The General Strike and Coal Dispute of 1926 With Particular Reference to Ilkeston, Derbyshire

L.A. Fletcher

Dissertation submitted for B.A. Honours Degree In Social Administration. University Of Nottingham. January 1981

CONTENTS

Chapter

Page

Preface Abstract Illustrations

3 4 5

PART 1

1 2 3 4

Prelude Preparedness Strike Defeat

14 17 22 27

PART 2

5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

lson Industry Conditions Media Survival Entertainment Afterwards Conclusion

32 36 40 42 47 54 58 63

Bibliography Acknowledgements

64 68

PREFACE

This paper is divided into two parts. Part one looks at the build -up to the General Strike, the Strike itself, and its aftermath upon the country. References for this part are mainly drawn from secondary sources. Part two looks at the General Strike and its effects upon Ilkeston, Derbyshire. The evidence for this part comes f rom a wide variet y of sources. These include secondary sources, newspaper reports, minutes of various bodies and other printed material. However, a very great deal of the evidence here presented, comes from a series of taped interviews made with several witnesses of the period. The Strike itself occurred almost fifty seven years ago, and quite obviously memories fade and become confused. All the evidence presented has been provided by at least two witnesses. Where possible, I have verified the evidence, either through printed material (in which case a reference is presented), or by questioning other witnesses. This was not always possible, but if any doubts or confusion arose, the item has been rejected.

To the best of my knowledge all the evidence presented here is true and accurate.

In order not to confuse the text with a great many references, I have not noted individual contributions, but have, instead, listed all thecontributors in the Acknowledgments. All the tapes made are still in my possession.

L. A. Fletcher, Nottingham January, 1981

ABSTRACT At halfpast two on 1 May, 1926 a Special Conference of Executives of all Trades Unions affiliated to the Trades Union Congress, voted 3,653,527 to 49,911 (with 319,000 unable to vote) to call out the first group of workers on what they called a National Stoppage, but which has always been called The General St rike. Work actually ceased at midnight on Monday 3 May, 1926.1 The General Strike lasted until noon on W ednesday 12 May, 1926, when the General Council unconditionally called off the dispute. 2 The miners, however, remained on strike until, on 22 November, 1926, the Miners Federation of Greet Britain accepted total defeat, and recommended each area to negotiate f or the best terms they could g et from the mine owners.3

The General Strike has been variously described as an attempt to overthrow Parliament; a peoples revolution; an accident; a deliberate attempt by the

Government and capitalists to subjugate the working people; an industrial dispute which happened to involve a gre at man y u n ion s. Pa rt one of th is pa pe r a tt empt s to p re sen t a histo ry of the d ispute ; to illustrate ho w and wh y it ha ppene d. Evidence from a wide variety of sources is presented in an attempt to indicate how some of these descriptions of the General Strike arose.

Part two looks in greater detail at the dispute and its effects upon the people and the town of Ilkeston, Derb yshire. This section is not concerned with grand theories concerning industrial relations; rather it is a history of how a town survived a difficult period. It looks at the media's involvement locally, at how families survived, often

with no income at all, and at how people u sed their enforced leisure. The overriding impression is that, in Ilkeston, the Strike had more in common with a public holiday than with the political or neo-political descriptions so beloved of the history books.

1 2 3

Arnot, R.P., 1967., pp. 133, 141 Ibid., pp. 214 216 Harman, E.E.G., unpublished., pp. 132 133 4

ILLUSTRATIONS

Page 6 6 7 7 8 8 9 9 10 11 12

Plate 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 King Coal The Intruder A Nice Distinction The Promise of Play The Soft Word Puzzle The Lever Breaks Coal Pickers, Ilkeston 1912 Coal Pickers, Ilkeston 1912 Food Distribution, Ilkeston Shilo Opencast Workings, Ilkeston 1981 Is it Peace?

Plate 1:- Ilkeston Pioneer 24th July, 1925

Plate 2:- Ilkeston Pioneer 11th September, 1925 6

Plate 3:- Ilkeston Pioneer 9th October, 1925

Plate 4:- Ilkeston Pioneer 19th March 1926 7

Plate 5:- Ilkeston Pioneer 26th March 1926

Plate 6:- Ilkeston Pioneer 21st May 1926

Plate 7:- Coal Pickers. Looking West from Cossal Colliery Towards Ilkeston Coal Strike 1912

Plate 8:- Coal Pickers. Looking West from Cossal Colliery Towards Ilkeston Coal Strike 1912 9

Plate 9:- Soup Kitchen at a school on Wilmot Street. Undated, but believed to be during the coal Strike 1912. This building was demolished and has been replaced by the new Methodist Church Hall

10

11

Plate 11:- Pamphlet circulated during September 1926

12

PART 1

13

Chap te r 1

PRELUDE

It requires only a very brief survey to become convinced that the General Strike, and Coal Dispute of 1926, was neither plot nor accident, but the inevitable outcome of events and tendencies in the previous fifteen years. The chain of events leading up to The General Strike can be traced from the Railway Strike of 1911 a nd t h e Co a l S t ri ke of 19 12 o n wa rd s. T he relations between labour and capital were badly affected. Faced with a growth of trusts, employers' associations, large-scale production f o rm a t io n of

m o n o p o lie s a n d t h e g r o w i n g p r e d o m i n a n c e a s s u m e d b y b a n k i n g a n d f i n a n c e , the trade unions were compelled to resort to ever wider mass formations and to defensive activities on a national scale. The part played by

Government in the Railway Strike and the Goal Strike, even though the Government claimed to be active solely on behalf of the community, was an effective aid to the e mployers and a blow to the strikers.

The

First

W orld

W ar

hastened

all

economic

processes

and

political

tendencies, and the Russian Revolution of 1917 brought a new menace to the existing order in every country. From that time, strikes were feared, not simply for their own effects, but for the latent possibilities of revolution. The Police Strike of 1918 and the Railway Strike of 1919 served to underline these fears. These fears and strikes, coupled with the Triple In dustrial Alliance of Miners, Railwaymen and Transport Workers, and the very real threat of war with Russia, forced the Government to introduce The

Emergency Powers Act 1920 to replace the wartime Defence of the Realm Act. The Triple Industrial Alliance itself collapsed on "Black Friday"15 April, 1 9 2 1 w h e n t h e R a i l w a y m e n a n d T r a n s p o r t Wo r k e r s h a d c a l l e d o f f t h e i r intended strike in support of the miners during the Mining Lockout begun in M a r c h 1 9 2 1 . H o w e v e r , t h e f ear of revolution still persisted in the G overnment and employers minds.

The W ar had also c h a n c e d the economy. Before the War r e l a t i ve l y h i g h w a g e s a t h o m e h a d b e e n m e t b y " h o l d i n g t h e g o r g e o u s E a st in f e e " , b u t f o llo win g t h e W a r, t h e co lo n ie s h a d b e gu n t h e i r o w n i n d u s t r ia l i s a t i o n a n d h a d b e g u n m a k i n g 14

d e m a n d s f o r t h e re m o va l of the "imperialist yoke". T o coun t e r th e re su lt an t e co no m ic problems, the capitalists began what later became known as "the e m p lo ye r s o f f e n s i ve " , a im i n g t o in c r e a se wo r k i n g h o u r s o r d e c r e a s e wages (or both). The

b r u n t of this o f f e n s i v e w a s b o r n e b y the e n gin e e r s a n d m in e rs, f o r i t wa s p re c ise l y in t h e se p ro d u ct s t h a t t h e c h a n c e s i n wo r l d e c o n o m y h a d l e f t B r i t i sh c a p it a l i sm in a d i s a d v a n t a g e o u s position, a position accentuated by the

o b s o l e t e e con omic st ru ctu re of the ind ustrie s.

The crowing political awareness, coupled with the economic st ru ggle f o rce d u p o n l a b o u r , f ound expression i n t w o ways. Firstly the desired changes were sought through the Labour Party which, in 1918, 1922 a n d 1923 c a m e to i n c r e a s i n g strength. Secondly, the trade unions began to modernise themselves.

S m a l le r un i on s b e ga n to amalgamate and a common centre in the Central C o u n c i l wa s e s t a b l i s h e d . H o w e v e r , t h e t y p e o f l e a d e r p r o d u c e d i n b o t h c a s e s were the kind primarily adapted to the pre-war conditions of the struggle.1 By July 1925 t h e mining i n d u s t r y w a s in s e r i o u s trouble. On 30 th June, the Mining Association (M.A.G.B) gave formal notice that it wishe d to end the cu rren t wa ges a gre ement on 31 s t Ju ly, 1925 , an d on 1 s t July the Mining Association sent to the Mining Federation (M.F.G.B.) proposals for a new w a g e s a g r e e m e n t . 2 used is very complex, and on Friday 3
rd

The arithmetic

July, 1925 a Special Conference of the Miners

Federation unanimously rejected the owners' offer on ( following grounds:3 the

1. The removal of the guaranteed minimum wages, which are already below the level of the present cost of living4 2. The provision of guaranteed profits to the colliery owners, irrespective of the rate of wages5 3 The immediate great reduction in wages varying from 9.08 to 47.91 percent on basic rates.6
1 2 3 4 5

The above is condensed from Arnot R.P., 1967., pp 3 - 8 Williams J.E., 1962., pp 686 Griffin A.R., 1962., pp 138 Minimum wages had been guaranteed under the terms of the 1924 wage agreement (Williams J.E., 1962., pp 681) What it means is you have 87 percent after the owners have taken 13 percent, after costs other than wages have been
rd

met, to divide between you as you like. Herbert Smith addressing the Special Conference, 3 July 1925. (Griffin A.R., 1962., pp 137)
6

In the Eastern Area, which included Ilkeston, the reduction would be 9.08% of percentage on base rate. (Griffin A.R.,

1962., pp 137). Real earnings in Derbyshire would have been 12% lower than in July 1914 (Williams J.E., 1962., pp 686)

15

4. The continual separation of the mining operations from the profitable undertakings in connection with the coking and by-product departments etc

The Mining Federation refused to negotiate with the Mining Association until the notices were withdrawn. On 3rd July the miners' leaders reported to a special conference of trade union executives, that the Prime Minister, Stanley Baldwin, had asserted that not only the miners, but "all workers in this country have got to take reductions in wages to help put industry on its feet.7

This aroused indignation and the conference at once empowered the T.U.C. to issue strike notices if necessary, and to give financial support to the strikers. This move forced the Governments hand. On Friday 31 st July, 1925 (Red Friday), after meetin g the employers the Government explained to the T.U.C. and the M.F.S.E. that the owners had suspended their notices, that the Government would hold an inquiry and that a subsidy would be granted to maintain existing rates of pay until 1 st May 1925. These proposals were accepted, and the districts were instructed to continue working as usual. 8 By May 1926 this subsidy had amounted to twenty three million pounds9. and, quite obviously could not he maintained at that level.

Daily Herald31 July 1925. The accuracy of the report was denied by Baldwin several months later. (Williams J.E.,

st

1962., pp 689, footnote 1)

8 9

Williams J.E.., 1962., pp 689 Harman E.E.G., unpublished., pp 129

16

Chapter 2

PREPAREDNESS

Red Friday was seen by many as the beginning of the revolution. The breathing space o f f e r e d b y t h e G o v e r n m e n t s subsidy and the inquiry, was seen merely as a truce during which all sides intended to prepare for a resumption of hostilities Mr. A.J. Cook, Secretary of the Miners Federation, speaking at Ranshaw Park on 2nd August, 1925 said: An armistice has been declared, but make

no mistake

about it, the issues during the next nine months are far greater than a mere wage issue. We have got to

c o n c e n t r a t e o u r i n t e r e s t s o n t h e w h o l e industry because it is going to be ours"1

On 19 August, 1925, at a Special Federation Conference, Mr. J. Williams of Forest of Dean, a small left-wing district, went very much further when he said:

"....I think we have had the chance of our lives in this question. We have had the chance to wrest ourselves free from capitalism, we had more than that, we have had the chance to bring about a real genuine revolution"2

Early in August 1925, Sir William Joynson Hicks, the home Secretary, announced at Northampton:

"This thing is not yet finished. The danger is not over. Sooner or later this question has got to be fought out by the people of this land. Is England to be governed by Parliament and by the Cabinet, or by a handful of trade union leaders?"3

So, how were each side preparing themselves, what were they doing? For the unions, the answer is not much. A.J. Cook toured the country with his battle cry of: Not a penny off the pay, not a second on the day. To the miners he was a hero, but the fact was in the
1 2 3

Griffin A.R., 1962., pp 143 Ibid., pp 141 - 142 Williams F., 1954., pp 372

17

existing economic climate, many of his proposals stoo d no chance at all of being accepted. The unions had seen the effects of Black Friday when they had refused to stand together and had lost, and they had experienced the thrill of Red Friday when mere threat of united action had forced the Government to give in to their demands.

They began again to threaten united action, h oping that this would be suff icient to once more force the Gove rnment's hand. On May 27 t h , 1925 the National Committee of the Amalgamated Engineering Union passed a Resolution calling for an alliance of several industrial unions for the purpose of fighting the employers. 4 The proposals were discussed by various unions, September, 1925, when the Miners' but nothing concrete was done until 5 t h Delegate Conference ratified the draft

Constitution of the Industrial Alliance. Several other major unions quickly ratified it, and on 5 t h November, 1925 a Delegate Conference was held in Essex Hall, London, to consider and ratif y the proposed Constitution of Industrial Alliance. 5 In a sense, this proposal was nothing less than to cre ate a Supreme war Council of Industrial Alliance. 6 Several of the heavy industry unions immediately supported the project, including the Miners Federation. However, the competing Railway Unions argued over the proposals, and only the National Union of Railwa ymen were prepared to enter the alliance. Other unions delayed taking a decision, whilst others voted indecisively on the project. This delay and uncertainty, together with the "no preparedness" a tmosphere, proved conclusive. The proposed Industrial Alliance, for wh ich , in t h e mo st im po rt a n t u n io n s t h e wo rke rs we re vo t in g o ve r whelmingly, had already received it s death through delay. It was strangled at birth. 7 The miners then turned to the Trades Union Con gress (T.U.C.). After some prodding by the T.F.C,.B., the Industrial Committee of the T.U.C., which had originally been set up to deal with the July 1925 crisis, issued a statement of policy on 19 t h February, 1926, declaring that ."there was to be no reduction in wages, n o increase in working hours and no interference with the principle of National agreements 8. This was the sum total of the preparations by the trade unions for the General Strike.

