Metadata
WORK ID: YFA 3180 (Master Record)
| Title | Year | Date |
| SAFE ON SHORE | 1980 | 1980-01-01 |
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Details
Original Format: 16mm Colour: Colour Sound: Sound Duration: 23 mins 25 secs Credits: Sound Carton Film Productions Camera and Editing Jack Gibson (Hull Cine Club) Subject: Religion Family Life |
| Summary This is a promotional film for the Sailors’ Children’s Society which documents the work of the organization with sailors and their families. |
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Description
This is a promotional film for the Sailors’ Children’s Society which documents the work of the organization with sailors and their families.
The film opens with a sinking ship and then cuts to a memorial tablet in a chapel. The Welfare Officer then explains his duties and the duties of the origination as he walks around the chapel cleaning and arranging different things.
At one of the branch locations, there is a group of children playing cricket by the seaside. And at the Newland Estate,...
This is a promotional film for the Sailors’ Children’s Society which documents the work of the organization with sailors and their families.
The film opens with a sinking ship and then cuts to a memorial tablet in a chapel. The Welfare Officer then explains his duties and the duties of the origination as he walks around the chapel cleaning and arranging different things.
At one of the branch locations, there is a group of children playing cricket by the seaside. And at the Newland Estate, there are clips of the different foundations stones of the various buildings to show its evolution and growth through the years. Also, the exterior can be seen of the St. Nicholas primary school.
In one of the homes, there is a girl baking and cooking, overall helping to take care of the house matters with the house mother. Together they prepare a meal for which all the children gather around the table to take part. The boys help in the washing up after the meal, and afterwards, the members of the house play monopoly, a game of cards, and ping pong.
On family day, there are many different races and events which take place for the children and adults. Some of these include: foot races, sack races, obstacle course races, and tug of war.
A widow and her four children are sitting in their living room. The widow explains how the society has helped her as she lost her husband at sea.
Christmas time is a time for celebration at Newlands. Everyone gathers together for a mealtime party as they sit around large tables wearing Christmas cracker hats. There is also entertainment for the party performed by both the children and adults. This entertainment includes a hula dance, other dramatic performances, and a magic show. At the end of the night, Father Christmas makes an appearance and hands out gifts to all the children.
In the spring, there is an annual carnival which is held for fundraising. The estate is turned into a fairground to which up to 20,000 people come to annually. Even the Lord Mayor is present. Here, there are various carnival rides, clothing sales, toy sales, and wall climbing. There is also a show featuring large inflated dinosaurs which a large crowd gathers around to watch. Additionally, there is a hot air balloon launch, a performance by a uniformed band, and a Welly (Wellington boot) throwing tournament in order to raise money.
George, the gardener, has spent most of his life at the Newland Estate. He speaks about how he was raised there, and after his experiences during the war, he returned to the Estate in order to help take care of the grounds and the children there. He can be seen gardening with the assistance of two boys.
At the house opened for elderly sailors, two men make their way to the yard and play with some of the younger children explaining the expansion of the organization to care for the entire sailing community.
Summer holiday time - members of Newlands pack up suitcases and make their way onto many buses for some time away from the Estate.
The final scene of the film features a sailor and his family. The man makes his way onto a ship, North Sea Ferries, explaining how his wife is no longer with them, but he can work easily knowing his family is being looked after by the Sailors’ Children’s Society.
The film then closes with credits -
Sound Carton Film Productions
Camera and Editing Jack Gibson (Hull Cine Club)
Context
This film promoting the Sailors’ Children’s Society is one of 24 films donated to the YFA by the Sailors’ Families’ Society. The films date from 1936, and continue to include the visit by Diana, the Princess Of Wales, in February 1991. Other Royal visits include Princess Mary in 1949, the Queen in 1957 and Princess Anne in 1971. Many of these films are promoting the Society or simply showing the Society’s activities, but others are explicitly appealing for funds. Another reunion film is 100...
This film promoting the Sailors’ Children’s Society is one of 24 films donated to the YFA by the Sailors’ Families’ Society. The films date from 1936, and continue to include the visit by Diana, the Princess Of Wales, in February 1991. Other Royal visits include Princess Mary in 1949, the Queen in 1957 and Princess Anne in 1971. Many of these films are promoting the Society or simply showing the Society’s activities, but others are explicitly appealing for funds. Another reunion film is 100 Years of Care (1963) documenting the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Society. Doubtless many that feature in this later film are also to be seen in this earlier one. Among the fund appeal films are: Gladys Young Appeal Film (1951), Silent Appeal (1952), A Family Affair (1960), narrated by John Mills, and Brian Rix TV Appeal (1964). Unfortunately little is known of the filmmaker, Jack Gibson, a member of the now defunct Hull Cine Club, other than he made other local films of a professional sort, including Seaway to Europe (1972).
At the time most of these films were made the Society was known as the Sailors’ Children’s Society – a name it adopted in 1950. Before that, from 1917, it was the Port of Hull Society’s Sailor’s Orphan Homes. But it changed its name again in 1991 to the Sailors’ Families’ Society to reflect the wider scope of its work. The Sailors’ Children’s Society started taking care of the children of men of the sea in an orphan house on Castle Row, in 1862, with six boys and six girls. It moved to the Park Street Home in 1867 and then in 1895 to the Newland Home. For much more on the Sailors’ Children’s Society, its history and current activities, see the Context for A Family Affair (1960) and for Seamen’s Reunion (1936). The film marks a transitional period in the history of the Society where, as well have continuing with the Homes, it was also encouraging families to stay together, even if there was only one parent. Today nearly a quarter of all children live in single parent families, treble the number there was in the early 1970s. Nine out of ten of these lone-parent families are headed by mothers, and, as might be expected with less income potential, they are much more likely to live in rented accommodation and be living in poverty. At the time this film was made in 1980, clearly the policy was for a mixture of different types of support, depending on circumstances. Nevertheless, the current view is that maintaining the family is better for the children than living in an orphanage, however well run. One of the features of this film that distinguish it from the earlier A Family Affair is that it shows more clearly the connection to Grimsby. The Society took in children from many places on the east coast, from Hartlepool down to Lowestoft. The memorials seen in the film were originally housed in the Bethel Mission, which was built on Tiverton Street in 1903. When this was demolished in the 1960s the memorials were saved and moved to the Fisherman’s and Seaman’s Memorial Chapel in the Central Hall, Duncombe Street. This was opened on 22nd May 1966 with the dedication, seen in the film, of, ‘To the glory of God and in solemn remembrance of those who died at sea in the course of their duties while connected with this port.’ Apparently there are quite a few spelling mistakes in the lists of names due to names being written down as they sounded. The Chapel is still open. Another distinguishing feature of the film is the showing of the annual fundraising carnival on the Newland Estate, although this can also be seen at the YFA, from 1958, in a film just called Carnival. The annual carnivals were held on Whit Mondays, and were clearly very popular. Unfortunately, with the sale of the Estate in March 2009, not only the buildings but also all the activities connected to the Estate, such as the annual carnival, have gone. This is not so with St Nicholas' Primary School, which remains even though the Newlands Homes have been sold off. References The Sailors' Families' Society The Fishermen’s Chapel, Grimsby One-parent families on the rise |
