British Pathe

Southampton, Hampshire.

M/S from a low angle of tree tops, one of them begins to fall. M/S of the tree falling in a field. M/S of Ray Bryan backing a tractor across the field, two other men are stood by it. M/S of one of the men walking past the fallen tree to the roots, he signals to someone...

Southampton, Hampshire.

M/S from a low angle of tree tops, one of them begins to fall. M/S of the tree falling in a field. M/S of Ray Bryan backing a tractor across the field, two other men are stood by it. M/S of one of the men walking past the fallen tree to the roots, he signals to someone off screen. M/S of the ten ton trenching machine with a large wheel digging up the field. The operator, Matt O'Brien, is sat on the side manoeuvring it. C/U of Matt's face as he steers it. C/U of the digging wheel as it goes round. M/S of the earth pouring out of the other side of the machine onto the field. C/U of the earth coming out of the machine. C/U from inside the trench of the machine going along. M/S as a section of pipe is lifted off the ground by a crane and manoeuvred into the trench.

M/S of the site manager, John Webb, sat at a desk looking at plans. Stood next to him is the plant foreman Gordon Vickers. There is another man stood next to a sign saying 'Road Works Ahead'. M/S as the pipe is lowered into the trench. M/S of another section of pipe in a large harness, Mr Sing is stood at one end, he is known as a 'stabber' and is responsible for lining up the sections. C/U of Mr Sing's face looking serious. Various shots of the pipes being fitted together. M/S of two men wearing masks welding the sections of pipe together. C/U of one of the welders, Bill Irwin, at work. L/S of the pipe with men and machinery in the background. Albert Gibbon, the welding inspector, comes along and sits on the pipe, he then places two strips of rubber over it. C/U of his hands as he fastens the strips round it. The narrator says this is a radioactive isotope which is used to x-ray the joint for cracks. M/S as he lifts a handle on the machine and moves away, M/S as he looks at his wristwatch. C/U of the isotope. M/S of three men putting tape round the pipes, there is a box with a lead coming out of it on top of the pipe. This is a 'holiday' detector, holiday in this context means any flaws found in the protective coating.

One of the men, Bob Bellin, holds up what looks like a rake with bristles on the end and moves it over the pipe. C/U of the rake being brushed over the binding. C/U of Bob's face as he works. C/U of a round object with bolts through it, the narrator tells us this is called a 'pig' and it is blown through the pipe with compressed air to clear out anything which might have been left in it. The pig is picked up and placed in one end of the pipe. M/S of the air machine, a man picks up a pipe from it and fixes it to the top of the pig. One man holds the pig and another man screws the pipe in place. C/U of the man at the air machine, he gives a signal. C/U of the man by the pig nodding and turning the air valve on, he taps the pressure gauge.

M/S of a man driving a digger shovelling earth in the field. C/U of the earth falling over the pipes. M/S of a road partly dug up with a trench, men are working on it; a sign saying 'Road Up' is in the foreground. A red bus and several cars drive past. M/S of the trenching machine in the field driving up onto a transporter. C/U over the machine as it climbs onto the transporter. C/U of the front of the machine. L/S of the machine on the transporter, two men are stood by the side and one is driving the machine, C/U of the wheel being raised. Various shots of the machine being manoeuvred into position. C/U of the two men stood by the machine watching it. M/S of the caterpillar tracks. M/S of the red van driving the transporter with the machine on the back. It drives slowly past the camera.

M/S of a swamp, a scoop is plunged into the water and pulls out silt. C/U of the driver working the controls. C/U of his hands on the levers, M/S of the scoop coming out of the water full of mud and grass, C/U of the scoop beginning to pour the mud onto the side. L/S of the fields in front of the digger, with the scoop coming past again in the foreground. L/S of the pipe along the top of the field, a Land Rover drives past it. M/S of a trench and pipe in front of some houses, various men are digging the trench, the camera pans round to show several children sat on it, and a woman stood by it. The camera pans across to show three children looking down the end of the pipe.