4 5 6 7 8

Arnot A.R., 1967., pp 80 D. 23 Ibid., pp 75 - 76 Ibid., pp 77 Ibid., pp 78 - 79 Williams J.E., 1962., pp 693; Arnot R.P., 1967., pp 104, D. 92

18

The coal owners made good use of their nine months respite. They intended to use the subsidy to its fullest by opening their co llie ries and wo rkin g t hem to the ir lim its. The o wne rs stockp iled huge amounts of coal, at reduced cost, in the certain knowledge that they would be able to sell the stockpiles at inflated s carcity prices in the event of a strike, and in the certain knowledge that the Go ve rnmen t sub sid y was gu arante ed un til Ma y 192 6. A t tha t t ime demand wo uld begin to decline towards summer levels, thus the sto ckp ile wo u ld last f o r seve ra l mon ths th rou gh th e summe r of 1926 . T h e i r p r o f i t s w e r e t h u s g u a r a n t e e d w e l l i n t o t h e w i n t e r o f 1 9 2 6 even if the miners struck for several months. The owners only real fear was if other unions, especially the railway workers, joined the strike for any length, t h e n t h e s t o c k p i l e s c o u l d n o t b e m o v e d i n t h e n o r m a l wa y. If t h a t h a p p e n e d t h e Government might be forced. Commandeer the coal and move it using the

Emergency Powers Act 1920. This seemed unlikely however, in view of the fragmented nature of the unions described above, and the real support that the Government was giving the mine owners.

Ap a rt f rom pa yin g t he sub sid y a nd set tin g up the in qu iry, t he Government began the nine months by of f icially doin g nothing, c la im in g t h e d isp u t e wa s a t ra d e d isp u t e , ca p a b le of b e in g re so l v e d in the normal way between the Miners

Association and the Miners Federation. Un off icia lly, the G o v e r n m e n t did a great deal. On 8 t h A u gu st , 1 925, the De rb ysh ire T imes state d t ha t t he rea son the Cabinet settled the coal crisis (on Red Friday) by giving the subsidy was " th a t t h ey a g re ed t h a t if su ch a n issu e sho u ld e ve r b e b ro u gh t to a head, public opinion would have to be educated into a state of preparedness to accept the consequences".9 Just such an "education" began in earnest. Sir William Joynson-Hicks and Winston Churchill gave several speeches and most newspapers, including the local papers such as the Ilkeston pioneer and the Ilkeston Advertiser (see Part 1, Chap 8), produced editorials and articles to the general effect that the unrest was communist inspire d. On 25 t h September, 1925, the Organisation for the maintenance of Supplies (O . M . S . ) a n n o u n ce d its e xi st e n ce . 10 T h e O r ga n i sa t io n c la im e d t o b e unofficial and non -political, merely appealing for volunteers to main tain supplies and services in the event of a general strike. However on 1 s t October 1925, the 0.M.S received public blessing, and it wa s a d m itt e d t ha t t h e G o ve rn me n t h ad b ee n co n su lt e d a b ou t th e s e t t i n g u p o f t h e

Derbyshire Times, 8 August 1925 The Times, 25 September, 1925., pp 9

th

th

10

19

0 . M . S . 11 T o wn c l e r k s b e g a n t o r e c e i v e l e t t e r s m a r k e d " S e c r e t " w h i c h r e q u e s t e d t h a t t h e y c o - o p e r a t e w i t h t h e C i v i l C o m m i s s i o n e r s who, u n d e r C i r c u l a r 6 3 6 o f t h e mi n i s t r y of H e a l t h , N o ve m b e r 1 9 2 5 , we re , in t h e e ve n t o f a st o p p a ge , t o t a ke e ve r respon s i b i l i t y for l a w and order, r o a d tr a n s p o r t , food and fuel. 12

The promised i n q u i r y

took

the

form

of a R o y a l

comm i s s i o n ,

the

R o ya l

C o m m i s s io n o n t h e C o a l I n d u s t r y, 1 9 2 5 , C m d 2 , 6 0 0 , a l wa ys r e f e r r e d t o a s t h e Samuel Commission. Its terms of reference were:

"To inquire into, and report upon, the economic position o f t h e Co a l I n d u st r y, and the co n d it io n s a f f e ct in g it and to make any recommendations for i m p r o v e m e n t s t h e r e o f 13

The Chairman of the Commission wa s Sir Herbert Samuel, the other members being Sir W illiam Beveridge; General, The Honourable, Sir Herbert Alexander; a n d M r . Kenneth Lee.14 After some preliminary hesitat io n, ma in ly b ecau se it was f e lt tha t the commission wa s heavily biased in favour of the coal owners, the Miners Federation decided to present evidence to the Commission.15

T he Com m ission op p o se d th e na t io na lisa t io n of t he m in e s, an d co n sidered that the economic difficulties of the industry warranted an i m m e d i a t e reduction in earnings. In addition, they opposed any further subsidy which they felt "would constitute, in many cases, a dole to the inefficient, to the disadvantage of the efficient" 16 A n d t h e y f e l t t h a t t h e i n e f f i c i e n t c o l l i e r i e s s h o u l d " b e a r t h e b r u n t of the economic pressure" 17 and close down if necessary. Additionally, they f elt that it would be impossible to devise a sch eme

11 12 13 14 15

Ibid., 1 October, 1925., pp 11 Williams J.E., 1962., pp 691 - 692 Royal Commission on the Coal Industry, 1925., Cmd. 2,600 (Samual Commission) pp 1 Ibid., pp xi At the Special Conference of the Miners Federation held on 8
th

st

October, 1925, the miners expressed reservations

about the lack of any miners representatives. However, it was felt that if they ignored the Commission then the miners risked losing whatever public support and sympathy that they may have had. Griffin A.R., 1962., pp 145; also M.F.G.B. Minute Book., 8 October, 1925.
16 17 th

Royal Commission on the Coal Industry, 1925., pp 223 Ibid., pp 223

20

wh ich wo uld ju st ly de cide bet we en tho se who shou ld an d tho se should not receive the subsidy. 18 However, as Griffin A.R. states "On other questions they were sympathetic to the miners case. They opposed any lengthening of the working day, and they said that wage agreements should be National ones so as to avoid excessive competition between districts at the expense of wages. They urged the need for increasing by closing uneconomic pits, by amalgamations, by research into methods of mining and u sing coal, and by the setting up of co-operative sellin g agencies. T h e y recommended the nationalisation of mineral

rights, and they suggested that an impa rt ia l bod y shou ld de te rm ine the t ra nsf e r p rice of coal sold to a subsidiary (e.g. an iron works). They also recommended the establishment of joint consultative committees. Contrary to the usual extreme left -wing view the Commission made it clear that no sacrifices should be asked f or until steps had been taken to ensure improved efficiency.

The Commissioners' Report subsequently endorsed by the Government, contained much that was useful; but neither the owners nor the Miners Federation would a ccept it" 19

18 19

Ibid., pp 223 Griffin A.R., 1971., pp 236

21

Chapter 3

STRIKE The Samuel c o m m ission's Report was issued on 10th March, 1926. T he Prime Minister requested both sides to study the Report fully before taking any decisions, and the Miners Conference of 12 th March, 1926 dispersed, having decided to refer the matter back to districts in order that the membership could have a chance to study the Report before expressing their opinion.1 On 24th March, 1926 the Prime Minister announced that the Government would accept the Samuel Report, provided that the other parties accepted the recommendations.2 Howe ve r, which followed, it soon became obvious that in the the mine negotiations owners, the

M . A . G . B . , wa n t e d nothing less than a wage reduction, a longer working day, and d i s t r i c t , n o t n a t i o n a l w a g e a g r e e m e n t s . 3 I n t h e m e a n t i m e , t h e M.F.G.B endeavoured to make the Industrial Committee of the T.U.C. r e a f f i r m i t s d e c l a r a t i o n o f 1 9 t h F e b r u a r y , 1 9 2 6 . This d e c l a r a t i o n read:

"There was to be no reduction in wages, no increase in wo rk ing hours, and no interference with the principle of National Agreements"4 14th

On

April,

1926

the

Industrial

Committee

of

the

T.U.C.

publicly

r e i t e r a t e d i t s i n t e n t i o n o f g i v i n g t h e m i n e r s " t h e f u l l e s t support".5

In the middle of April, the mine owners, in most districts, gave notice that t h e y i n t e n d e d t o t e rm i n a t e t h e c u r re n t c o n t ra c t s on 30 th A p ri l , 1926. In

a r e a s s u c h a s t h e E a s t M i d l a n d s , t h e o wn e r s d e c i d e d n o t t o i s s u e t h e n o t i c e s a n d t o c o n t i n u e w o r k i n g u n d e r t h e e x i s t i n g contracts. In these areas the

M . F . G . R. h a n d e d in s t r i k e n o t i c e s t o e x p i r e a t t h e s a m e t i m e . M a n y o f t h e m e n

1 2

M.F.G.B. Minutes, 12 March, 1926 Griffin A.R., 1962., pp 150; Griffin A.R., 1971., pp 236; Arnot R.P., 1967., pp 105; Betty J.H. (Ed)., 1967., pp 105; The
st th

th

Mining Situation., 1926., pp 6

3 4 5

M.F.G.B. Minutes 25., 31 March, 1926; 1,8,9, 13 April, 1926 Arnot R.P., 1967., pp 104, D. 29; Williams J.E., 1062., pp 693 The Mining Situation., 1926., pp 6

22

in the East Midlands were reluctant to strike (see Part 2, Chapter 7), but on 17th April the Derbyshire Miners Executive Committee reluctantly d e c id e d " th a t the Derbyshire Miners Association (D.T.A.) must act with the Federation, \ whatever attitude was adopted by the coal owners in the district". 6

By this time the T.U.C. had become involved. T he trade union movement f elt that if the miners were def eated, then all other workers w o u l d be open to the threat of m a s s i v e w a g e cuts. After several abortive meetings between the M.F.G.B., the M.A.G.B., and t h e G o ve rn m e n t 7 a S p e cia l Co n f e re n ce o f E xe cu t i ve s o f all T ra d e s Unions Affiliated to the Trades Union Conference was called for 29 t h April, 1926. A t this meeting it was d e c i d e d t h a t the General Co uncil should take over the negotiations. 8 In re sponse to this t h r e a t , t h e G o v e r n m e n t d e c l a r e d a S t a t e o f Emergency by Royal P roclamation.9 Negotiations continued, but each proposal wa s r e jected b y one side o r the o the r, a nd on Sa tu rda y 1 s t Ma y, 1 926, wh e n the Special Conf erence r e a s s e m b l e d , it took just one hour to a rrive a t it s de cisio n to ca ll a Na t ion a l St op p a ge o r G e ne ra l S t rike.10

T h e go ve rn m e n t , wh i ls t st i ll n e go t i a t in g wi t h t h e G e n e ra l Co u n ci l, is su e d t he n a me s of th e Civil Co m m ission e rs an d t he ir staff s who we re to be resp onsible f or the maintenance of law and o rder and for the maintenance of essential supplies. The O.M.S. be ca m e a pa rt o f t h is p la n , a n d ca ll s f o r vo lu n t e e rs we n t o u t . f o o d, fuel and troops were moved to key positions.11 The T.U.C. p o in t e d o u t t h a t t h e y we re n o t f i gh t in g t h e p e o p le o f t h i s co u n t r y a n d th at vita l supplies would be maintained by the unions. The call f or vo lunt ee rs the y condem ned a s an act of st up id ity b y the G o ve rnm ent, who, the T.U.C. said, were mobilising the forces of war against a nonexistent enemy.12 When the printers at the Daily Ma il re f u sed t o p rin t t he p ap e r un le ss a st ro n gly wo rd e d a n t i - u nion article entitled "For King and Country" was withdra wn, The Prime Minister ended all negotiations unless the freedom of the press and the

6 7 8

D.M.A. Minutes., 17 April, 1926 The Mining Situation., 1926., pp 7 - 8 Griffin A.R., 1962., pp 153 - 154; Griffin A.R., 1971., pp 237; Arnot R.P., 1967., pp 123; The Mining Situation., 1926.,

th

pp 12. 15 - 16
9

Arnot R.P., 1967., pp 156, D.68 and D69 Ibid., pp 132 and 141; The Mining Situation, 1926., pp 32 - 40 Griffin A.R., 1962., pp 154; Arnot R.P., 1967., pp 157 158, D 71 The Mining Situation., 1926., pp 34

10 11 12

23

unconditional withdrawal of the strike notices g uaranteed by the General Council. 13 So all sides to the conf lict stood deadl ocked, and the General Strike began.

Nationally the sto ppage was patchy. In some areas virtually e ve rythin g stopped, wh ilst in others hardly anythin g stopped. Most, but not all mines closed, as did most, but not all docks. Ho we ver, many buses ran, as did some trains; some national and many pr ovincial ne wspap ers (including the non -union Ilkeston Pioneer) we re published, albeit in a restricted f orm, but distribution became very d iff icult or impossible. The Government published the British Gazette, whilst the T.U.C.

published the British W orker, both heavily biased. Food and f ood distribut ion became a problem in many areas, especially in the major cities, and this culminated in t h e two mile l o n g f ood convoy, protected by troops, from London Docks to the Emergency Depot in Hyde Park. 14

Violence eru pted in s e v e r a l

areas, u s u a ll y

around

the

running

of public

transport, w h i c h h a d b e e n lef t i n t h e h a n d s of the Local Authorities a n d had n o t b e e n p u t u n d e r t h e control of t h e Civil C o m m i s s i o n e r s . B u s e s i n m a n y a r e a s we r e b e i n g ope ra t ed b y vo l u n te er s accompanied by policemen. This caused a g r e a t d e a l o f r e s e n t m e n t a n d occasional violence. P o l i ce m a d e b a t o n c h a r g e s i n E d in b u r g h , 15 Canning Town and Poplar 16 o n the s e c o n d day of the strike. This t yp e o f vio le n ce c o n t in u e d t h ro u gh o u t t h e st r ike , 17 a n d re su lt e d in th e d eath of o ne man on 6 t h Ma y, 192 6 18 and the d erailmen t of an express passenger train, the Flying Scotsman, north of Newcastle. Luckily only one man was inju red. 19 Ho we ver, f our people were ki lle d in f i ve se p a ra t e a cc id e n t s on the ra i l wa y s, c a u se d by ine xpe rien ced vo lun tee rs. 20 The se kind s of

incid ent s led to the

Go ve rnment

an noun cin g a pogrom givin g ind emn it y t o t roop s fo r a n y

actions considered

necessary to maintain order. 21 This pogrom, thankfully, was never used.

