The North East Film Archive is one of a network of regional film archives established to collect, preserve and show film made in, or about the North East of England. Our collections are non-fiction, and date from the early 1900s to the present day, providing a rich record of life in the region over the 20th century. Many of our films are available to watch, free of charge, on our website.
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The Building and Launch of the Mocamedes
On the waterfront at Sunderland's Bartram & Sons with the men and boys who build ships.
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Overview
The men who gave their lives to shipbuilding jostle with bold apprentices who look to a bright post-war future at Bartram & Sons in Sunderland. This beautiful industrial film and workers' portrait details the stages in construction and launch of the Mocamedes in 1946, and lingers over the interior design of cabins. It also captures a human side to this proud shipyard on Wearside.
A lifetime of work has weathered the faces of veteran shipbuilders pictured in this first industrial film commission for Newcastle firm, Turners. Bartram & Sons had endured tough times, closing in the Depression-era years when ‘rabbits were frolicking unmolested in the yard’. But during World War Two, this Sunderland yard had its most productive years. Robert Bartram, one of the last Sunderland family shipbuilders, remained in charge of Bartram’s from 1922 until the yard was bought by Austin and Pickersgill in November 1968, finally closing in 1978.
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