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Jubilee - Sack Race, Building Bonfire

Making merry to celebrate the monarchy: King George V’s silver jubilee in 1935 is the occasion of community festivities in Tredegar/area.

Home movie 1935 2 mins Silent

From the collection of:

Logo for National Screen and Sound Archive of Wales

Overview

Buns, a bonfire and some sack races: not a bad way to celebrate King George V’s Silver Jubilee in Tredegar/area. Filmed by mining engineer James Roy Tallis (1901-78) of Tredegar whose father was also a mining engineer and the son of a surveyor/mine manager.

James Roy Tallis worked as manager of McLaren Colliery, Abertysswg, agent for the Tredegar Iron and Coal Company, production manager for the National Coal Board's No. 1 Area (and later also No. 9 Area) and finished his career as group manager of the Forest of Dean coalfield. His father, Alfred Simeon Tallis (1863-1927), became general manager of the Tredegar Iron and Coal Company and was instrumental in the establishment of the Oakdale Miners’ Institute (designed by his brother-in-law and opened in 1917) which has been re-located to St Fagans National History Museum.