13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21

Williams J.E., 1962., pp 698 Arnot R.P., 1967., pp 192 193, D 111; Kee R. (Ed)., 1976., pp 31 Kee R. (Ed)., 1976., pp 18 Arnot R.P., 1967., pp 178 See Kee R. (Ed)., 1976., pp 23, 24, 26, 27, 34, 37, 38, 42, 49., and Arnot R.P., 1967., pp 185, 189, 193, 211 Kee R. (Ed)., 1976., pp 24 Ibid., pp 42; Daily Graphic., 11 May, 1926., pp 1, 3 British Worker., 11 May, 1926., pp 1 Arnot R.P., 1967., pp 188 189 D. 106; British Gazette., 8 May 1926., pp 1
th th th

24

Many thousands of volunteers throughout the country kept public services running, maintained food distribution and became special constables. Many of these
th

volunteers were in fact "black le gs" who we re off icially on strike. Indeed, by 11 May, 1926 many services, including buses, trains, taxis, transport and newspapers were rapidly returnin g to normal. However, the picture varied wildly. In some areas buses, trains a n d services r a n almost normally, f or example in London 22 whilst in other areas, f or example Yorkshire, the strike was in fact hardening. 23

Throughout the dispute there had been no negotiations. E ve n t u a l l y S i r H e r b e r t S a m u e l c a m e b a c k f r o m h i s h o l i d a y i n I t a l y a n d off ered t o mediate. O n 1 0 t h M a y, 1926 Samuel approached the General Council, and it soon became obvious that the T.U.C. were seeking a way out of the situation, even if it meant leaving the m ine rs on th eir own . 24 T h i s w a s d e s p i t e t h e i r m e s s a g e t o t h e s t r i k e r s t h a t t h e s t r i k e w a s t o c o n t i n u e , e v e n t o b e e x t e n d e d . 25 A f t e r d i s c u s s i o n s w i t h a l l t h e p a r t i e s , S a m u e l s u g g e s t e d t e r m s v e r y s i m i l a r t o h i s C o m m i s s i o n ' s Report.

T h e G e n e ra l C o u n c i l , w h o h a d b e e n a t t e m p t i n g t o f i n d a f o r m u l a t o e n d t h e dispute, accepted his terms as a basis for re-opening negotiations and c a l l i n g off t h e G e n e r a l S t r i k e . 26 A s a re su lt , a t n oon o n 12 t h Ma y, 19 2 6 , t h e G e n e r a l S t r i k e w a s u n c o n d i t i o n a l l y c a l l e d o f f , 27 r e s u l t i n g i n a g r e a t d e a l of c o n f u s i o n . The M.F.G.B. r e f u s e d t o a c c e p t S a m u e l ' s t e r m s a n d r e m a i n e d o n s t r i k e . M a n y y of those returning to work found that employers would only take them back if they signed new contracts involving less earnings and longer h o u r s t h a n t h e y re c eive d b e f o r e the dispute, o r p u n i t i v e a g r e e m e n t s 28 T h e T.U.C. had appealed to the Prime minister to use his influence to secure the general reinstatement by employers of strikers, but the Prime minister had pointed out that he had no Power to compel employers to take back every man. Some displacements are inevitable consequent upon the reduction of business

22 23 24 25 26 27 28

Kee R. (Ed)., 1976., pp 43 Ibid., pp 45 Ibid., pp 46 - 48 Arnot R.P., 1967., pp 205 D. 123; Kee R. (Ed)., 1976., pp 47 Griffin A.R., 1971., pp 238; Betty J.H. (Ed)., 1967., pp 112 - 113 Arnot R.P., 1967., pp 214 216, D130, D 132, D135, D 143 An example of such an agreement is that issued by the Railway Companies and agreed to by all those wishing to

return to work. See Chapter 4 and Arnot R.P., 1967., pp 239, D 153

25

c a u s e d b y t h e s t r i k e " 29 T h o se o n st r ike we re in a d if f icu lt p o sit io n . T h e ir e m p lo ye rs co u ld quite literally h o l d t h e m to r a n s o m . However, volunteers, "black l e g s , a n d o t h e r s w h o c o n t i n u e d t o wo r k , we r e i n a s t r o n g e r p o s i t i o n . I n a statement in the House of Commons on 3rd May, 1926, the Prime Minister had said "No man w h o remains at work will be prejudicially affected afterwards"30 This was repeated almost daily in the B r it i sh G a ze t t e . 31 Mo st s t r i ke r s e ve n t u a ll y re t u rn e d t o wo rk , b u t t h e p r o b l e m s w e r e n o t e a s e d w h e n t h e m i n e r s c o n t i n u e d t h e i r d i s p u t e f o r s e ve r a l m o r e m o n t h s .

29 30 31

lkeston Pioneer., 21 May, 1926., pp 7 Hansard3 May, 1926., pp 74., British Gazette., 6 May, 1926., pp 4 British Gazette., 7 May, 1926., pp 1; 10 May, 1926., pp 1 2; 11 May, 1926., pp 1; 12 May, 1926., pp 1
th th th th rd th

st

26

Chapter 4

DEFEAT Shortly after 1:14 p.m. on 12 th May, 1926 the B.B.C. made the following broadcast:

"At a meeting with the Prime minister at 10 Downing Street, Mr. Pugh announced on behalf of the Trades Union Congress General Council, that the General Strike is being terminated today.

We are requested to broadcast the following announcement on behalf of the General Council of the Trades Union Congress: I n o r d e r t o r e s u m e n e g a t i o n s t h e G e n e r a l Council of the T.U.C. has decided to terminate the General Strike today, and telegrams of instructions are being seat to the General Secretaries of all affiliated unions. M e m b e r s before acting must await the definite instructions Councils. (Signed) Pugh, Chairman Citrine, Secretary1 from their own Executive

The telegram itself read:

"General Council T.U.C. have today declared General follows - Pugh, Citrine"2

Strike terminated. Please instruct

your members as to resuming work as soon as arrangements can be made. Letter

The covering letter explained that the General Council felt that they had received assurances that the mining problem could be justly settled f o l l o w i n g a r e t u r n to work by all the other strikers. The letter also instructed the General Secretaries to negotiate locally for the best deal they could get from the employers. 3 In effect this meant accepting whatever offer the employers made. King Georges message to the country said:
1 2 3

Arnot R.P., 1967., pp 214 215, D 132; Kee R. (Ed)., 1976., pp 52 Ibid., pp 216, D 135 Ibid., pp 215 217, D 135

27

let us forget whatever elements of bitterness the events of the past few days have created, and forthwith address ourselves to the task of bringing peace that will be lasting4

Whilst in Parliament, the Prime Minister urged: That we should resume our work in a spirit of co-operation, putting behind us all malice and vindictiveness.5

However, not everyone was satisfied with the return to work. The Communist Party of Great Britain denounced the General Council as traitors and demanded that all workers: Refuse to return to work. Reject the Samual Memorandum. Affirm your solidarity with the miners. No wage reductions. No lengthening of hours6 They felt that they had almost seen the workers revolt promised by Marx and yet had had the prospect cruelly taken from them by the treachery of the right wing of the General Council and the Labour Party. For several days following 12th May, there was a great deal of confusion. Most workers appeared to accept defeat and returned to work as quickly as they could, on whatever terms they could. Many industries and services began returning to work, or preparing to return to work on the afternoon of 12th May. But in other areas, such as Scotland, Manchester and Birmingham, there was a great deal of bitterness. Once it became clear, however, just how tenuous work prospects were following the dispute, many workers took whatever contracts were offered. An example of the punitive new contracts offered to strikers is the agreement between the Railway Companies and the Unions, as follows: 1) Workers to be taken back as fast as transport is restored and work becomes available. 2) Unions admit that in declaring strike they acted wrongfully 3) Unions promise never again to declare strike without. preliminary negotiations with companies
4 5 6 st

Ibid., pp 218, D 137; Ilkeston Pioneer, 21 May, 1926., pp 7 Hansard, 12 May, 1926., pp 878; Ilkeston Pioneer, 21 May, 1926., pp 7 Arnot R.P., 1967., pp 212 and 234 D. 148
th st

28

4) Unions promise never again to influence workers of higher ranks to break their agreements 5) Companies agree to remove notices posted yesterday and not to cut wages 6) Persons "guilty of violence or intimidation" excluded from the settlement". 7 London Tramways employers signed a similar agreement with the addition of a clause that strike-breakers would retain their posts. The only group of workers to receive definite instructions from their leadership was the miners. All districts of the Miners Federation received the following telegram: "Miners must not resume work pending decision of National Conference convened for Friday next. Please send delegates Kingsway Hall, London, 10 a.m. that day. Cook, Secretary8

At the Conference the miners were told that the Government was prepared to continue the subsidy of approximately 3 million provided the miners agreed to the Samual Proposals and returned to work. On 20TH may, 1926 the Conference unanimously rejected this, and the miners remained on strike.9

It soon became apparent that the miners were in a weak position. Stocks of coal were high, and the railways and much of industry continued working almost normally. Safety men continued to work in the collieries, and as a result, the owners knew there was no real danger of their investment underground being destroyed. Some collieries, notably two new pits at Blidworth and Clipstone, were working normally.10 Just as serious was the fact that outcropping was developing into a very productive business for many striking miners.

Many areas, such as Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire, had been reluctant to strike since their conditions were not immediately threatened, (see Part 2, Chap 7) and by October, 1926 many co llie rie s in th is a rea h ad retu rne d to no rma l wo rkin g. The se m en had been led by George Spencer, a break -away union leader, and this split further weakened the M.F.G.B. 11 Spencer obtained such good conditions for his men, that

7 8 9

Ibid., pp 238 240, D. 153 M.F.G.B. Minutes., 13 May, 1926 Griffin A.R., 1962., pp 162 Ibid., pp 171 Ibid., pp 203 - 220
th

10 11

29

the Council of the M.F.G.B., on 22 n d November, 1926, saw no useful purpose in continuing the dispute a nd it requested all members to "sign on" back at their collieries at the earliest opportunity, and under the best conditions they could get. 12 The miners had been defeated.

12

Ibid., pp 207

30

PART 2

31

Chapter 5

"ILSON"

The slight, ill -nourished skeletons of Store -age man have bee n f ound in se veral p la ce s th rou ghout t he E re wash Va lley. A s there are no natural caves in the Valley, they must have sheltered in trees, descending to kill reindeer and horses, and to gather roots and berries; what evidence exists suggests this as their staple diet. At about the time the Celts arrived in the Valley it s in hab itan ts lea rn t h o w t o hu sband an ima ls a nd crop s. B ron ze tools were used to reap the corn, kill and butcher the animals, f ight their neighbours and adorn their bodies. I ron and iron tools were gradually being developed at roughly the same time as t he Rom ans arrived . The Roman s set up the f irst rea l to wn in the a rea , Derventio, on the banks of the River Derwent, roughly on the opposite bank to the present site of the city of Derb y. In about 600 A.D. a German Pirate -Chief sailed up the Trent and sacke d Derventio. He parceled out the surrounding land amongst his A n g l e - S a xo n wa r r i o r s ; t h e a r e a wh e r e I l k e s t o n n o w s t a n d s h e g a ve to Elch (or E lche or El k). Elch set up his settlement, calling it Elchestune, the enclosure of the Elch, roughly where Ilkeston stands today. Elchestune became part of the Danelaw in the ninth century, and as late as 1086 Doomsday Book records the existence of ten Socmen, members of an important class of free peasantry found almost exclusively in the Danelaw.1 Following the Norman Conquest, the Anglo -Scandinavian landowner, Ulf Fenix was dispossessed, the manor being handed to Gilbert of Ghent, who sublet Elchestune to Malgar. 2 During the Medieval period the manor passed to a succession of families, all of whom held more important manors in the region. By 1252 the village had prospered suff iciently for one of these families, Hugh de Cantelope, to secure a Royal Charter permitting the village to hold a weekly market (on a Thursday) and an annual f air (f or two days e very Octob er). 3 These still exist today.

The Tudor period was a time of transition for Ilkeston. Se rf dom wa s dead, bu t the villa gers we re st ill sub ject to the cou rt of the Lord of the Manor. This was able to impose fines for a bewildering variety of offences, f rom f ishing in the Erewash to

1 2 3

The above is condensed from Trueman and Marston., 1899., pp 1 - 8 Ilkeston Official Handbook., 7 Edition., pp 11 Scollins and Titford, Volume 1., 1976., pp 35
th

32

keeping undesirable lodgers. In 1598 for example, a general injunction was directed at the inhabitants of "Burre Layne", ordering them to "scour their ditches and stop their trees before Lady Day in payne of each offence 2/ -." 4

During the tumultuous period of the Civil W ars, the village e xhibited one of its earliest examples of self interest. Although the town paid for one soldier f or the Royalists, they appeared to support t he Pa rliamenta rian s. Ho we ve r, bot h the Ro ya list s and Parliamentarians passed through Ilkeston on their way to f ight at Nottingham and Newark, and both sides attempted, without any success, to press men and cattle into service on their side. 5

"But there was an enemy in the village itself far more dangerous to the peace of the people than theological co n t ro ve rsy o r p o lit ica l a git a t io n , o r e ve n co n t en d in g armies. For fifteen years it had been cherishing a viper in its hospitable bosom - a cockatrice rather, that could slay by a look - which had all the time been draining its life -blood and slaughtering its children a nd it s ca lve s. T he m yste riou s wa y in which th e y p ined away and died had long convinced the people that there was something radically wrong in the state of Ilkeston, but it h as been reserved f or Torratt, the baker, to put his finger on the plague-spot, and to say, "Mischief, thy name is Wagg."6

From 1647 to 1650, whilst the rest of England, including the local area, tore itself apart in war, the village of Ilkeston was in turmoil over a su sp e ct e d witch, Ann W agg. At her trial in 1650, Francis Torratt, described how Ann Wagg had cast the evil eye upon his serving maid. The wife of the minister, Mr. Fox, had "drawn blood upon the witch" in a superstitious attempt to deprive her of the power of witchcraft. The fate of Ann Legg is not known, but there is little doubt that she would pay the full penalty.7 With the Enclosure Act 1794 the last of the Medieval strips and commons were swept away, causing much distress which was made worse when the staple industry of home frame knitting suffered a series of crises from which it never recovered. Despite, or because of these

conditions, this period witnessed a great deal of d r u n k e n n e s s . "Eat to live, live to drink"

4 5 6 7

Ibid., pp 36; Ilkeston Official Handbook., 7 Edition., pp 12 Trueman and Marston., 1899., pp 170 Ibid., pp 173 Ilkeston Official Handbook., 7 Edition., pp 12 - 13
th

th

33

appeared to be t h e village m o t to . 8 T h is ma y b e a s t ru e to day a s it wa s t h e n , or in d e e d in 1926, because even toda y, Ilkeston appears to possess more public h o u s e s a n d clubs than a n y o t h e r town or a r e a o f a c o m p a r a b l e size.

