A record of a large scale civil defence exercise carried out in Newcastle and Gateshead with the participation of Durham County Fire Brigade. The film was produced by Newcastle & Gateshead Joint Fire Service. [Colour] The film opens with a fire filmed in reverse revealing the insignia of the Newcastle & Gateshead Fire Service. Title: Exercise ‘Tyne’. Title: Organised by the Newcastle & Gateshead Joint Fire Service. Title: Under the direction of Chief Fire Officer J. Mackenzie...

A record of a large scale civil defence exercise carried out in Newcastle and Gateshead with the participation of Durham County Fire Brigade. The film was produced by Newcastle & Gateshead Joint Fire Service. [Colour] The film opens with a fire filmed in reverse revealing the insignia of the Newcastle & Gateshead Fire Service. Title: Exercise ‘Tyne’. Title: Organised by the Newcastle & Gateshead Joint Fire Service. Title: Under the direction of Chief Fire Officer J. Mackenzie M.I. Fire E. Titles: Purpose… To demonstrate effective integration of regular area A.F.S. Units and personnel of No. 1 Civil Defence Region. And Title: To test wireless and mobilising communications. (Walkie-Talkie and VH/F scheme). Title: The initial call. The “J. Rank Ltd” lettering appears on the Baltic Flour Mills on Gateshead quayside. On the roof of the building a fireman is on patrol carrying his walkie-talkie in a large backpack on his back. He sees something across the river. Title: Fire spotted from observation post. Smoke billows from a container on the Newcastle quayside. Another fireman with walkie-talkie backpack can be seen through the smoke. Smoke rises from a number of buildings on or around the quayside. Title: Message transmitted to fire control. The fireman on the roof of the Baltic Flour Mills speaks into his handheld microphone. Title: Fire control receives message. The fireman on the roof writes in a notebook and speaks into his microphone again. [Black and White] At another location another fireman takes down the message on a pad and passes it through a glass kiosk window to another man. He then records the message in writing as he sits at a large telephone exchange machine. He passes the message to a woman who then speaks into large microphone. Title: Turnout of Newcastle and Gateshead appliances. Two firemen slide down a pole and collect a message from the man behind a glass kiosk. More firemen appear down the pole and rush to their fire engines. [Colour] Four fire engines speed out of the fire station on Pilgrim Street in Newcastle watched by crowds on the street. A number of fire station doors open and five more fire engines speed out. The fire engines race through the streets. A point of view shot from one engine records its approach at the Baltic Flour Mill. Title: Reinforcements!! A woman sits at a desk with a microphone. She gets up from the desk and collects a note from another woman. Title: Column of Reinforcements en route to the reception base in Durham County. A Durham County Fire Brigade Land Rover speeds down a deserted road followed by a fleet of fire engines. The Land Rover (Reg: GAJ 835) turns into a driveway and is stopped by a fireman in a white metal helmet. The fireman directs several fire engines as they turn into the driveway. A red “Durham County Fire Brigade Canteen” van drives in. More than twenty Durham County fire engines are parked outside a building; a number of firemen standing around. A group of firemen enjoy a cup of tea and chat. Title: To rendezvous point Newcastle. A red motorcycle with sidecar leads a fleet of fire engines and other support vehicles along a country road. Bringing up the rear is a  “Civil Defence Corps Durham County Division” lorry. A sign attached to a lamppost reads 'A.F.S. Exercise Tyne – Rendezvous Point'. A man walks along a path, the Tyne Bridge seen in the background. Fire engines arrive at a rendezvous point in Newcastle. More tea is distributed to both uniformed men and women who stand around chatting. Title: Reinforcing appliances en route from rendezvous point to fire incident, via mobile control units. Fire engines pull out of a driveway and are directed onto a main road. Title: Mobilising control Gateshead. A green van with red and white chequerboard design is parked in the road. A group of firemen are standing at the roadside talking, a fire engine is parked behind them outside the 'Wholesale Carpets Co'. A fire officer is saluted by a fireman. Inside the van a woman is taking notes. A fireman on a motorbike hands another fireman a note. He then delivers the note to the van. A group of men stand around at a chalkboard that is propped against a van. The board reads 'Control Unit G' and shows the River Tyne with various areas marked as 'Incidents'. Two men talk with a woman who is taking notes. They speak with the driver of the van. A motorbike rider arrives and delivers another note to the woman. Title: Mobilising control Newcastle. A convoy of fire engines and support vehicles pass the operation control can. Several engines come to a stop by the van are are given instructions by two firemen. A chalkboard for “Control Unit N” rests against the side of the operation control van. Title: Watta puts fire oot! On a river jetty a firemen rush to unravel a fire hose and attach it to a red diesel pump. Water from the hose is then aimed into the air and River Tyne. Title: Firefighting operations in progress. General views from both the Gateshead and Newcastle quayside's of firemen directing water from their hoses into the air over the river. A large number of  fire engines are parked on the quayside beneath the Tyne Bridge. A large crowd of people are watching the proceedings from the bridge. A small group of people walk along the road next to a sign that reads “Gateshead.” Officers standing behind their men on the Gateshead quayside give directions and making sure the hoses do not get tangled. A fire hose with a wicker end is pulled from the river. An ambulance is parked outside a building. A ladder is propped against the building with a man in a helmet at the top looking through a window. Three woman and a man help to carry a stretcher carrying an injured man in to the back of a Borough of Gateshead Ambulance. A man in glasses holds up a cup of tea and smiles at the camera. He is surrounded by a group of men and women who are also drinking tea. A man uncoil a rope next to a “Civil Defence Corp Tynemouth Division” lorry. Another rope hangs down from a fire escape that is attached to the side of a tall building. On the top of the fire escape another fireman looks down . On the Gateshead quayside two firemen drop a large fire hose with a wicker end into the river. General views of firemen on both the Gateshead and Newcastle quayside's pumping water into the air. A fireboat along the Gateshead side is also pumping water into the river. Overhead view of a ladder on wheels being rolled out from a fire engine by a group of firemen and extended by hand. A fireman stands on the top of tiller ladder; a man on the nearby bridge watches as he ascends. The fireman directs the flow of water from his hose on the ladder into the river. A large crowd stands around the fire engine as the tiller ladder descends. General views of crowds of onlookers watching over the firemen in action on the quayside.  Travelling shot from a boat of firemen in action along the Newcastle quayside. General view of the front of the Spillers building. Fire engines are parked near a group of shipyard cranes. A group of women walk carefully over the ground nearby, one woman slipping. Another fire hose exercise takes place at a less populated part of the river. A group of women in berets stand next to a Women’s Voluntary Service van handing out cups of tea. Title: “Fleur de Lys” The fireboat in the middle of the river pumps out red, white and blue water. Title: The making up of an appliance. A man waves his arms and the fire hose exercise comes to a halt. General views of firemen rolling up hoses and pulling others from the river. Title: Arriving at the Feeding Centre. A man in white armbands directs various fire engines and motorcycles with sidecars. A small group of children stand on the path watching proceedings. A group of men walk along a path and are directed by a woman in uniform [black and white] In a kitchen seven women in aprons pose for the camera. Title: Even firemen must eat! Women serve food and clearing away plates in a busy canteen. General views of firemen eating in a canteen. One of the firemen is holding a film camera, others are smiling . [Colour] The film ends in another canteen where female guests and officers enjoy their meal. Title: The end End Credit: Direction of Film – Asst. Div. Off. J.R. Reid. End Credit: Photography & Editing – Sgt. J.W. McHugh End Credit: Assistant Photograph – P.C. L.A. Walker End Credit: Titles – F.M.R. Hickling