A ‘lost’ film documenting the pioneering care developed at Erskine Hospital 50 years ago has been restored for a new audience.

The old cine film reel lay neglected in a basement for five decades before being rescued by Glasgow – based iMetaFilm, who specialise in preserving archive footage.

The restored and digitised film, which shows how Erskine Hospital helped veterans to recover from their injuries and to reintegrate into society, is to be shown at Glasgow University’s Hunterian Museum.

Patients are featured undertaking a range of therapeutic activities including basket weaving and tapestry, and socialising over a range of games from checkers in a smoky common room to golf and lawn bowls in the Erskine grounds.

Erskine Hospital was founded in 1916 to provide specialised medical facilities for limbless sailors and soldiers injured in the First World War. It has since expanded to meet the changing needs of veterans.

iMetaFilm donated their time and expertise to the veterans’ charity, gifting half of the digitisation costs and working to a challenging schedule on the reels.

The footage will be shown at The Hunterian Gallery tomorrow (November 25) as part of a St. Andrews Day event focused on Erskine 100 – a special exhibition being shown at the museum to commemorate the centenary of the charity.

Steve Conway, chief executive of Erskine, said: “iMetaFilm have, through the diligent reconstruction of a cine film reel which was found badly damaged in the basement of one of our buildings, captured the life of veterans in the Erskine Hospital 50 years ago.

“This film has filled a gap in our knowledge of how care has developed over the past 100 years. I can’t thank the team enough for making this record available to us again.”

Lesley Richmond, library deputy director and archivist at the University of Glasgow, said: “Now the films have been cleaned, restored and digitised the quality is incredible, the colours are so vivid. Film like this is really important as it gives us a window into the past and brings history alive.”