T h e b r e a k d o w n o f t h e d o m e s t i c s t o c k i n g i n d u s t r y a n d s t r i p farming was accompanied by considerable suffering, but progress in other directions s u pp l i e d t h e r e m e d y . By 1 8 5 0 Ilkeston h a d f i v e h o s i e r y a n d six lace f a c t o r i e s i n operation. Coal m i n i n g in the Ilkeston area has a very long history - it goes back to the twelfth century at least. T h e Earliest r e f e r e n c e to an i n d i v i d u a l "Ilson" Collier was made in 1304, when, it seems, a certain Robert Dewey was killed by a fall of coal on his head. The new demands of the Industrial Revolution lead to the local coal industry rapidly expand ing, aided by the opening of the Erewash Canal in 1773 and the Nutbrook Canal in 1793, which gave onto the River Trent. Communica tion was improved with, for example, in 1828, the first short distance coach, the "Speculator", linking Ilkeston and Nottingham, and in 1853, the first railway down the Valley. Schools began op e n ing, le d b y t h e Non -Co nf o rm ist s wh o o p e ne d th e B rit ish S ch o o l in 1845 and the Anglicans who o p e n e d t h e National School in 1875. The town's second railway opened in 1878. In 1853 the first local weekly newspaper, the Ilkeston Pioneer, was founded, f ollowed in1881 with the second, the I l k e s t o n Advertiser. In 1887 the town was given a Charter of

Incorporation, and became the Borough of Ilkeston, and in 1914 George V, while passing through Ilkeston, opened the new County Secondary School.9

By 1926 Ilkeston was a prosperous town. It could boast three hospitals, the General, the Isolation and the maternity: two local newspapers, the Advertiser and the Pioneer: five passenger railway stations, North, South, Junction, Trowell and West Hallam: four cinemas, Kings, Scala, Globe and Colusseum, all changing their films twice weekly: several dance halls: a free public library opened in 1904: several schools including two Higher Grade Schools, Ilkeston and Hallcroft schools: innumerable places of worship of many denominations: innumerable public houses: an open-air swimming baths and public bath-houses: a roller skating rink: an extremely attractive public leisure park known as the Beauty Spot, which lived up to its -me with gardens, a boating lake, a miniature passenger train, rope slides over the lake, fishing, childrens' play-park, first rate lawn tennis courts, pleasant walks, and a refreshments shop: a well laid-out public park: the Manors football pitch where Ilkeston Town Football Club (The Robins) played: and a county cricket ground used by Derbyshire County Cricket Club which itself had tennis courts, bowling greens, practice nets, football pitches, putting greens and an athletic track. In 1924 the Ilkeston
8 9

Scollins and Titford, Volume 1., 1976., pp 37 Ilkeston Official Handbook., 7 Edition., pp 14
th

34

Miners Welfare Institute was opened, an extremely large and impressive building, containing two dance-halls, two bars, several club rooms, three billiard tables, a fully equipped gymnasium and a bowling green. People came from miles around to shop in Ilkeston on Bath Street and South Street and to visit the market which, by 1926, was being held on Saturdays as well as Thursdays. Ilkeston's annual fair rivaled that of the Goose Fair at Nottingham, Ilkeston's fair always opening two weeks after the Goose Fair. Employment was centered on three main industries, mining, metalwork (chiefly at Stanton and Staveley Ltd) and te xt iles. These three accounted for about seventy percent of the available workforce.10

The Borough motto "Labor Omnia Vincit" (Labour Conquers All) is very f itting for Ilkeston, for it is essentially a working community. The labours of its people have built Ilkeston into a prosperous yet f r i e n d l y c o m m u n i t y, a n d t h i s i s a s t r u e t o d a y a s i t wa s i n 1 9 2 6 . A l o c a l h e a d m a s t e r r e c e n t l y s u m m e d u p t h e t o w n a n d i t s p e o p l e w h e n h e sa id that Ilke sto n had th e e conom y of sca le an d p rospe rit y of a la rge t o wn , y e t r e t a i n e d t h e s p i r i t a n d f r i e n d l i n e s s o f a v i l l a g e c o m m u n i t y. M a n y e ye w i t n e s s e s s a i d t h e s a m e o f t h e t o wn i n 1 9 2 6 . W h a t is t r u e i s t h a t wh e r e ve r t h e p e o p l e o f I l k e s t o n g o , t h r o u g h o u t t h e wo r l d , t h e y a r e , a n d a l w a y s h a v e b e e n ; proud to say they come from "Ilson".

10

The above account of some of the major facilities in Ilkeston in 1926 is drawn from many sources including: Ilkeston

The Official Handbook, Ilkeston Advertiser, Ilkeston Pioneer, Borough Council Minutes, History of Hallcroft School, Census 1921, Census 1931, and many eye witness accounts from the time.

35

Chapter 6 "INDUSTRY" Although the people of Ilkeston have always "duntheerbit" in tim es of need of crises such as the Industrial Revolution or during t he W ar, they have always managed somehow, to remain slightly removed f rom the ma in cu rrent of e ven ts. The Ann W agg t urmo il in the villa ge during the Civil W ar is one such example (See Chap 5, pp 3 2 -3 3 ). Another occurred dur in g the Luddite Riots. These had first begun in Nottingham in 1811, 1 a cit y only nine miles from Ilkeston. Some damage was done by the Luddites at Ilkeston: Frames were broken between 16-23rd March, 1811; one on 23rd November, 1811; thirty on 3 rd December, 1811; some on 12 t h December, 1811; seven on 19 th January, 1812; However, this was the last reported incident at Ilkeston, even though the Luddite Revolt and riots continued nationwide for more than f ive years af ter this, ending August 1817. 2 The reason for this was that the capitalist owners agreed to pay their workers one shilling (5p) per dozen stockings more.3 Would the men of Ilkeston support the strike call? In 1928 Ilkeston was a town, and a people totally dependent for its life upon its two main industries, coal mining and metal working, t wo industries at the vanguard of the dispute. The population of Ilkeston in 1921 was 32,265.4 Of that number 10,712 (33.2%) were males aged twelve and over (roughly the male working population);5 and of these 6,613 (61.7%) worked in either the mining or metalwork industries,6 thus, discounting males too old, too young or too ill to work, it may be assumed that approximately 80% of all Ilkeston men worked in these two indust ries. The only other major industry in the town that of textiles employed only 621 men (5.7%).7 Although 2,285 women also worked in the textile industry8 and other smaller industries such as the retail trade, the railways and agricul ture employed some, it was obvious that a full strike in the mining industries, especially if it lasted for any length of time, could totally destroy the economy of the town.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Encyclopaedia Britannica., 1970., Vol 14, pp 402 Tomis M.I., The Luddites, pp 177 - 188 Ilkeston Official Handbook., 7 Edition., pp 13 Census 1921., pp 2., table 2 Ibid., pp 45, table 16 Ibid., pp 45 (mining), and pp 47 (metalworks), table 16 Ibid., pp (textiles) and pp 51 (textile goods), table 16 (men) Ibid., pp (textiles) and pp 51 (textile goods), table 16 (women)
th

36

The mines and the ironworks physically dominated the town. I l k e s t o n a n d i t s p e o p l e we r e completely surrounded by mines, mine workings and the iron -works at Stanton a n d S t a v e l e y L t d . , w i t h i t s workings. Jo i n in g t h e m a l l c r i s s c r o s s in g t h e t o wn a n d s u r r o u n d i n g area was a massive chequer-board of railway lines and their workings. A t n ight the sky glo wed red f rom th e iron wo rks, made d rama tica lly b e a u t if u l wh e n t h e clo u d s h u n g lo w. T h e ve r y rh yt h m o f t h e t o wn was controlled b y these working s. For example,

every day, except Christmas Day, Stanton and Staveley sounded a hooter at 06.45, 07.00, 07.30, 12.00, 13.00, and 17.00 hours, which co uld be heard more than f i v e m i l e s away. T h i s h o o t e r w a s t h e e a r l y m o r n i n g a l a r m c a l l , t h e call to work, the lunch hour call, and the "knocking off hooter" for the wo rke rs of Stan ton and S ta vele y Ltd ., a s we ll a s t housand s of others in and around Ilkeston (it was not f inally silenced until :he e a r l y 1960's). Everyone in Ilkeston, to a greater or lesser extent, had their d aily lives dictated by this routine intrusion. T h o u s a n d s r o s e f ro m t h e i r b e d s t o it ; sh o p s o p e n e d a n d c l o s e d t o i t ; shops, off ices and schools closed and opened f or lunch to its sound, a n d m an y t h o u san d s o f " d inn e rs" we re p re p a red t o it s e ve n in g ca ll. T h e b u s t i m e t a b l e s w e r e d i c t a t e d b y t h e n e e d s o f t h e i n d u s t r i e s . Fo llo w in g p it co n t ra ct s, wh e re t h e m in e r s h a d b e e n t a ke n t o o r a wa y f r o m t h e " p i t s " , t h e r u n n i n g b o a r d s a l w a y s i n s t r u c t e d t h e b u s d r i v e r t o r e t u rn t o t h e g a r a g e . T h e r e t h e y h a d a t le a s t a h a lf h o u r ' s b re a k d u rin g wh i ch t h e b u se s we re m o p p e d o u t , b e f o re go in g o n t o s t a g e c a r r i a g e o p e r a t i o n . T h i s b r e a k w a s t o e n a b l e t h e g a r a g e s t a f f to clean out the phlegm and spittle which the coughing and wheezing miners invariably deposited on the floor of the bus. The bus service in and around Ilkeston in 1926 was operated by Notts and Derbys Traction, which formed part of the Midland General Omnibus Company around 1930,9 M.G.O. later merged with Trent Motor Traction and together formed part of the National Bus Company when it was formed. The running boards of the buses are the journey instructions which the crew follow. Until as recently as 1979, many running boards in Ilkeston still had this half hour break after a pit contract, although it had been many years since this cleaning had needed to be carried out. The smoke and dirt from these industries permanently hung like a black shroud over the whole town, indeed to many people it was a very real shroud. The cloud produced fine black soot over the town. For many w i v e s t h i s m e a n t t h a t o n ly o n ve r y r a r e d a ys wa sh in g cou ld be h ung ou tsid e t o d ry. All home s at th is t ime h ad wa sh in g lines strung across their kitchens where washing would normally be dried. Until quite recently it was not unusual to hear women, especially the older ones say that you should never hang wash outside because it "tons black".
9

Dunbar C.S., 1954., pp 322 - 324

37

More unpleasant was the rotten eggs smell produced by the furnaces at Stanton and Staveley Ltd whenever rain threatened. This unpleasant smell could be detected twenty miles away. The furnaces which smelt of rotten eggs in 1926 were replaced by new furnaces, five i n all, between 1 9 2 7 a n d 1930. However, whenever rain threatened, these new furnaces,

known locally as "Kinny Os'bon, also produced the rotten eggs smell. These n e w f u r n a c e s w e r e t h e m s e l v e s c l o s e d f i n a l l y o n 4 t h M a y , 1 9 6 6 . 10 Even more unpleasant was the effect of these industries on the way of death of Ilkestonians. Pneumoconiosis, that scourge of the mining industry, was not officially recognised as an illness except for very special cases involving rocks containing Silica, until 1 s t January, 1928, when the Secretary of State introduced a scheme for the payment of compensation to workmen who contracted Pneumoconiosis from wh a t e ve r s o u r ce , u n d e r t h e W o r ke r s Co m p e n sa t io n A c t 1 9 1 8 . 11 Therefore, no records exist for 1925 of the numbers of sufferers of this disease. However, appalling records do exist of the numbers o f d e a t h s f r o m o t h e r r e s p i r a t o r y diseases. The figures for 1924 have been used because it appears that the r e c o r d s f o r t h e p e r i o d 1 9 2 5 - 1 9 3 1 i n c l u s i v e h a v e b e e n lost or destroyed. The f igures f or earlier years chan ged little therefore it may safely be assumed that the figures for 1926 would be proportionately the same as those given for 1924. The figures for 1972 have been used because in 1974 I lkeston B o rou gh Cou ncil be came a pa rt of E re wash Bo rou gh Council, and no separate Health Reports covering Ilkeston were produced following the 1972 issue used here.

Table one below shows that deaths from certain respiratory diseases were markedly higher in Ilkeston than in the rest of England and W ales. In 1924 almost one in three deaths in the Borough, compared to one in six on England and W ales, resulted from some form of re sp irato ry d is ea se . Th is h ighe r incid ence of re sp irato ry d eat hs ma y result from other causes, for example, the higher number of smokers in t he t o wn t h an in E n gla n d an d Wales generally, than simply the pollution from industry. However, by comparing the 1924 figures with tho se f o r 197 2, it ca n be seen t hat I lkest on had a 38 % reduction in respiratory deaths compared with only a 17% decrease in England and Wales for the same period. Again, other factors may produce this result, but it cannot be ignored that industry in Ilkeston declined between 1926 and 1972, and that the main pollutant

10 11

Stanton And Stavely News., February 1961., pp 199 208 and June 1966., pp 16 - 17 Peake C.V., unpublished, Introduction

38

producers at Stanton and Staveley Ltd were all ended by 1966 when, amongst other sections of the ironworks, "Kinny Os'bon" and "Cinder Plant were closed. "Cinder Plant" is the local term for the plant where the cinders from the blast furnaces were cleaned and reprocessed. This process produced fine red soot which covered large areas of Ilkeston. Shortly after the end of the blast furnaces the Cinder Plant was also closed.

T a b l e 1 . D e a t h s i n 1 9 2 4 a n d 1 9 7 2 i n I l k e s t o n a n d i n E n g l a n d a n d W a le s f ro m ce rt a in sp e c if ie d r e s p i r a t o r y d i s e a se s 1924 I l k e s t o n 12 % W hooping Cough Bronchitis Pneumonia Others Resp Dis. Total Resp. Dis. Total Deaths 2 14 11 2 29 100 N 7 53 40 6 106 369 % 0.8 8 8 0.08 17 100 E & W 13 N 3,983 37,786 38,970 401 81,140 473,235 I l k e s t o n 14 % 0 8 8 2 18 100 N 0 36 34 8 78 431 % 0 5 8 1 14 100 1972 E & W 15 N 2 28,653 45,415 3,591 77,643 591,889

Thus the mines and Stanton and Staveley Ltd were the very life of Ilkeston. They provided its blood supply (money), its food (coal and energy), controlled its heartbeat (the hooter) and even provided its inhabitants way of death (respiratory disease). Yet here was the call to strike, to in effect strangle themselves, possibly to totally destroy the town. The town and its workers faced a real dilemma.

12 13 14 15

Annual Health and School Medical Report for the Borough of Ilkeston, 1924., pp 13 Registrar Generals Statistical Review of England and Wales, 1924., Part 1 Table Medical., pp 23 29., table 5 Annual Health and School Medical Report for the Borough of Ilkeston, 1924., pp 15 Registrar Generals Statistical Review of England and Wales, 1924., Part 1 Table Medical., pp 23 29., table 7

39

Chapter 7

CONDITIONS

Conditions in the local mines where harsh, indeed there had been at least four fatalities and several serious accidents in Ilkeston area mines between 1st ]January, 1926 and the start of the General Strike on 3rd May, 1926; However, the conditions locally were a great deal better than elsewhere in the ind ustry. All the local collieries, according to ex-miners, had faces where a man could work standing up, except Manors Colliery where the face was approximately two to three feet high. All the collieries suffered, to a greater or lesser extent, with flooding and water, but they

all produced what many ex-miners have called "Sof t Coal". According to the ex -miners, this was coal wh ich wa s re la tive ly ea sy t o e xtract o r work, a nd p rodu ced coa l of a consistently high quality. M o s t o f t h e l o c a l c o a l w a s i n f a c t c a l l e d Brights. This

was h i g h q u a l i t y c o a l u s e d for d o m e s t i c fires a n d t h e pr o d u c t i o n o f t o w n gas a n d c o k e . I n addition there was a s m a l l a m o u n t o f T o p H a r d p r o d u c e d , w h i c h w a s u s e d f o r t h e p r o d u c t i o n of steam on the railways, and in electricity generation. 1 The average wage f or a 42 hour week in the Eastern Division, including Ilkeston, was 2.16s.9d. (2.84p) for the first quarter of 1925 and 2.9s.2d. (2.46p) for the second quarter.2 However, many witnesses from this period confirm that very few miners actually worked just a flat week. Many worked as much as 80 hours per week and earned between 4.10s.0d. (4.50p) and 5 per week. One witness told of a friend who purchased, for cash, an off-licence business from his earnings as a miner, whilst a second bought his house, for cash, from his earnings as a miner. Neither drank or smoked. This was the key. Mining was hard, dangerous and, with so much overtime, exhausting. As a result, most miners drank very heavily and smoked to excess. t was not unusual for a miner to give his wife only half his earnings and to spend the remainder "down the pub". As one ex-miner put it, the miners worked hard and played hard.

