This is one of an extensive collection of films made by Noel Beardsell in the 1930s and 1940s. Noel Beardsell was the Managing Director of a large worsted spinning company in Clayton West, near Scissett – two small villages next door to each other about half way between Huddersfield and Barnsley.  He also filmed the local Jubilee celebrations of King George V at Clayton West, near Bradford, in 1935, capturing the good time that was had by people on that occasion.  The village used to...

This is one of an extensive collection of films made by Noel Beardsell in the 1930s and 1940s. Noel Beardsell was the Managing Director of a large worsted spinning company in Clayton West, near Scissett – two small villages next door to each other about half way between Huddersfield and Barnsley.  He also filmed the local Jubilee celebrations of King George V at Clayton West, near Bradford, in 1935, capturing the good time that was had by people on that occasion.  The village used to manufacture clogs, which were worn in the mills.  His son David recalls that his father also worked as a detective for the West Yorkshire Police as a specialist in photography.  His wife, Mary, originally came from the Seniors’ brewing family in Huddersfield.  

The mill, employing between 400 to 500 workers, was one of many textile mills in West Riding.  A detailed look at the workings of such a mill can be found in Wormald & Walker Blanket Mills, from 1932 – the context of this film has more information on the textile industry in the West Riding. Filming was a major hobby of Beardsell, and as well taking many family and holiday films, he also made wildlife films and filmed local events like the Jubilee celebrations of King George V at Clayton West in 1935 and Scissett Coronation celebrations. 

As his son David has recounted, basically he would film anything he found interesting. His Scissett Parish Newsreel, filmed between 1932 and 1937, has some great shots of children swimming and in the playground. These films also show Beardsell’s sense of fun, as he films in slow motion and going backwards. The swimming scenes in Scissett Parish Newsreel are very reminiscent of those filmed around the same time by Sheffielder George Surgey, who does similar trickery with his swimmers – see Sheffield Spartan Swimmers. Being relatively wealthy, Beardsell was able to afford a 16 mm cine camera and colour film. His negatives he sent to Bell and Howell’s in London, and when they returned he edited the films and put in the very useful, and sometimes comical, intertitles in his specially made dark room in a garage. He would then show these at large gatherings in his house. During the Second World War he also put on public film shows at army bases.

The first part of the film seen here, after film of the family, shows a local a cricket match. Village Green cricket matches were a much bigger part of local sporting and cultural life in the 1930s than they are today. There has historically been an association between the mills and cricket, with many of them having their own works team, and the mills can often be seen in the background of the cricket grounds, as at Greetland, Sowerby Bridge and Todmorden.  

Rather appropriately the University of Huddersfield has the UK's first dedicated Cricket Research Centre. This has recently undertaken a project on 'The Cricketing Heritage of Calderdale & Kirklees', and has amassed an impressive Archive of material. One of its members, Dennis O'Keefe, in his paper ‘Players, Parsons and Patrons: Church and Cricket in Calderdale, 1860-c.1920’, has also highlighted the role of the Church in local cricket, something which may also be in evidence in the film.

The second part of the film shows Beardsell’s worsted company outing going to Blackpool during the Wakes Week. These were typical right across the region, from the end of the nineteenth century, when all the mills would close for a week. As often as not the employers would join their employees on these, and this paternalist, and even family, spirit is indicated in this film. Also indicated in this part of the film is the almost professional manner Beardsell has gone about filming the occasion, not only the leaving and the arrival, but also the buses as they make their journey. For more on Wakes Weeks see the contexts for Saturday Morning Out (1951 – 1965) and Holmfirth Tradesmen(1940s).

Lastly, the football match too is intriguing, again with the mill in the background. That the beautiful game wasn’t played here might be gathered from the state of the pitch (even Messi and Barcelona might struggle on this!). But, leaving aside the boots, perhaps the greatest change in evidence is the football itself.   For those who have played with an old ball as well as a modern ball, it might come as a surprise to learn that the rule regarding its weight hasn’t changed since 1937, when it was actually slightly increased from 13 to 15 oz to its current weight of 14-16 oz.. The size was established still earlier, in 1872, stipulating a circumference of 27 to 28 inches which still applies all over the world. Until the 1950s official balls were basically the colour of leather, but this changed in 1951 when a white ball was used for the first time: easier to see with the new floodlights. Of course, modern balls don’t have stitches, and don’t get much heavier when wet, and travel much more easily through the air – one no longer has to be Bobby Charlton to score spectacular goals!

References

Cricket Research Centre

The History of the Soccer Ball