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The New Mine

A proud and precise overview of the Comrie Colliery in Fife, detailing the mechanical and human processes in use at the then "pit-head of the new world".

Industry sponsored film 1945 17 mins

Overview

This profile of the workings of a typical colliery – at Comrie in Fife – details with great pride the cutting-edge technologies and safety procedures in practice at this "pit-head of the new world". Although the focus is largely on mechanical process, the most memorable shots occur near the beginning as we see workers queuing up for the jam and cheese sandwiches that would sustain them through a day’s mining.

While the film’s romantic voiceover imagines the mine would “stand the test of time”, Comrie Colliery was closed in 1986 and remains today a contaminated site still in the process of recovery. This government film is a public record, preserved and presented by the BFI National Archive on behalf of The National Archives, home to more than 1,000 years of British history.

Director

Irene Wilson

Genres

Industry sponsored film

Country

United Kingdom

Location

Comrie

Language

English