Most miners at this time were paid on the "Butty System". The f a c e wo r k e r wo u ld wi n t h e c o a l f ro m t h e f a ce a n d p a ss it b a c k . Behind him a group of men would load this coal into the tubs or b u t t i e s , a n d t h e s e would then h e hauled, either b y m e n or ponies, to the n e a r e s t r o p e . The butties were connected to these ropes and hauled a l o n g . Occasionally these ropes crossed others, and here the junction men disconnected them and reconnected them to the new rope. At the surface the butties would be checked and the contents dumped through a "screen" or series of sieves where the screen man separated rocks e t c a n d
1 2

Williams J.E., 1962., pp 175 Griffin A.R., 1962., pp 149

40

s o r t e d the coal into equal sized pieces.

E a c h butty would b e counted, and would earn a

fixed amount. Each shift, from the face man, the loader, the junction man, the pony man, the screen man, right to the foreman, would then divide this amongst themselves. The quicker the butty were loaded, passed to the surface, emptied a n d returned, the more the m e n earned. In other

mines the total output value was calculated, the m i n e owners t o o k their share, and the rest was divided between the miners and the cost of running the mine. In either case, the coal was relatively easy to win and earnings, with overtime, were high.

At Stanton and Staveley Ltd earnings were also relatively high. This was because Stanton was virtually self-sufficient in all its needds. They operated their own ironstone quarries, collieries (at Bilsthorpe, Pleasley, Taversal and Silverhili), brickworks (at Bilsthorpe, Taversal and Oakwell), and produced their own gas and electricity.3 Many of these operations produced a surplus which was sold. Even the slap from the furnaces was sold to road contractors. Costs were thus low, and good wages could be paid. I n addition, o v e r t i m e was also plentiful in the foundry. A major factor which kept average earnings high both in the mines and in the iron f ound ry wa s th at bo th indu st ries we re ve ry labo ur in tensive . Man y wit n e sse s re ca ll t h e a lmo st de spe ra t e sh o rt a ge of ma n po we r wit h the resultant need for men to work overtime. The hosiery industry was also very labour intensive and it too suffered from a labour shortage coupled with an heavy demand for its products. Here the problem was to find enough ladies, especially older skilled ladies, to fill all the vacancies. relatively high wages. The answer, again, was

Thus Ilkeston in the early 1920's could be described as a fairly wealthy town.

Not

wealthy

in

absolute terms, but in comparison with the grinding poverty and exploitation suffered by people in areas with too few jobs or coal which was difficult to win, Ilkeston did fairly well. Relations between workers and owners, though not perfect, was still very good. However, this was not the case nationally. One ex-miner described the build-up to the General Strike as a festering sore which just had to burst. This festering sore was the abysmal cap between the rich and the poor, between the living and working conditions of the rich and poor. Most Ikestonians knew the sore must burst, but they hoped it would burst somewhere else and leave them alone.

Harman E.E.G., unpublished., pp 68 and 131 - 138

41

Chapter 8

MEDIA During the period the Government paid the subsidy to the miring industry (31st July, 1925 1st May, 1926) the local newspapers took part in the "education programme " undertaken by the Government, especially by Churchill. The Ilkeston Pioneer relied heavily upon cartoons,

which t h e y r e p r o d u c e d f r o m "Punch". On 24 July, 1925 t h e P io n e e r in d i ca t e d t h a t b o t h t h e m in e o wn e rs a n d t h e m in e wo r ke rs we re attacking "King Coal" end attempting, between them, to knock off his crown (his predominant position in the field of energy provision).1 By 11th September, 1925, the Pioneer implied that the Co m m u n i st P a rt y o f G re a t B ri t a in wa s in va d i n g t h e la b o u r P a r t y. 2 B y 9 t h Octobe r, 19 25 th e P ione e r illust rated wh a t man y f e lt wa s nea r the truth, that either a full scale revolution or a more "gentlemanly" Ge ne ra l S t rike wo u ld st r a n gle o r d e st roy t h e co u n t ry. 3 B y 1 9 ma rch, 1 9 26 Sa mu e l wa s sh o wn a s p re se n t in g a re a l p rom ise f o r t he f u t u re with his proposed Report,4 but the following week's cartoon illu st ra t e d t he d isillu sio n an d p e ssim ism f e lt b y m a n y ab o ut Sa mue l a n d h i s a t t e m p t s t o f i n d a g e n u i n e s o l u t i o n t o t h e c o a l p r o b l e m . 5 Following the General Strike, the Pioneer offered a cartoon on 21st May, 1926 which to many fully illustrated the situation they had just been through. This cartoon implied that the

General Strike had been a crude attempt to overthrow the "rock" of democracy, but that it had just proved inadequate and democracy and the nation had been rock solid against it.6 (See Plates 1 6, pp 4 - 8)

On 30 April, 1926 Jottings in The Pioneer reproduced the following "Hymn" which he c l a i m e d w a s being taught to children in communist Sunday schools:

"Onward Christian soldiers Duty's call il plain Slay your Christian brothers Or by them be slain

1 2 3 4 5 6

Ilkeston Pioneer 24 July, 1925., pp 2 Ibid., 11 September, 1925., pp 2 Ibid., 9 October, 1925., pp 2 Ibid., 19 March, 1926., pp 2 Ibid., 26 March, 1926., pp 2 Ibid., 21 May, 1926., pp 2
st th th th th

th

42

Pulpiteers are spouting Effervescent swill God above is calling You to rob and kill Onward Christian soldiers Up and tear and smite May the gentle Jesus Bless your dynamite"7 This followed the Ilkeston Advertiser which, on 19 t h February, 1926 had reproduced this "Hymn": "The whole world at last is beginning to see The blight of the world is Jesus Like sunshine at noonday, free thought has shown me The blight of the world is Jesus Keep off the blight or blighted you'll be Blighted for life by credulity Once I believed but now I can see The blight of the world is Jesus" 8 ' The Advertiser added:

"W e would not publish such blasphemy were it not that decent people ought to know what is going on in the way of att empt s to sub v e rt the Ch rist ian re ligion b y the followers of Lenin"

The connection between this Communist threat and the approaching coal dispute war quite clearly drawn by a letter published by the Ilkeston Advertiser:

"....The nation will certainly support the moderate leaders in their effort to establish a lasting peace in our basic industry. Their task is, however, being made very difficult by the mischievous activities of e xt r e m i st s i n t h e c o a lf i e ld s wh o a r e a p p a r e n t l y d e t e rm i n e d to seize e v e r y o p p o r t u n i t y t o p r o v o k e discontent. In So u th W ale s th e Co mm un ist s a re b u sy a d va n cin g a
7 8

Jottings., Ilkeston Pioneer, 30 April, 1926., pp 8 Ilkeston Advertiser, 19 February, 1926., pp 2

th

th

43

p ro gra m me of demands, which if adopted, would increase the price of our export trade and so make it still more difficult f or our product to be sold abroad. it is not difficult to see why Moscow finances Red Agi tation in British Coalf ields. If the price o f o u r co a l ca n b e f o r ce d u p b y u n e c o n o m i c wa g e demands, then, of course, there will be a larger m arket f or Rus sia n coal on the continent. Yours faithfully Looker-on9

M e a n wh i l e " R o b i n H o o d " i n t h e I l k e s t o n A d ve r t i s e r w r o t e :

"A

game

of

strategy

is

being

pursued

by

both

sides,

each

m a n e u v e r i n g t o g e t t h e b e s t p o s i t i o n f o r t h e f i n a l b a t t l e of forces. As far as can be seen at the moment a d e s p e r a t e s t r u g g l e f o r e xi s t e n c e a p p e a r s likely in the coalf ields, the miners fighting for their daily bread, which is threatened by any further reductions in their wages, and resisting a n y i n c r e a s e i n t h e d u r a t i o n o f t h e i r d a i l y t o i l : wh i l s t t h e o wn e r s , m a n y o f t h e m , a r e f i g h t i n g f o r a c h a n c e t o s u r v i ve u n d e r c o n d i t i o n s w h i c h t h r e a t e n m a n y o f t h e m w i t h e x t i n c t i o n Ca n an y sa n e man see an y wa y o u t of the apparent impasse except for both parties to sit d o w n at a r o u n d table, f ace the s i t u a t i o n a n d d e v i s e s o m e p l a n f o r s a v i n g b o t h t h e m i n e r s a n d t h e m i n e s a s f a r a s i t i s p o s s ib l e t o d o s o ? " 10

And, over a report concerning a speech made by Mr. Frank Hodges, the A d ve r t i se r p ro d u ce d t h e f o l lo wi n g p e s s im i s t i c h e a d l i n e :

"KING COAL NO LONGEER A MERRY SOUL SICK AND ANAEMIC OIL A SERIOUS CHALLENGER 11 However, the Advertiser was a little m ore optimistic when Robin Hood wro t e :

Looker on in Letters, Ilkeston Advertiser, 2

th th

nd

April, 1926, 1925., pp 2

10 11

Robin Hood, Ilkeston Advertiser, 17 July, 1925., pp 1 Ilkeston Advertiser, 14 August, 1925., pp 3

44

"There is little to be said definitely as yet about the situation in the mining industry. The Report of the Coal Commission is being s t u d i ed . N o t t o put it too strongly, the situation is regarded as a little more hopeful now that all parties are getting down to the hard brass t a c k s o f t h e p r o b l e m . 12

There appears to have b een very little real support or e nthu sia sm in I lke ston for a General Strike. Many eye witnesses claimed that they had been

i n s t r u c t e d t o s t r i k e ; s o t h e y d i d , b u t a s Jottings wrote in the Ilkeston Pioneer:

"It may be assumed with certainty that nobody in Ilke sto n wa n ted a strike. T h e r e i s n o r e c o r d o f a n y l o c a l w o r k m e n e x p r e s s i n g a d e s i r e for a strike, and this being so, those who are involved, are involved against their will, and must be regarded as the victims
13

of

c i r c u m s t a n c e s a n d n o t a s f o m e n t e r s o f i n d u s t r i a l instabilit y

Previously he had written:

"I believe that I am right in saying that there is not a single individual, m i n e r o r o t h e r w i s e , i n t h e B o r o u g h , w h o w o u l d w e l c o m e a s t r i k e . On the contrary, I just as firmly believe that it is the last thing desired a n d l e a s t o f a l l b y t h e m i n e r s a n d t h e i r d e p e n d e n t s t h e m s e l v e s 14

This appears t o b e t r u e . N o w i t n e s s c a n r e c a l l a s i n g l e m e e t i n g o r v o t e b e f o r e the dispute, at which the men involved could discuss the s i t u a t i o n a n d vo t e o n t h e strike c a l l . H o w e v e r , m o s t I l k e s t o n i a n s a p p e a re d t o a cce p t t h e sit u a t io n p h ilo so p h ica ll y; Jo t t in g s a ga i n :

"Tuesday morning saw Bath Street , {which was (indeed still is) the main shopping street not in Ilkeston}, up their thronged minds what with to people do with who their

apparently had

made

12 13 14

Robin Hood, Ilkeston Advertiser, 26 March, 19256, pp 1 Jottings., Ilkeston Pioneer, 7 May, 1926., pp 4 Ibid., 30 April, 1926., pp 8
th th

th

45

e n f o r c e d l e i s u r e . There were more s m i l e s t h a n f r o w n s a n d g o o d h u m o u r p r e v a i l e d " 15

Whilst "Robin Hood" wrote: . a tribute to the excellent behaviour of our o w n citizens throughout t h e crisis. seems t o h a ve a c ce p t e d t h e s it u a t io n g o o d h u m o u r e d l y" 16

Everyone

15 16

Jottings., Ilkeston Pioneer, 7 May, 1926., pp 4 Robin Hood, Ilkeston Advertiser, 14 May, 1926., pp 1
th

th

46

Chapter 9 SURVIVAL S in ce the Coa l S t rike of 1912 had b egu n, on the la st day of February1 Ilkeston had been prepared to care or its inhabitants in need. Since Monday 18 t h March, 1912, the Education Committee of the Ilkeston Borough Council had provided one meal each school day to necessitous cases. This meal consisted of milk and "best bread".2 By 15 April, 1912 this provision had cost the Education Committee 72.10s.5d.(72.50p) f o r m ilk, to t a lin g 29.12s.4d.(29.62p) for best bread and a dd it ion va rio u s 6 2 . 2 s .9 d . ( 62 . 1 4p ) 3 I n

f e e d in g ce n t re s we re established during the 1912 dispute. These provided hot soup and other more warning meals. (See plate 9 on 5) After the dispute the other feeding centres closed, but the Education Committee continued feeding necessitous cases .in their individual schools. During World War I this provision was concentrated in the Gladstone Street Feeding Centre, where proximately 150 necessitous children were fed every school day, travelling free from outlying schools by tram-car. 4 This centre remained open and was still in use in 1925 when the General Strike began. A Mrs. Fitzhugh was in charge of the Gladstone Street Feeding Centre when the Str ike began . In April, 1926 this centre gave 1,899 meals to 56 children at a cost of 30.9s.7d.(30.48p). 5 The Education committee also resolved to open extra feeding centres during the forthcoming crisis. The following figures are official figures of children fed during the dispute:
Saturday 8
th th th

May

70 children fed 119 c h i l d r e n f e d 340 c h i l d r e n f e d 588 c h i l d r e n f e d 790 c h i l d r e n f e d 947 c h i l d r e n f e d 1060 c h i l d r e n f e d 1260 c h i l d r e n f e d 1300 c h i l d r e n f e d

Monday 10 May Tuesday 11 May Wednesday 12 May Thursday 13 May Friday 14 May Saturday 15 May Monday 17 May Tuesday 18 May
6
th th th th th th

1 2 3 4 5 6

Williams J.E., 1962., pp 419 Borough of Ilkeston Council Minutes., 15 March, 1912., pp 211 Ibid., 16 April, 1912., pp 252 Ibid., 7 September, 1914., pp 438; ibid., 20 October, 1914., pp 498 Ibid., 18 May, 1926., pp 246 - 247 Ilkeston Advertiser., 21 May, 1926., pp 3
st th th th th th

47

I t wa s e s t im a t e d t h a t it wo u ld co s t a p p ro xim a t e l y 2 0 0 t h a t we e k a n d that cost was expected from the Basford Guardians, who administered the poor relief in the Ilkeston area, or failing that, the Ministry of Health would be approached.7 Whether or not either paid is uncertain, but these off icial centres we re mot the only centres available:

".....the shopkeepers got together, and the publicans, a n d t h o s e w h o h a d allotment gardens with root vegetables rea d They pooled meat

a n d v e g e t a b l e s , o r g a n i s e d w o m e n volunteers and made broth. Several publicans kept pigs, and so had large coppers on their hack premises. The broth was made in these coppers, meat, bones, potatoes, carrots and turnips boiled, up to make a satisfying whole.

