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Title: PROTOTYPE FAST REACTOR DOUNREAY

Reference number: 7303

Date: 1966, June 21

Sound: silent

Original format: 16mm

Colour: col

Fiction: non-fiction

Running time: 5.18 mins

Description: Footage of the formal dedication ceremony for Dounreay Pototype Fast Reactor, including shots of the partly developed site, guests at the ceremony and the cutting of the first sod on the reactor site.

"The first operational nuclear reactor in Scotland was the "Dounreay Materials Testing Reactor" (see also 3915)and this operated from 1959 to 1977 and was used to demonstrate for the first time that a safe and easily operable fast reactor could be built for electrical power stations."
[donor's notes]

See also Ref T2256, a documentary examining the economic and social effects of Dounreay and 5528 brief film showing interiors and chemical processes.

Shotlist: [no title] shots of Thurso Pipe Band marching and playing in front of Dounreay complex (0.24) shots of guests arriving at site [including host Mr Donald Carmichael, Mr R R Matthews and Sir William Penney], including brief shot of man filming with cine camera (1.19) more shots of pipe band and guests entering marquee [also Lord-Lieutenant of Caithness, John Sinclair and the Commander of the USA radio communications base at Forss] (1.49) int. shots of guests in marquee (2.00) shots of speeches by platform party and unveiling of stone font by the Lord Lieutenant [which will be placed in the entrance hall of the completed PFR] (2.40) piper approaches stage, and shots of audience (3.06) shots of platform party [John Sinclair, R R Matthews, Sir William Penney and the Rev K Cameron] and commemorative plaque (3.16) shots of guests drinking champagne and inspecting model of plant and stone font (3.37) ext. shots of reactor building and adjacent land with markers for future building, row of abandoned cottages (3.57) int. shots of model of different sections of plant, intercut with related outdoor locations: reactor, turbine hall (4.26) ext. shots of Sir William Penney in digger, scooping up first sod on building site, watched by guests and pipe band (5.07) photographers taking shots of Sir William in digger (5.18)