BIRD IN HAND

Series

Series Name

Mining Review 5th Year

Issue

Issue No.

6

Date Released

Feb 1952

Stories in this Issue:

1. 1DOWN DIESELS
2. 2EMERGENCY LAB
3. 3BIRD IN HAND
4. 4FIRE DOWN BELOW

Story

Story No. within this Issue

3 / 4

Summary

BFI synopsis: cage bird show at Olympia, with the N.C.B. exhibiting pit canaries. Includes examples of pit canaries and how they are revived.
NCB Commentary - Here’s a fine sight, enough to make a pawnbroker’s mouth water. No, not for boxers, not for swimmers, nor athletes - but for Britain’s champion cage birds. There were over 7,000 birds - and fish - a show at the 8th National Exhibition of Cage Birds at Olympia recently. This one’s a talking mynah from India - no, they spell it M-Y-N-A-H this time. Even so, it’s got a black face.
The NCB were represented by Bill Riley of the Wakefield rescue station. Here he welcomes Mr. and Mrs. Lester Ferguson with their talking budgerigar ‘Joey’. But Bill Riley’s stand attracted many other visitors. Mr. Coward here, who’d come across from America for the show, is interested to learn - and so am I - about how pit canaries are cared for. I knew that canaries give vital warning of carbon monoxide gas in a pit, but see here how they revive an overcome bird. Into the oxygen cage it goes, and after a minute and a half it’s as frisky as over. At Wakefield they haven’t lost a bird in 14 years.
So next time we see a canary go down with the rescue men we shan’t be so worried about its future. But don’t they fit them out with pit helmets, too?

Researcher Comments

BFI sources suggest that this story was filmed from the 4th to the 7th December 1951. The budget was £120 4s 4d. Commentary recorded 8 January 1952.

Keywords

Mining; Birds; Emergency services; Exhibitions and shows

Locations

London; Olympia; England

Written sources

British Film Institute Databases   Used for Synopsis
Film User   Vol.6 No.74 December 1952, p651.
The National Archives COAL 32   /3 Scripts for Mining Review, 1949-1956

Credits:

Production Co.

Documentary Technicians Alliance

Camera

John Gunn

Sponsor

National Coal Board

Camera

Ronald Bicker

Director

Tony Thompson