This film is part of Free
Many Feared Dead in Pit Disaster
The aftermath of a devastating explosion at Haig pit in the Whitehaven coal field.
Overview
To be classified as a disaster, an accident or explosion at a coal mine had to claim at least ten lives. Anxious onlookers are seen here, waiting in hope, in this bleak and sombre newsreel footage of the initial aftermath of the Haig pit gas explosion, on Thursday 29th January 1931. This type of gas is sometimes referred to as firedamp; this was one of many disasters and smaller accidents that the Whitehaven coal field had suffered over the years. It was eventually discovered that 27 people had lost their lives and 13 others were injured.
Related
Miner Miner
Documentary 1950 36 mins Silent Location: Featherstone
Absorbing overview of coalmining in the early years of nationalisation.
Thud and Blunder in Knock off Time Thud and Blunder in Knock off Time
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1964 2 mins
Miners' safety training - marked by stylish animation and gallows humour.
Energy Energy
Advert 1935 42 mins Silent Location: Cardiff/Caerdydd
Coal, between the world wars, makes the industrialised world go round and Cory Bros & Co Ltd, with collieries in south Wales and oil refineries across the globe, is a major player.
Big Pit Big Pit
Industry sponsored film 1978 7 mins Location: Blaenavon
Memories of Blaenavon Colliery, Monmouthshire, as it nears its end.
Guilty Chimneys Guilty Chimneys
Documentary 1954 18 mins
Elegiac sponsored film imploring viewers to "allow the sun to penetrate the haze of ignorance" and relieve British cities of pollution.
People Will Always Need Coal People Will Always Need Coal
Advert 1975 1 mins
Deliriously kitsch recruitment ad for the implausibly glamorous world of coalmining.
Opening of Whitehaven Film Theatre Opening of Whitehaven Film Theatre
News 1972 5 mins Silent Location: Whitehaven
Border Television's local news looks in on the Whitehaven Film Theatre, the latest film venue at the Civic Hall.
Whitehaven Street Scenes (c.1902) Whitehaven Street Scenes (c.1902)
Non-Fiction 1902 3 mins Silent Location: Whitehaven
Lively scenes in Edwardian Cumbria.
Khichdi Khichdi
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2023 16 mins
The interwoven stories of four best friends who reunite in the UK, thirty-five years after training together as nurses during their teens in Ferozepur, Punjab.
Every Moment Counts Every Moment Counts
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2023 9 mins
A short animation that offers a window into the world of children’s palliative care.
Dr XYZ: A Medical Drag Transthology Dr XYZ: A Medical Drag Transthology
2023 15 mins
A satirical take on the healthcare service announcements of the 1960s and 70s.
Police Story: Panel Discussion Police Story: Panel Discussion
Inside Film 2024 24 mins
Panel discussion on Jackie Chan's 1985 action classic Police Story, with Chase Armitage, Sam Mak and Jadey Duffield.
China O'Brien: The Reunion China O'Brien: The Reunion
Documentary 2024 60 mins
Cynthia Rothrock, Richard Norton and Keith Cooke reunite three decades on from the groundbreaking martial arts classic.
Women in Action Panel Discussion Women in Action Panel Discussion
Inside Film 2024 28 mins
Action Xtreme - the UK's leading action film studio - hosts this panel discussion with four leading women in action cinema - Soo Cole, Jo Rolison, Jadey Duffield and Ioanna Karavela.