The General Strike in the North East, 1926
Lecture
Joe Redmayne
Lecture Room 2, Herschel Building, Newcastle University
Description
During nine days, between 4 and 12 May 1926, 1.5 to 2 million workers presented a challenge to established order as they responded to a call by the Trade Union Congress (TUC) to strike in support of ‘locked-out’ miners. Following the breakdown of negotiations, King George V proclaimed a ‘state of emergency’ and the special constabulary were mobilised. Emergency powers turned London’s Hyde Park into a military camp, troops in full war kit paraded the streets and tanks and armoured cars rolled into all the industrial cities. The Admiralty sent warships and submarines to the Thames, the Tyne, the Humber and the Clyde.
The lecture uncovers the history of the British General Strike of 1926 to show how politicians and trade unionists met the challenge of the strike and how the strike’s opponents organised to hinder it. In particular, it focuses on the emergence of the Durham and Northumberland Joint Strike Committee, the governing body that coordinated trade unionists and strike activities in our region. The North East proved to be one of the most affected areas outside London, with one-third of the cases of violence in English counties taking place in Durham (183 out of 583) and 103 proceedings being brought under the Emergency Regulations in Northumberland.
Archival material and photographs will shed light on the activities of those involved in organising tasks of picketing, publicity, issuing trade permits, selling of foodstuffs, dispatch riding, soup kitchens, and much more. Joe Redmayne hopes to reassess the action and its place in our history, and to appreciate the aspirations and attitudes of those who participated.
The image above is from Tyne & Wear Archives and Museums, TWCMS.2018.1138, Boldon Colliery during the General Strike (1926).
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