At a set time people would queue up, mainly kids, with their two-pint jugs and large basins. Stale loaves would be cut up into Lie chunks and handed out with the broth. Then we would go back home, and the broth would be shared among the rest of the family. And our hunger would be assuaged for another day8

Two "pubs" offering these meals were the Durham Ox where Mrs. Holmes produced the soup, and the Ancient Druids where the soup was ready everyday between t e n and eleven i n the morning. Other people were also preparing soup meals, for example, Mrs. Baker's mother prepared a soup from allotment vegetables in her kitchen, and helped relieve the distress of her friends and relatives on Green Lane. Many butchers boiled up the bones and scraps and served this broth. Mrs. Bentley of the Cotmanhay Road Butchers was one such. Whites Chip Shop, amongst others, gave away

scraps, and at the end of the day gave a way the spare f ood. Anyone and everyone made soup or helped wherever they could. Pawn shops or pop shops" did a brisk trade. The most successful pop shop was Harry Starr's on Station Road, but there were others on Granby Street, Seth Street, and Nottingham Road. The usual rate was 2d. (1p) per week per article. F o r t h o s e t o o proud to go themselves, there were "go-betweens" who took the "pop" to the shop for people, and usually charged 1 - 2d. ( 1p) per article. One such go-between was Mrs. Atkins.

Other shops however, were not as lucky. "Slates" or credit mounted. Some family shops went bankrupt but most, by some miracle, stayed in business and eventually got their money. Some, such
7 8

Ibid., pp 3 Ilkeston Pioneer., 4 June, 1926., pp 4

th

48

as Barnes Butchers on Bath Street, relied upon friendly service to ge t t h e cu st om e r t o come b a ck a n d e ve n tu a lly p a y. T h e m o st entertaining b u t c h e r w a s R o b i n s o n s o n t h e m a r k e t . Each market day (Thursday and Saturday) between six and eight in the evening, he wo u ld a u ct io n h is re m a in in g me a t . Th is wa s a l wa ys li ve ly a n d exciting. The bones he gave away.

I l k e st o n C o -o p e r a t i ve S o c ie t y wa s e s p e c i a l l y g o o d t o i t s customers. On T u e s d a y e v e n i n g 4 th May, 1926, the employees held a m e e t i n g a n d d e c i d e d t o d o n a t e o n e s h i l l i n g ( 5 p ) o f e a c h p o u n d t h e y e a r n e d p e r we e k t o a r e l i e f f u n d . 9 T h i s f u n d wo u l d i s s u e vo u c h e r s to the value of 2s.6d. (12p), exchangeable at the store.10 These vouchers were issued to the Mayors Distress Fund at the rate of 25 per week.11 This continued until one final grant of 50 was made early in December 1926. 12 in addition, the Society agreed to allow credit and to pay divi (The Dividend paid to costumers regularly for being customers, always known locally as The Ilkeston Races as it was paid twice yearly, and always there was a rush to get it from the co-operative offices to get the cash) to those in arrears13 until November 1926, when those in arrears were, as usual, preven ted from receiving divi. 14 Arrears were not finally chased until June 1927.15

Those miners belonging to the Derbyshire Miners Association (some 50,000) received strike pay at the rate of 15s. (75p) per man with 2s. (10p) per child.16 This only lasted about four weeks when the money ran out and they were forced onto the poor relief Basford Board of Guardians. ad m i n i s t e r e d by the

Those miners belonging to the Nottinghamshire Association

received no strike pay as the N.M.A. was almost bankrupt.17 They were forced onto charity or savings right from the start. The Basford Guardians loaned its claimants 12s. (60p), plus 3s. (15p) for the first child, 2s.6d.(12p) for the second and 2s. (10p) for the rest. 18 Those on poor

Gadsby E.,, 1978., pp 43 Ilkeston Pioneer., 7 May, 1926., pp 4 General Committee Meeting Minutes of Ilkeston Co-operative Society 20 May, 1926 Ibid., 14 October and 2
th th nd th th

10 11 12 13

December 1926
th nd

Special Management Committee Minutes of the Ilkeston Co-operative Society., 10 May, 1926; Weekly Management September, 1926
th

Committee Minutes., 13 May, 1926; General Committee Meeting Minutes., 2

14 15 16 17 18 th

General Committee Minutes of the Ilkeston Co-operative Society., 18 November, 1926 Special Committee Minutes of the Ilkeston Co-operative Society., 18 November, 1927 Ilkeston Pioneer., 21 May, 1926., pp 5 Ilkeston Advertiser., 11 June, 1925., pp 3 Ilkeston Advertiser., 4 June, 1925., pp 1
th th st

49

relief also ha d to pay 3s. (15p ) per week for each child they sent to the soup kitchens.19 However, not everyone received the f ull amount. O ne co up le with f ive ch ild re n shou ld ha ve re ce ive d 1.3s.6d. (1.17p). They in fact received 18s. (90p) plus a 2s.6d. (12p) voucher from the Mayors Distress Fund to spend at the Co -op.

The Mayors Distress Fund was launched by the mayor of Ilkeston, Councillor Woolliscroft, with the following letter:

"Sir, In connection with the Coal Crisis, and the u n e m p lo ym e n t ca u se d t h e re b y t o t h o se p re vio u s l y wo rk in g in and about the coal mines and the consequent extension no w ta king p la ce in unem plo yment t o o the rs as a d ire ct r e s u l t o f the shortage o f the available supply of coal. I decided to call a Towns meeting to consider what action shou ld be ta ken . At t his mee tin g, wh ich wa s he ld in th e Town Hall on 28th instant, it was decided to form a fund, as far as possible to a l l e v i a t e the d i s t r e s s the Borough. Committees have been formed in each of the six wards in the town, and any contributions, either in money or in essential foodstuffs, will be g ratefully received, and such contributions can either be made at the Town Clerks Office, at any of the Banks in the town, or at the Secretaries of the Ward Committees. The meetings of the latter are held at the following places - North Ward, Cotmanhay Parish Room; Granby Ward, Trinity School; Market Ward, Chaucer Street Infants School; Victoria Ward, Wilmot Street Schools; Old Park Ward, Gladstone Street Girls School; South Ward, Kensington Girls School. I may say that no relief will tie given in money, but in vouchers which can be exchanged with the tradesmen in the town. I hope that a good response will be made to the appeal by all those willing and able to help. Yours faithfully George W. Woolliscroft Mayo r 29 t h May,1926 20
19 20

Ilkeston Advertiser., 11 June, 1925., pp 3 Ilkeston Pioneer., 4 June, 1926., pp 4

th

th

50

Ilkeston Cc -operative Society provided 25 per week in the form of vouchers and many concerts and sports ev ents were organised to raise funds. (See ch ap 10) This fund continued until December 1926, af ter the miners had returned to work. 21 -

Durin g the 1912 coal strike Ilkeston miners had begun an organised scavenging of the local pit tips. (See Plates 7 - 8, pp 5) This had led to the setting up of small businesses where the miners would load sacks, bags, trollies, p ushch airs, prams, and anything else they could find and sell the coal door to door, even hauling it as far as Nottingham, nine miles aw ay to sell it. Although this "business" ceased after the dispute the idea was very much alive in miners minds wh en the 1925 dispute started. Jottings in the Ilkeston Pioneer wrote:

"It is not long when there is a strike or lock -out in the mining industry before the refuse tips of old collieries in the neighbourhood are riddled for anything in the nature of coal which will burn. Outcrops of seams, which are frequent locally, and occur in gardens and other places, have before now provided supplies of coal of a passable quality and enabled those having a cce ss to t hem t o t u rn a n hone st pen n y. The p it h ill coal pickers have been much in evidence during the past fortnight, and what they have been able to secure beyond their own requirements has, in many instances, b een taken round in bags and disposed of to those whose coal supplies have run out. So far

as anything connected with a coal strike can be amusing, the idea of a miner striking to stop the supply of coal, and grubbing amongst pit hills for it and

hawking it from door to door, is surely an instance. During the previous strike, quite an extensive trade was done in coal so procured, and loads were carted so far afield as Nottingham."22

Some of this outcrop coal was sold to Mr. Salt who drove it to Liverpool. However, not all the coal was sold. Many people recall finding bags of coal on their doorsteps in the mornings, with no evidence of who to thank or pay. This Outcropping was not without cost. Several people, including Ernest Wilson, were killed, either by the collapse, or b y black damp gas in deep excavations. Digging took place in peoples back yards23 or on a larger scale at Cossal, (near the Oakwood
21 22 23

General Committee Minutes of the Ilkeston Co-operative Society., 2 Jottings, Ilkeston Pioneer., 21 May, 1926., pp 8
st

nd

December, 1926

Hargreaves C., Fathers Derbyshire., pp 18, plate 35 and pp 27, plate 54. Both are photographs of back garden

digging in 1926, plate 35 at Heanor, plate 54 at Loscoe

51

Orange Colliery), the "Ashes", (a field off Gordon Street), "Dr. Woods Field" (by permission of the owner ), "Jollys Field" (below "Firs Swings") and at Granby Park. (Part of this park collapsed into a massive hole at the end of 1980, possibly caused by these workings by the coal diggers.)

Not everyone could get this coal, and many turned to wood for f uel. Of Advertiser wrote:

this,

the

Ilkeston

"Fuel for the Fire

The first few days of the strike, after dusk, and later in the broad daylight, the road between the town and Shipley Woods has seen people of all ages strolling homewards bearing fuel wherewith to keep the chimney corner warm, in the form of branches and logs of all shapes and sizes, remnants of the former beautiful trees that once gladdened the heart of the beholder. Doubtless the sight of so much burnable material lying handy has also brought a warm glow to the hearts of the many folks to whom the strike soon meant cold grates and no means of cooking the little food they could afford to buy. And although not strictly within their rights in removing wood from the Shipley estate, one could not help sympathising with the tired mothers who were ending a hard days work with a long tramp for fuel, and dragging behind them large branches that obviously taxed their strength, whilst weary toddlers trailed behind their mothers, with arms full of small bits of wood . The older children sturdily pushed the family prams or Orange -boxes on wheels containing a good assortment of branches in place of the customary baby. Some had large branches in tow at the end of lengths of rope; quite a number of small lads were to be seen m a n f u l l y struggling to convey home a branch too for them, their faces becoming redder every moment with their strenuous eff orts. But don't. they just enjoy themselves!"24

This wood scavenging took place in several places, notably Bluebell W ood, Lady W ood, Shipley W ood, and Beauty Spot W ood, but not everyone found it romantic:

"Sir, I shall esteem it a favour if you will kindly allow me, through the medium of your valuable paper, to say that I strongly disapprove of the action of the miners who have done such a lot of damage to a piece of land on Heanor Road, which happens to be my property. Had they asked my permission to seek for coal o n the land
24

Robin Hood, Ilkeston Advertiser., 14 May, 1926., pp 1

th

52

it might have been granted, but to take such liberties ss they have done in this case, is not calculated to gain my sympathy and practical help in their endeavours to obtain better conditions. I regret that this action will cause me to think seriously before I contribute any more to any effort which may be made on behalf of distressed miners, and many miners will know that in the past I have given considerable amounts to such and other objects f or their we lf are. If this willful damage is the miners thanks, then in the future I must turn my attention to other ch annels. I shall wait to see if the miners concerned are men enough to make the damage good. I am yours sincerely, F. Kenwood 61 South Street, Ilkeston"25

Some miners continued to work:

"Some of the colliery workers were still slipping off to the pits, maintenance men I s u p p o s e t h e y were. It was s u p po s e d to be a total shu t - d o w n . If t h e y

p a s s e d the g o s s i p i n g w o m e n on their w a y to work, h eavens ! y o u should h a v e heard the amazons: 'Get back h o m e you dirt y blackle g s 'Strike'll lest forever if its left to you dirty creeps!' Then they'd start on "The R e d Flag again . The men would leave off their games to shout encouragement to the women".26

Shouting wasn't all they did. At least two blacklegs had themselves and their bicycles thrown into the Erewash Canal by striking miners.27 However, they were well rewarded with goo d wages and at the end of each shift, each man could take home as much coal as they could carry. many men struggled home with lumps weighing over a hundredwe ight ove r their shoulders. When the dispute was over, these men were kept on by the owners, before any striking miners were even considered for a vacancy.

But survive was not all the Ilkestonians did. They also enjoyed themselves.

