Sarbe Beacon (1967)

Acklington, Northumberland. L/S of a man struggling from the sea into an inflatable dinghy. We see a Wessex helicopter from RAF Acklington preparing to take after the crew climb aboard and set off to rescue the man. The man in the dinghy takes out a Sarbe Beacon; a little battery pack with an aerial that sets off a signal. Commentator tells us Sarbe stands for ’Search and Rescue Beacon Equipment’. Various shots at the Vidor Factory in South Shields, Tyne and Wear, show the Sarbe Beacons being made; the workers, mainly women, are seen putting the battery packs together. A man tests the batteries by putting them in a tank of salt water. Commentator gives us more of the technical details as a woman tests a battery on a voltmeter. Cut back to the man in the dinghy as the helicopter approaches; several shots of the control dials on the helicopter control board. A man is lowered from the helicopter; he picks up the man from the dinghy and they are both brought back up to safety. Cuts exist - see