OLD HANDS

Series

Series Name

Mining Review 10th Year

Issue

Issue No.

6

Date Released

Feb 1957

Stories in this Issue:

1. 1BUT ONCE A YEAR
2. 2TREPANNER
3. 3BRETBY
4. 4OLD HANDS

Story

Story No. within this Issue

4 / 4

Summary

BFI synopsis: The story of an old winding engine and of the two men who operate it.
NCB Commentary - Once again near St. Helens stands Lea Green Colliery. On shift comes Jack Howard, 66 years old, to take over duty from his opposite number, Jack Dodds. Between them these two men can chalk up over 90 years of service, much of it devoted to the running and maintenance of another of the industry’s old faithfuls.
This winding engine at Lea Green was built at St. Helens in 1867; that makes her 90 years old but, like many other old lady, she doesn’t betray her age.
For 44 years, Jack Howard has tended this hand-valve operated single cylinder engine. On an engine this old, fine control is given by hand operation of the valve. If you can’t feel the pulse of the engine, then sure enough these old stagers will stall themselves on top dead centre. But in the sureness of Jack Howard’s hand and the steadiness of his eye, you can see that there isn’t an inch of the Lea Green engine he doesn’t know by heart.
Snap time, and a pause for a cup of tea - but there’s no pause in the old winder’s working life. Her days are far from being numbered. now she has started a new lease of life in winding men and materials down to a new training face which has been established at Lea Green.
The engine, and the two Jacks form as healthy a trio of old soldiers as you would find anywhere in the industry, a trio who happily show no signs of fading away into the mists of retirement.

Researcher Comments

Commentary recorded 7th January 1957.

Keywords

Mining; Engineering; History and archaeology

Written sources

British Film Institute Databases   Used for synopsis
Film User   Vol.11 No.128 June 1957, p258.
The National Archives COAL 32   /12 Scripts for Mining Review, 1956-1960

Credits:

Production Co.

Documentary Technicians Alliance

Sponsor

National Coal Board