of his snap. More? No, that’s the lot.

Keywords

Dogs

Locations

Cumberland; England

Written sources

The National Archives INF 6   /391
British Film Institute Databases   Used for synopsis
Hogenkamp, A. P., unpublished DPhil thesis   pxv.

Credits:

Production Co.

Crown Film Unit

Director

Graham Wallace

Camera

J. Jones

Cutter

Jocelyn Jackson

Cutter

John Legard

Producer

John Taylor

Commentator

Maurice Denham

Sponsor

Ministry of Fuel and Power

This series is held by:

Film Archive

Name

British Film Institute (BFI)

Email

For BFI National Archive enquiries:
nonfictioncurators@bfi.org.uk
For commercial/footage reuse enquiries:
footage.films@bfi.org.uk

Web

http://collections-search.bfi.org.uk/web

Phone

020 7255 1444

Fax

020 7580 7503

Address

21 Stephen Street
London W1T 1LN

Notes

The BFI National Archive also preserves the original nitrate film copies of British Movietone News, British Paramount News, Empire News Bulletin, Gaumont British News, Gaumont Graphic, Gaumont Sound News and Universal News (the World War II years are covered by the Imperial War Museum).

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