Filmed at Blyth in Northumberland. Introductory intertitle reads: "`This isn't a drama - although many a tragic story may lie hidden behind the old ships they break up on our north-eastern coast."
Panning shot of ships. M/S of stern of a ship in shallow water. L/S of ships being broken up by men with hand tools. C/U of man slicing through a large mast or something similar. L/S of the mast falling onto the deck of the ship. M/S of men using welding equipment to slice through metal. M/S of five men breaking up part of the ship. "The metal goes to the furnaces - but the valuable teak and other wood is reserved for furniture making - especially garden types.." A piece of wood is carried by two men and placed on a pile.
"Humming saws and busy tools soon shape out the wood..." Shot of some wood salvaged from HMS Lion. M/S of men moving around pieces of wood. One man uses an electrically driven saw to slice through a piece of wood. Interior shot where men are pulling pieces of wood off the framework of a piece of furniture or ships fitting. In a workshop men build other pieces of furniture. Exterior shot. Men display the new furniture that has been made: chairs, tables, trolleys, etc. Behind the furniture are two very large sculptures or ship figureheads. Workers walk past carrying chairs and a bench.
Was an item in Pathe Pictorial issue number 468.
Note: item has flash-frame intertitles.
FILM ID:888.15
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