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Master Guns and Master Gunners

1972 , East Anglia (Other)

Cat no. 758

Documentary on the history and activities of punt gunners, especially those on Breydon Water.

At a pheasant shoot in snow covered woods at East Donyland near Colchester men with conventional shotguns shoot pheasant and woodcock. One of the gun dogs retrieves a dead bird. There are scenes of punt gunners on an Essex coastal estuary. Aerial shots of Great Yarmouth introduce one of the main features of the film: the history of punt gunning on Breydon Water. The activities of the 19th century punt gunners are told through a series of photographs, paintings, and exhibits in the Maritime Museum at Great Yarmouth. Bill Gates, one of the last of the punt gunners on Breydon Water, talks about punting and the characters he remembers. There is a sequence on punt gunning on Rockland Broad, focusing on one of its characters, Scientific Fuller. The commentary mentions the Wild Bird Protection Act 1880. The Breydon Wild Bird Protection Society was created to enforce the Act. At Stiffkey, on the North Norfolk Coast, there are views of the marshes, and of the birds and seals off of Blakeney. Bill Aldiss talks about punt gunning on the marshes. He shows his sail punt and explains how he made it. He also demonstrates how to clean a punt gun correctly. The final scenes follow Bill Aldiss on an early morning shoot.

Keywords

Field sports; Game birds; Ornithology; Seals; Wildlife protection

Other Places

Blakeney, Norfolk; East Donyland, Essex; Great Yarmouth, Norfolk; Stiffkey, Norfolk

Manifestations

Master Guns and Master Gunners

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