25 26 27

Letters, Ilkeston Pioneer., 21 May, 1926., pp 5 Gadsby C., 1978., pp 50 Ilkeston Advertiser., 27 August, 1926., pp 2
th

st

53

Chapter 10

ENTERTAINMENT

The strike was not all gloom for the people of Ilkeston. Most Ilkestonians appear to have decided to treat the strike as a holiday, at least initially. Visiting Professors from University College,

Nottingham gave lectures in the brand new Miners Welfare, which had only been opened in September, 1924.1 These lectures included one given by Mr. J.L. Gray, M.A., who gave a lecture entitled "Different Types of Social Organisations"2 and one by Mr. C.G. Beasley M.A., F.R.G.S., who gave a lecture entitled "The Coal Commission Report".3

To raise much needed funds for the Distress Fund, a fair was opened at the Beauty Soot, and concerts were held at the Miners Welfare and St Johns Parish Hall.4 Pit Pony races were held at Co s sa l Ma rsh a n d a t t ra ct e d 1 0 , 0 0 0 vi sit o r s, o n e o f wh o m , a l a d y, wa s i n j u r e d wh e n a p o n y b o lt e d . 5 A t le a st o n e o t h e r P o n y R a ce s wa s h e l d i n J u n e , 1 9 2 6 , w h e n I l k e s t o n C o o p e r a t i v e S o c i e t y g r a n t e d o n e guinea (1.10p) towards the effort.6 Sponsored sports events took p la ce in clu d in g b o xin g m a tch e s on th e I lke st o n To wn Fo o t ba ll Clu b (The R o b i n s ) ground. T h e m e n o r g a n i s e d their own sports:

" G a m e s o f f o o t b a l l a n d c r i c k e t w e r e o r g a n i s e d b y t h e m e n and youths. T h e n a f t e r wa r d s t h e y w o u l d g o d o wn t o t h e canal and swim across the looks, sometimes staying until it was dark. Anything to stop them going crazy". 7 For those with money, the Premier Dance Hall held its dances as usual; admission 1s. (5p)8 and for the Whitsun Holidays the L.N.E.R. offered Boston 7s. 3d. (36p) and Skegness, Sutton or Mablethorpe 10s. (50p) return from Ilkeston o n Whit Monday 24 th May. 9 However, the swimming baths, which should have opened on 9th May did not.10 Even during the strike not everything stopped:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Ilkeston Advertiser., 13 June, 1980., pp 1 and 11 The Miners Leisure, Ilkeston Advertiser., 21 May, 1926., pp 2 The Decline of the British Coal Industry. Ilkeston Advertiser., 4 June, 1926., pp 2 Strike Items, Ilkeston Pioneer., 14 May, 1926., pp 2 Pit Pony Races, Ilkeston Advertiser., 28 May, 1926., pp 2 Special Committee Meeting Minutes of the Ilkeston Co-operative Society, 21 June, 1926 Gadsby E., 1978., pp 50 Ilkeston Pioneer., 7 May, 1926., pp 3 Ibid., 21 May, 1926., pp 5 Strike Items, Ilkeston Pioneer., 14 May, 1926., pp 2
th st th st th th th st

th

10

54

"The only papers on sale during Thursday of last week were the "Sheffield Telegraph", "Leicester Mail", "Derby Daily Express" and "Ilkeston Pioneer". These papers had t o be brought by road. No pagers reached Sandiacre or Stapleford since the lock - out until the "Pioneer" arrived. A local newsagent was warned by the Strikes Committee that he must bring no more papers into the town. Ilkeston was without newspapers until late on Friday, when a car arrived with the "Leicester Mail". On Saturday evening the "Derby Daily Express" was on sale, and on Monday "The Sheffield Telegraph" and "Nottingham Post" and "News" were on sale. On Tuesday morning "The Times" and "Sheffield Telegraph" arrived.

The clothiers and outfitters on Thursday announced that they would c l o s e a t t h e f o l l o w i n g t i m e s d u r i n g t h e c r i s i s - M o n d a y, T u e sd a y a n d T h u r sd a y 6 p . m . ; W e d n e sd a y 1 p . m . ; F r i d a y 7 p . m . a n d S a t u r d a y 8 p.m.

A train from Chesterfield to Trent and return was run o n Frid a y a n d S a t u r d a y o n t h e L . M . S . R a i l w a y . T h e L . N. E . R. r a n t h r e e t r a i n s e a c h way between Nottingham and Derby on Frid a y, a n d o n Sa tu rda y fo u r each way. Only a few buses ran after Tuesday, but on Saturday two ran to Derby, one to Hallam Fields, two to Nottingham and three to Heanor. On Saturday the private bus owners met the Strike

Committee, and it was arranged that on and from Monday, the buses could run for the purposes of taking people to work, and the

condition was laid down that the passenger must use the same bus he used before the strike. Everything was quiet up to Monday e v e n i n g . " 11

Many people of course continued to work. Shops, offices and the hosiery industry were among them. One witness recalls that she worked for a hosiery firm in Nottingham, and that the firm collected all their Ilkeston workers by car, took them to Nottingham and helped to arrange lodgings in the City until the buses ran again.
11

Ibid., pp 2

55

Those on strike did not interfere with those not on strik e. There waa a feeling t h a t i t c o n c e r n e d o n l y t h e m s e l v e s a n d n o t o t h e r s . ( It was this t hat f inally defeated the miners. The railwaymen and lorry drivers continued to move the massive stocks of coal already on the surface) This did not prevent those in work from helping those on strike. The concerts and other fund raising e vents were well supported. In addition, the miners would draw chalk circles on the pavement on street corners, and even outside the Town. If a passer-by went t h r o u g h the circle he dropped l d . ( p ) i n t o i t a n d t h e m i n e r s u s e d t h i s t o s u p p o r t t h e m s e l ve s . T h e r e was no pressure to go through the circle, those unwilling or unable to help, s i m p l y p a s s e d b y , b u t m a n y d e l i b e r a t e l y w e n t t h r o u g h a n d d ro p p e d m o n e y f o r t h e m in e rs.

Within

Ilkeston there w a s

no really s e r i o u s

trouble. Eleven m e n we r e f i n e d

b e t we e n 5 s . ( 2 5 p ) a n d 1 f o r s i n k i n g c o a l s h a f t s o n C o r p o r a t i o n p r o p e r t y , 12 o n e miner was bound ove r to keep the peace after assaulting a neighbour's wife, and two men had their case dismissed after a f ight at the coal picking at " C a r e f u l P i t " o n H e a n o r R o a d , I l k e s t o n . 13 T h e s e w e r e t h e m o s t s e r i o u s c a s e s c o n c e r n e d w i t h the d i s p u t e in I l k e s t o n . More serious were two attacks on bu ses, o n e at Riple y and the o t h e r at K i m b e r l e y . At R i p l e y o n 1 1 t h M a y , 1 9 2 6 , f o u r m i n e r s s t o n e d a b u s c a r r y i n g s c h o o l children, i n j u r i n g t w o of them. T h e y we r e j a i l e d f o r t wo m o n t h s e a ch . A t K i m b e r l e y a m i n e r p u t a t r e e i n t h e p a t h o f a b u s o n 7 t h M a y , 1 9 2 6 . He was sentenc ed to three months hard labour. 14 As "Robin Hood put it:

" w i t h f e w e x c e p t i o n s , t h e r e h a s b e e n a r e m a r k a b l e a b s e n c e o f t h a t interference with the liberties of the people which have in some places had to be dealt with by the police, and have brought condign p u n i s h m e n t o n the offenders"15

And Jottings wrote:

12 13 14 15

Petty Sessions, Ilkeston Pioneer., 16 July, 1926., pp 3 Petty Sessions, Ilkeston Advertiser., 28 May, 1926., pp 2 Ibid., 28 May, 1926., pp 2 Robin Hood, Ilkeston Advertiser., 14 May, 1926., pp 1
th th th

th

56

the commendable attitude exhibited by those now u n em p lo ye d a s a re su lt of t he st rike . T he re ha s n o t b e en t he sligh t e st d ist u rba n ce of the peace 16

Mr. P.R. Sudbury, who was in charge of the emergency arrangements in the Borough informed the "Pioneer" that no local office would be open for volunteers as none were required.17 The police have no records of extra duties retarding the dispute, nor any recollection of su ch e xt ra d u t ie s, a nd t h e lo ca l A rm y re gim e n t , T h e W orce st e rsh ire and Sh e rwood Fo re ste rs Re giment , wa s ab ro ad.. .. the 1st Ba tta lion i n N o r t h e r n I r e l a n d a n d t h e 2 n d B a t t a l i o n i n India. The Regimental D e p o t a t D e r b y " s t o o d t o " b u t w e r e n e v e r d e p l o y e d o u t s i d e t h e Barracks. T h e R e g i m e n t ' s f o u r T e r r i t o r i a l B a t t a l i o n s w e r e n e v e r e m b o d i e d o r e m p l o ye d o n d u t i e s , a l t h o u g h it i s b e l i e ve d m a n y o f t h e m s i g n e d o n a s S p e c i a l C o n s t a b l e s , b u t a g a i n , we r e r a r e l y u s e .

Nearly all witnesses recall that the summer of 1926 was unusually warm are s u n n y . T h i s , t h e y c l a i m , u n d e r l i n e d t h e " h o l i d a y" s p i r i t a t t h e time. Ho w e v e r , records at the Nottingham than the Weather av erage Centre indicate with that 1926 wa s less

considerably

cooler

1941-1970

considerably

sunshine but average rainfall. These figures de mot support the suggestion that it was unusually dry and warm . Figures for later in the year indic ate a similar pattern.

Much

of

the

entertainment,

sports,

concerts,

events

and

fund

raising

c o n t i n u e d a f t e r t h e e n d o f t h e G e n e r a l S t r i k e , e n d i n g o n l y with the ending of the Coal Dispute in No vember 1926.

16 17

Jottings, Ilkeston Pioneer., 7 May, 1926., pp 4 Ilkeston Pioneer., 7 May, 1926., pp 4

th

th

57

Chapter 11

AFTERWARDS

The Ilkeston Pioneer described the return to work as follows:

"There was only a moderate response amongst the Stanton Ironworks men on Tuesday evening. In a statement to the press on Wednesday, Mr. E.J. Fox, the Managing Director, said the works re-opened that morning and 600 men restarted work. Orders were received o n W ednesday afternoon from the Union Officials for all men to return on Thursday

Although there was a tendency fot the buses to return to the streets before the news that the strike was over was to hand, there was m o re a ct ivit y ve ry so o n after its receipt. The first Trent bus seen for over a week passed alone Lord Haddon Road on Wednesday evening.

The railwaymen held a meeting at the Miners W elfare Hall on W ednesday when the telegram calling off the strike was read. So me of the local men went to sign on that evening. There is, however, a hitch, as the company is only able to absorb the men in small numbers, and they are inclined to take up the attitude that they all came out together and must all go in together.

On enquiring at the offices of the Company when the Ilkeston tram service was likely to resume running, we were informed on Thursday morning that the men were then holding a meeting, and there was no definite information available. 1

However, things were not all running smoothly. The furnaces at Stanton and Staveley had been "damped down" and could take a long time to restart. The Directors of Stanton had opened the works on 10th May, 1926, two days before the ending, of the strike in order to make arrangements to re-open on 12th May except the furnaces, which they began to fire on 13 t h May, 1926. 2 The Stanton workmen decided to wo rk throu gh W hit sun to f ire the

1 2

Strike Items, Ilkeston Pioneer., 14 May, 1926., pp 2 Harman E.E.G., unpublished., pp 174

th

58

f urnaces. Three had b een f ired b y 21 s t Ma y, an d a f ourth soon wo uld be. 3 Ho we ve r, t he wo rks we re forced to close again on 19 t h June, 1926 when the Company's resources of f uel became exhausted. The firm's Directors made arrangements to assist cases of f inancial distress by allowing the Assistant Managing Director and Secretary to make grants, repayable upon resumption of work. 4 W ork began a gain in the Company's collieries as early as 1 s t September, 1926. Most of the Derbyshire miners employed by S t a n t o n re tu rne d t o wo rk b y t h e m id d le of O ct ob e r, 1 926, f o llo win g Mr. G e o r g e S p e n c e r ' s negotiations. The Nottinghamshire miners

remained out until November, when the N.F.G .B. conceded defeat and Mr. S p e n ce r n e go t ia t ed th e ir ret u rn t o wo rk. 5 G ra du a lly t h e wo rks returned to normal.

The fund raising concerts, meetings, voluntary soup kitchens, feeding of necessitous cases, the Mayors Distress Fund, the Co-operative Society

weekly grant of 25 worth of vouchers, fancy dress competitions etc., all continued throughout the coal dispute. No really reliable figures on the amount r a i s e d o r s p e n t b y t h e v a r i o u s agencies a p p e a r t o b e available. T h e Distress Fund, which was started in the full glare of Mayors had

publicity,

d i s a p p e a r e d w i t h o u t a s o u n d b y D e c e m b e r 1926. No r e c o rd s e xi s t , a n d t h e o n l y clues about its ending is provided by the records of the Co-operative S o c i e t y. On 7 t h October, 1926 t h e y moved t o contribute t o the Mayors F u n d f o r t h e w e e k 1 2 t h O c t o b e r , 1 9 2 6 a n d t h e n t o r e v i e w t h e s i t u a t i o n . 6 O n 1 4 t h O ct o b e r, t h e y a g re e d t h a t co n t ri b u t io n s t o t h e D is t re s s Fu n d ce a se , 7 a n d o n 2 6 t h O ct o b e r, 1 9 2 6 they a g re e d to a sk for a B a la n ce Sheet of the Ma yo rs D ist re s s Fu n d . 8

Un f o rt u n a t e l y, it i s n o t recorded whether they received the Balance Sheet, nor does it still exist if they did. B u t i t m a y b e a s s u m e d f r o m t h is , t h a t t h e M a yo r s D ist re s s Fu n d wa s wo u n d d o wn so m e t im e d u rin g O ct o b e r 1 9 2 6 , a t a n y ra t e bef o re th e Ma yo r, Co u n cillo r W olliscro f t , wa s re p la ce d b y t h e n e w M a n n e r s , i n N o vember.9 Mayor, Councillor

3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Ilkeston Advertiser., 21 May, 1926., pp 1 Harman E.E.G., unpublished., pp 132 Ibid., pp 132 - 133 General Committee Meeting Minutes of the Ilkeston Borough Council, 7 October, 1926 Ibid., 14 October, 1926 Ibid., 28 October, 1926 Ilkeston Advertiser., 12 November, 1926., pp 2
th th th th

st

59

T h e F e e d i n g C e n t r e s f o r N e c e s s i t o u s C h i l d r e n we r e u n d e r a g r e a t s t r a i n d u r i n g t h i s p e r i o d , e n d a c c u r a t e f i g u r e s o n c o s t d o n o t n o w e xist, o n l y e s t i m a t e s r e m a i n . I n A p r i l , 1 9 2 6 , t h e G la d s t o n e S t re e t F e e d i n g C e n t r e p r o v i d e d 5 6 children with 1,899 meals at a total cost of 30.9s.7d. (30.38p). 10 T h i s

i n c l u d e d t h e c o s t o f t r a n s p o r t i n g t h e c h i l d r e n t o the C e n t r e . Between May and O c t o b e r , 1 9 2 6 , t h e number of children f ed and the number of meals provided, is probably f airly accurate, as each child was given a ticket or voucher which h e or she exchanged f o r a meal, t h u s t h e s e could be c o u n t e d . However, t h e c o s t in e a c h month is only e s t i m a t e d . pe riod : Table 2 provides t h e f igu res f o r the Coa l Dispute

Table 2: Number of Children fed and meals provided and estimated cost between May and October, 1926

Mon th Ma y June Ju ly/ Au gust Se ptemb er O ct obe r Tota l

Ch ild ren 1 ,327 84 6 45 7 28 6 21 6 3 ,132

Mea ls 30 ,512 25 ,914 36 ,396 11 ,426 6 ,389 11 0,63 7

E st ima ted Co st 3 50 3 25 4 50 1 75 9 7 1 ,487

11 12 13 14 15

Table 2 indicates that the numbers of children being fed was f a llin g co n s is t e n t l y f ro m a p e a k in Ma y, t h e m o n t h o f t h e G e n e ra l S trike. In November all the sub c e n t r e s w e r e c l o s e d , leaving only t h e Gladstone Street Centre. There, in November 1 9 2 6 , 72 children we re p ro vi d e d wit h 2 , 82 2 m ea ls a t a n a ctu a l cost of 43 . 17 s. 9d . (43.89p) including t r a n s p o r t . 16 ( T h e G l a d s t o n e S t r e e t F e e d i n g C e n t r e c o n t i n u e d to provide meals for necessitous cases until World War II when other centres opened. The cost was still being met by the Education

