Ingot Pictorial No. 5

Family fun, inter-site rivalries, productivity battles - it's all go in this lively steel company newsreel.

"This must be... It can only be..." That's right, it's Richard Thomas & Baldwins' annual staff ambulance competition! The contest is the subject of one of six stories in this issue of company 'cinemagazine' Ingot Pictorial. Issued three times a year to RTB works and nearby cinemas, the series' core purpose was to foster a sense of company unity (and loyalty) among staff spread across sites in Wales and the Midlands.

Other stories include the enforced jollity of Stour Vale works' family day and fair, and RTB's faintly surreal presence at the British Industrial Fair. The most serious and fascinating item, 'Ponterdawe's Triplets', shows us a works exceeding productivity targets by teeming three ingots simultaneously; the voiceover, spoken by a site manager, adds a nicely authentic note contrasting with the cheesier newsreel-style narration of other stories. The final item is also very interesting, effectively a 'making-of' doc about another steel industry film, A Job for Johnny - which is also available on BFI Player.