border-weave docu

[Slowburn]

http://film.britishcouncil.org/border-weave

[figheadair]

Great find. An excellent little film which shows just how much things have changed not least health and safety! Note the trip hazards, lack of machine guards and ear protection commonplace today.

[tulloch]

Wow. Bears some looking at later in the day. Reminds me of my year working at the Wool mill near Keene, NH.

[Mike_Oettle]

A most interesting little movie – but clearly dated. The motor vehicles give it away: this was filmed before the Second World War.
The voice of the commentator is very much of the period, too.
Fascinating to see on the internet.
Regards,
Mike

[Paul Henry]

A most interesting little movie – but clearly dated. The motor vehicles give it away: this was filmed before the Second World War.
The voice of the commentator is very much of the period, too.
Fascinating to see on the internet.
Regards,
Mike

Actually 1941, as it details on the first page

[Mike_Oettle]

Odd then, that there is no reference to the war in the film.
But I also noticed a strong strain of sexism, since the women working at the mill were all referred to as girls – some of them were quite young, but there were also middle-aged women.
Regards,
Mike

[Jock Scot]

Oh come on Mike, who knew about sexism in those days? Ok things were hardly fair for the ladies even after their major contribution to the war effort in WW1, but sexism is a more modern label, I think. In fact, women finally proved from early on in WW2, once and for all, that they could compete in almost all fields of skills with the men. Without the "girls"-----a wartime collective noun by the way and no way an insult, actually far from it, it was an appreciative general term used by the hard pressed males------------the UK's fighting ability would have been hampered immeasurably without those "Girls", be they 10 years old ,or 90! The term is still used today in some contexts and is happily recieved by the female of the species , here.

[ThistleDown]

Much effort was made in those years to talk about and film the "normal" things in life. Scotland (and, of course, England) was able to weather the storms of that war because they carried on life as usual. This little documentary is a perfect example of that so-healthy attitude. As for the "girls", my father's office was run by an office manager (male) and nine girls, the youngest of whom in the immediate post-war era was perhaps 40 and the eldest in her mid-sixties. My wife and her friends still refer to themselves as "the girls" without a hint of anything except the pleasure of close friendship.

[Mike_Oettle]

Well, gentlemen, please reassure me that there was no sex discrimination. Were these “girls” paid at the same rates as the men? (I doubt it.) Were they required to be single? (When I was in the South African civil service, women on the staff who married were required to resign before the wedding, and were only re-hired as temporary staff. In the event of pregnancy, they were again forced to resign.)
Regards,
Mike

[M. A. C. Newsome]

Mike,

I'm not sure I understand why you are bringing up the issue of gender equality in the 1940s. I'd be more concerned to find out whether male and female mill workers receive similar pay today.

This video is an interesting little documentary about weaving in the Scottish borders circa 1941. It was made in 1941 and recently made available to us twenty-first century types on the wonderful internet. I, for one, think it is great to have this opportunity to take a look back in time.

Certainly we should not take any of this as condoning every idea, custom or practice that was common in 1941 any more than I would expect a documentary about weaving shot in the Borders today to condone every 21st century notion, either.