Committee of the Ilkeston Borough Council. On 20th March, 1945 the Education Committee held its last meeting and officially passed all its
10 11 12 13 14 15 16

Education Comittee Minutes in the Minutes of the Ilkeston Borough Council., 18 Mau, 1926., pp 246 Ibid., 22
nd th st

th

June, 1926., pp 281

Ibid., 15 July, 1926., pp 317 Ibid., 21 September, 1926., pp 349 Ibid., 19 October, 1926., pp 285 Ibid., 23 November, 1926., pp 33 Ibid., 16 December, 1926., pp 68
th rd th

60

functions

over

to

the

County Education

Committee

under

the

1944

Education Act, School dinners from then on became an accepted, if n o t a c c e p t a b l e , p a r t o f s c h o o l l i f e . 17 As an e x a m p l e of how little wa s

k n o wn o f t h e t r u e c o s t o f f e e d i n g t h e c h i l d r e n , t h e I l k e s t o n A d ve rt i se r wro t e t h a t 1 1 0 , 0 0 0 m e a ls h a d b e e n p ro vid e d a t a co st o f "nearly 1,000", 18 since the st art of t h e i n d u s t r i a l troubles. From No ve m b e r 1 92 6 , t h e f e e d in g cen t re wa s b a ck to n o rma l . 19

The P oo r La w Benef its a dminist ered b y th e Ba sf ord P oo r La w Guardians was also in serious trouble by the end of the dispute. By September 1926 the Guardians were forced to reduce the level of benefits for wives from 12s. (60p) to 10s. (50p), leaving the childrens rate unchanged,20 and on 15th October 1926, they were so desperately short of money they were forced to suspend payment altogether.21 This was not as disastrous for the recipient as might at first appear, because by the middle of October most men in Ilkeston were back at work. The miners employed by Stanton and Staveley Ltd had been drifting back to work by the end of August, and production was almost back to normal by mid-October,22 and the foundries at Stanton would begin as soon as the supply of fuel restarted. The miners employed at Manor, Cossal and Trowell collieries, all returned to work early in September. 23 This return to work was despite, or possibly because of, the visit of A.D. Cook, the leader of the M.F.G .B. to Ilkeston. 24 A t t h is m e et in g, h e wa s a p pa re n t ly p u she d a n d jo st le d b y t h e cro wd .

17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24

Ilkeston Borough Council Minutes, Education Committee., 20 March, 1945., pp 199 - 206 Ilkeston Advertiser., 26 November, 1926., pp 4 Ibid., pp 4 Ibid., 20 September, 1926., pp 3 Ibid., 8 October, 1926., pp 1 Harman E.E.G., unpublished., pp 132 Ilkeston Advertiser., 24 September, 1926., pp 3 Ibid., 27 August, 1926., pp 2
th th th th th

th

61

Man y I lke ston ia n s f e lt comp let ely let do wn b y t he st rike lead ers. A g r e a t m a n y people had suffered hardship for a very long time. Although Mr. Spencer m a n a g e d t o g a i n g o o d w a g e s a n d c o n d i t i o n s u p o n a return to work, m a n y s t r i k e r s w e r e in v e r y d e e p debt. M o n e y g i ve n b y t h e B a s f o r d G u a r d i a n s h a d t o b e r e p a i d , a s d i d h a r d s h i p l o a n s m a d e by Stanton to its employees; "slates" at local shops and "pubs" had to he wiped off and "pop" still had to be re-claimed from the "pop shop". The disillusion felt was highlighted by the pamphlet which was going round during September 1926 (See Plate 11, pp 12). The miners who had been leaving the area in small numbers before the strike, left at the rate of between 6 and 10 e v e r y da y. T he y wo u ld t ake a ll th e ir wo rld l y go o d s t o I lke st o n No rt h ra ilwa y st a t io n o n h o rse d ra wn wagons, transfer them into railway boxcars, and move, with their entire f amily to the coalfields of South Yorksh ire. This decline can be clearly seen in the 1931 census which shows that Ilkeston had only 3,671 men in mining,25 compared with 5,130 in 1921,26 almost a third down in just ten years, whilst the total population for Ilkeston rose marginally in that time, standing at 32,813 in 1931.27 Membership of Trade Unions also declined following the strike, including unions unaffected by the dispute. For example, membership of the Ilkeston Hosiery Union, which had stood at 7,600 in 1921, had f allen by over a half in 1927 to 3,200. It fell still further, to 3,000, in 1933, and had begun to pick up to 4,000 by the outbreak of war in 1939.28

Since 1926, the coal industry in Ilkeston has all but completely disappeared. All the mines have closed, by 1981 leaving only Shilo Opencast, on the opposite bank of the Erewash Canal to Ilkeston.(See Plate 10, pp 11) Many Coal Pickers of the 1926 era claim that it was they who proved the worth of shallow or opencast mining in the area when they dug the coal cut there. In fairness, it must be admitted that there were no opencast mines in the county prior to 1926, although there had been talk of starting a site near Ilkeston.29 Since the mid 1960's Stanton has declined, and today is just a shadow of its former self, and, since the mid 1970's the hosiery industry in the area has declined drastically. The town is in decline, and relies heavily upon small industries and factories who are attracted to the town, partly by the ethics of the Ilkeston worker. He is known as a hard worker, not afraid of an honest days work in return for an honest days pay, he is unlikely to be in a union or to want to join one, and as 1926 showed, not afraid to "blackleg" or work when others refuse.

25 26 27 28 29

Census 1931, Population and Occupation Tables for Derbyshire., Table 17., pp 44 Census 1921, Population and Occupation Tables for Derbyshire., Table 16., pp 45 Census 1931, Population and Occupation Tables for Derbyshire., Table 2., pp 1 Gurnham R., 1976., Table 5:3, pp 103 Ilkeston Advertiser., 2
nd

April, 1926., pp 4

62

Chapter 12

CONCLUSION

The leaders could, and probably did, expect more support from the workers of Ilkeston than they received. However, the people of Ilkeston simply wanted to be left alone. Their wages and conditions, though poor, were superior to the wages and conditions of other sections of industry around the country, and many felt it was ludicrous that they were being asked to strike in order to achieve wages and conditions below those they already received. The result was that the Ilkeston people felt that this was someone else's fight, not theirs, and no-one really took it seriously. A holiday spirit prevailed during the ten days of the General Strike with concerts, fairs and meetings. However, the majority of workers returned to work as quickly as possible, many returning before the dispute was officially ended. During the Coal Strike following the General Strike, the miners spirits were generally high. Many miners had savings or close family upon which they could draw for support. For those

without, agencies attempted to assist, including the miners unions, the Education Committee, the Mayor, the Co-op, and many people sympathetic towards them. Sports Events, carnivals, concerts, even parties were organised to help pass the time. But as with the General Strike, the miners began to drift back to work long before the dispute was officially called off.

For most workers this reluctance to strike and urgency to return to work was f or the basest of reasons - money. Most Ilkeston workers in 1926 were relatively well rewarded for their labour with, often, additional rewards for loyalty. They saw no reason, nor sense, in killing the goose which lay the golden egg. In addition, most Ilkeston workers, although supporting the Labour Party, and since 1922 returning a Labour Member of Parliament, 1 were somewhat conservative, and their fear of radical changes was greater than their need for improved wag es and conditions. To most Ilkestonians the General Strike and Coal Dispute was not the momentous political or social e vent so beloved of the history books. Rather it was a "pain in neck", an interlude which had to be endured and passed through as quickly and painlessly as possible. What ha ppene d in I lke ston wa s no t pa rt of h ist ory, rat he r it wa s an t h istory. It was a whole town which, though obeying union instructions "cocked a snook" at the world and got o n with the business of living their lives in the way they wanted to live it.

Craig F.W.S., 1969., table 306., pp 323

63

BIBLIOGRAPHY ILKESTON PUBLIC LIBRARY Books Betty J.H., "English Historical Documents, 1906-1939" pub. Routledge and Kean Paul, London 1967 "Encyclopedia Britannica" pub. William Benton, London, 1970 Gadsby E., "Black Diamonds, Yellow Apples" pub. Scollins and Titford, Ilkeston, 1978 Griffin A.R., "Mining in the East Midlands, 1550-1947", pub. Frank Cass and Company Limited, London, 1971 Gurnham R., "The Hosiery Union 1775-1976" pub. National Union of Hosiery and Knitwear Workers, Leicester, 1976 Hargreaves C., "Fathers Derbyshire", pub. Morleys Bible and Bookshop Ltd., Ilkeston, 1978 Scollins R. and Titford J. "Ey Up Mi Duck"., Part 1, pub. Scollins and Titford, Ilkeston, 1976 Smith R.F., "A History of Hallcroft School" pub. Morleys Bible and Bookshop Ltd., Ilkeston, 1971 Thomis M.I., "The Luddites" pub. David and Charles Archon Books, Newton Abbot, Devon, 1970 Trueman E. and Marston R.Z., "History of Ilkeston" pub. Pioneer Printing Co Ltd., Ilkeston,1899 Williams J.E., "The Derbyshire Miners" pub. George Allen and Unwin Ltd., London, 1962

Newspapers "Ilkeston Advertiser" pub. Ilkeston Advertiser Ltd., Ilkeston "Ilkeston Pioneer" pub. Pioneer Publishing Ltd., Ilkeston

Periodicals Dunbar C.S., "Coal is the Spur" pub. in "The Commercial Motor", 23 April, 1954 "Ilkeston - Official Handbook" 7th ed., pub. J. Burrow and Co. Ltd., London. (bi-annual) "Stanton and Staveley News" pub. Stanton and Staveley Ltd., Ilkeston, Near Nottingham. (monthly) Reports "Annual Health and School Medical Report for the Borough of Ilkeston, 1924" pub. Borough of Ilkeston, Ilkeston, 1925 64

"Annual Health Report for the Borough of Ilkeston, 1972" pub. Borough of Ilkeston, Ilkeston, 1973

Minutes "Ilkeston Borough Council Monthly Meetings" Minutes pub. by Borough of Ilkeston, Ilkeston

Consulted but not quoted Hargreaves C., "Grandfathers Derbyshire- pub. Morleys Bible and Bookshop Ltd., Ilkeston, 1978 Lewis V., "The Iron Dale" pub. Stanton and Staveley Ltd., Ilkeston, Near Nottingham, 1959 "100 Years of Progress (1880-1980)" pub. National Union of Mineworkers (Derbyshire area), Chesterfield, 1980 NOTTINGAM UNIVERSITY LIBRARY Books Arnot R.P., "The General Strike, May 1926, Its Origins and History" 2nd ed., pub. Augustus M. Kelly, New York, 1967 Cra ig F.W .S., " Brit ish Pa rliamenta ry E lection Re su lt s, 1 918 -1949" pub. Political Reference Publication s, Glasgow,19 69 Kee R., "General Strike Report" pub. Yorkshire Television Ltd., Leeds, 1976

Documents "Census 1921" Population and Occupation Tables for Derbyshire, pub. H.M.S.O., London "Census 1931" Population and Occupation Tables for Derbyshire, pub. H.M.S.D., London "Hansard" pub. H.D1.E.O., London "Registrar Generals Statistical Review of England and W ales, 1924" pub. H.M.S.O., London, 1925 Registrar Generals Statistical Review of England and Wales, 1972" pub. H.M.S.O., London, 1974 "Royal Commission on the Coal Industry, 1925" (Samuel Commission) Cm c. 2 , 60 0, p u b . H. M. S . O ., Lon d on , 19 2 5

65

Micro-film "The Mining Situation" Report of a Special Conference of Executive Committees, 29 April-1 may, 1926, pub. T.U.C. General Council, London, 1926 "The Times" pub. Times Ltd., London

Special Collection

" B r i t i s h G a ze t te " p u b . H. M. S . O ., London, 1926 B ritish W orker" pub. T.U.C. General Council, London, 1926 Daily Graphic" pub. Graphic Publications Ltd., London, 1926

MANSFIELD N.U.M. Books Griffin A.R., "The Miners of Nottinghamshire, 1914 -1944" pub. George Allen and Unwin Ltd., London, 1962 Reports Peake C.V., "Report on the Incidence and Control of Pn eumoconio sis in the Ea st Mid land s Coa lf ie ld s, 1935 -1970. W ith Particular Reference to Harworth Colliery" unpublished report. Reproduced by permission of N.U.M., Mansfield Minutes "Derbyshire Miners Association" Minute Books, pub. M.F.G.B., London " Miners Federation of Great Britain" Minute Books, pub. M.F.G.B., London

STANTON AND STAVELEY LTD Harman E.E.G., "A History of Stanton and Staveley" unpublished pap e r. Reproduced permission of Stanton and Staveley Ltd. CHESTERFIELD PUBLIC LIBRARY "Derbyshire Times" pub. U. Edmunds Ltd., Chesterfield by

66

ILKESTON CO-OPERATIVE SOCIETY LTD. "Special Management Committee Meetings" Minute Books, unpublished. Reproduced by permission of Ilkeston Co-operative Soc. Ltd. "General Committee Meetings" Minute Books, unpublished. Reproduced by permission of Ilkeston Co-operative Soc. Ltd. "Weekly Management Committee Meetings" Minute Books, unpublished. Reproduced by permission of Ilkeston Co-operative Soc. Ltd.

67

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Plates 1 6 Reproduced by permission of Punch Plates 7 9 Reproduced by permission of Ilkeston Reference Library Plate 10 Reproduced by permission of Lubbertus Fletcher Plate 11 Reproduced by permission of Nottingham University Library I would like to thank the following individuals and organisations for their help in the preparation of th is paper: E.C. Pepperdine K.C. Allen Regiment J,S, Graser J.P. W helan M Jobling A, Gilks The Staff The Staff Ann and Ray Frost Ilkeston Co -operative Society N.U.M. Mansfield Ilkeston Reference Library Stanton and Stavely Ltd. Nottingham University Library Chesterfield Public Library The Coffee Tavern, Ilkeston Nottingham W eather Centre Regimental H.Q. The W orcester and Sherwood Foresters

In addition, I would like to acknowledge the following individuals for their time, which they gave freely Mr. C. Hargreaves and Mr. and Mrs. Rigby for their help in arranging interviews Miss K. Beardsley, Mrs. L. Hooley, Mr. and Mrs. Baker, Mr. I. Straw, Mr. C.F. Adcock, Mr. E. Rostock M.B.E., J.P., Mrs. E. Straw, Mr. A. Fletcher, Mr. and Mrs. Eaton, Mr. and Mrs. Jordan, for their time and memories Mrs. P.J. Fletcher, for correct ing and typing this paper The Nottingham University Photographic Department for copying and binding. Finally, I would like to thank all those who I have missed cut, those who gave me help but who, for a variety of reasons, would not give me their names, and especially to those who attempted to help, but whose health or memories simply were not up to the task.

68