These breathtaking images of Britain’s largest labor dispute demonstrate how Middle Englanders, including women and children, managed to remain composed and go on despite the mayhem as strikes threaten to ruin millions of people’s holidays and beyond.
During the 1926 General Strike, militant strikers beat police officers, set a London bus on fire, and even attacked fellow workers who dared to break ranks.
The walkout by more than 1.7 million employees throughout the nation caused havoc in the steel, printing, and transportation sectors.
Nearly a century later, as a result of this month’s strikes by train unions, nurses, paramedics, border agents, highway workers, and other groups, Britain is again experiencing a similar level of mayhem.
Travel mayhem is affecting millions of people this week as they attempt to return home for the Christmas holiday.
Strikes have plagued the previous six months, hurting people from various sectors of life, including barristers, transportation, and healthcare employees.
As millions of employees want better wages and working conditions in the face of rising prices, many of the strikes will continue into the new year.
Miners were the first to strike in 1926 over working conditions, and other sectors quickly followed. The strike lasted nine days and sent the nation into a financial crisis.
The pay of miners were to be cut by 13% by mine owners. They also wanted to work an additional hour every day in shifts.
If the mine owners ceased their projected wage reductions, the government agreed to subsidize the mining sector for nine months.
The nine months came to a conclusion on April 30th, 1926, and the Trades Union Congress suggested a strike on May Day the following day.
Just days later, when negotiations between the Trades Union Congress and the then-Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin failed, a strike was declared.
The walkout was denounced as a “assault on democracy” by the government, headed by Prime Minister Baldwin, and even the Roman Catholic Church called it a “sin.”
Some of these images demonstrate how volunteers maintained the nation’s transportation and electrical systems.
The Organization for the Maintenance of Supplies, which sought to replace the striking employees’ employment, provided some 100,000 of these volunteers. They gave their time voluntarily to manage international enterprises.
On the first day of the strike, the Women’s Auxiliary Service also said that they would establish an emergency corps of women to care for the welfare of women and children.
The Guardian, formerly known as the Manchester Guardian, extensively covered the disagreement at the time of the strike.
A newspaper article from May 4, 1926, described a rush on bicycle and candle stores.
According to the report, two buses in Glasgow were turned over when hooligans forced the passengers off.
But in Edinburgh, a large group of people broke store windows before robbing the establishments. Police men on horses and walking were attacked with bottles and stones.
In the altercations, five police officers suffered significant injuries.
In the Scottish capital of Edinburgh, a police horse rushed into the railings, killing the animal and gravely injuring the rider. One police sergeant was even cut on the back with a razor.
A burned-out bus is seen being carried through the streets of Elephant and Castle, London. This incident occurred mere days later on May 7, the same day that London taxi drivers joined the strike.
A sizable group of roughs assembled in the area, and one part of them stopped a bus traveling down St. George’s Road, forced the passengers, driver, and conductor to get out, and then lit the bus on fire, according to The Daily Telegraph.
»Women and children maintained quiet during the 1926 General Strike«