National Screen and Sound Archive of Wales preserves and celebrates the sound and moving image heritage of Wales, making it accessible to a wide range of users for enjoyment and learning. Its film collection reflects every aspect of the nation’s social, cultural and working life across the 20th century, giving a fascinating insight into Welsh filmmaking, both amateur and professional.
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Menai Strait Regatta, Amlwch Station, Irish Trawler, Slate Train Port Dinorwic
Sail (regatta, and Irish trawler hauling in whiting), rail (children and piglets at Amlwch Station) and slate (last slate train at Port Dinorwic).
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Overview
A compilation of sail, rail and slate footage: sailing folk and land-lubbers gather outside the Gazelle Hotel near Glyngarth during the regatta; schoolchildren on an excursion and pigs bound for market gather at Amlwch Station, and fishermen on board an Irish trawler haul in a whiting catch. There are shots, too, of the last slate train at Port Dinorwic, and a rescue (involving an RAF helicopter and an ambulance) in the Porth Eilian area.
Shot by David E Sutcliffe, a Bull Bay-based BBC stringer and local cinema operator – he used village halls for screenings. Stringers were the localised eyes and ears of the television companies, recording interesting stories and events whenever they occurred in their given area. The slate at Port Dinorwic (Y Felinheli) would have come from Dinorwic Quarry.
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