In addition to the earlier correspondence relating to the Holman Film
Unit I recently came across the following respecting the Bickford
Company's celebrations of the the Centenary of the safety fuse. The
following may therefore be of interest, it comes from a series of
letters concerning a wider celebration of the centenary. On 24 Jun 1931
Harry Rich wrote to William Thomas: "Privately I may say my son-in-law
will be going over to help Mr. Healey (of Perranporth) with his Movies
this week and hope everything will be successful." A further mention
of the subject of the film was contained in another letter from Rich to
Thomas on 30 June: 'Today, however, I heard from my son in law that he
has been informed that Mr. Healey of Perranporth will be taking a film
of the (Bickford) proceedings which apparently are due to be carried
out sometime next week, how or in what way I don’t now,'
The event was obviously filmed for on 4 Aug 1931 William Thomas wrote
to William Cullen, co-organiser of the proposed celebrations: 'Do you
think it advisable to put through the film which was taken at the
works, and when the family gathering took place the other day? I have
seen Hugh Healey (who took the film) and he says he can run it through
quite comfortably in the lecture room, using the big screen there. His
picture would take up 8 or 9 feet square.' William Cullen was one time
president of the Institute of Mining and Metallurgy; he published a
short history of the Bickford safety fuse in the Journal of the Society
of the Chemical Industry in 1931. I also believe Cullen published a
notice of the centenary in the West Briton. Can anyone identify this
film and perhaps say where it may be found?
As far as I am aware the celebrations proposed by Cullen never took
place. It was agreed that Thomas was to be the co-organiser of the
event in Cornwall. Thomas' final letter was written on 4 Aug to which
Cullen replied on 10 Aug. William Thomas' death was announced in the
Mining World on 22 Aug 1931.
Can anyone tell me if these proposed celebrations took place. I also
believe there was some discussion of restricting the celebrations to an
extraordinary meeting of the Cornish Institute of Engineers. I have
been unable to locate any annual report for 1931. Was there one, and if
so did it make any mention of the Bickford Centenary? Has anyone
located any mention of it in the West Briton?
Any information would be much appreciated.
John
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