The Miners Strike 1984

Yes, South Wales,

I do. All my uncles and grandfather were miners in the fifties. Two of my uncles died down the pits and another three died of pneumoconiosis.
My aunt was left pregnant, with four children, when her husband was killed. He baby then died at six months.

It was such a hard life. 😪

My area was full of mining communities. In my class at primary school, I was the only one who wasn't from a mining family.

Definitely. I also remember the Lofthouse Colliery tragedy in 1973 where many miners died.

Before I met my husband in the early 60's a boyfriend I went out with for a few months worked at Lofthouse Colliery and I often wonder if he was one of the poor men that got trapped.

Me and my husband are both from mining families. We have watched a lot of our historic local stuff on you tube. Where in Kent was your Father a miner?

What channel is this on?

I was born and brought up in a village Aberfan, my father, grandfather, great grandfather, uncles worked in Merthyr Vale
Colliery

We were involved in supporting the strike. The birth of our older child was announced at a fund raising rally, to explain why we weren’t there.
Our nearby mining community fell apart after the mines closed and no alternative employment was to be found. Mining communities were proud, that pride got lost in substance misuse, especially heroin.
An army of grandparents, aunts and uncles stepped in to care for the children whose parents could no longer offer safe, stable care because of drug addiction.
Mining was dangerous work but the way the mining communities were abandoned was cruel. It’s also costing us the long term social and economic damage.
Levelling up - don’t make me laugh

JaneJudge

Me and my husband are both from mining families. We have watched a lot of our historic local stuff on you tube. Where in Kent was your Father a miner?

What channel is this on?

My Father was a Kent miner at Chislet, Betteshanger & Tilmanstone Collieries.
We watched the programmes (a series of 3) on Channel 4 catch up

Iam64

We were involved in supporting the strike. The birth of our older child was announced at a fund raising rally, to explain why we weren’t there.
Our nearby mining community fell apart after the mines closed and no alternative employment was to be found. Mining communities were proud, that pride got lost in substance misuse, especially heroin.
An army of grandparents, aunts and uncles stepped in to care for the children whose parents could no longer offer safe, stable care because of drug addiction.
Mining was dangerous work but the way the mining communities were abandoned was cruel. It’s also costing us the long term social and economic damage.
Levelling up - don’t make me laugh

Yes indeed. The spiteful and wilful destruction of previously essential communities was wicked beyond words. They were used and abused whilst Britain built its empire and to fight wars, then discarded and ridiculed when it suited.

I'm not from a mining community but I took part in fund raising events for the miners during that time. I saw compassion and understanding but also a lot of self satisfied hostility.

It was the time of Thatcher's "big bang" in financial services when the pursuit of money was all that mattered, encouraged with almost hysterical passion from the Government.

It made me sick. It still does.

We lived in a comunity that had been full of mines but had almost all closed. There was still bad feeling among the families who supported the strike and those who did not .

I never knew any miners but we marched in London (1985?)
My partner and one carried our union banner ( The NGA)

I firmly believe that anyone who ends their working day looking like this so that I get electricity deserves every penny they get.

I moved from Pontypridd to London in 1984. I had a job cleaning a wine bar and have clear memories of the kitchen floor getting very thoroughly scrubbed as I was listening to the Today programme coverage of the strikes.
I recall Mrs Thatcher's strident tones resulted in a shining oven - and me wishing I could push her into it as in Hansel and Gretel,

lixy

I moved from Pontypridd to London in 1984. I had a job cleaning a wine bar and have clear memories of the kitchen floor getting very thoroughly scrubbed as I was listening to the Today programme coverage of the strikes.
I recall Mrs Thatcher's strident tones resulted in a shining oven - and me wishing I could push her into it as in Hansel and Gretel,

Oh yes lixy. I and many others would have helped you with the oven plan. Her private army, the Police, were no better either.

I was on a picket line with food, no fantasy, I saw police officers burn £5 notes, they really put the boot in, I add I was a police
widow

We've watched all of them. Awful.

Two of my uncles worked at Bold colliery as young men I had great respect for them.
I was involved with the miners strikes being active in trade unions. I helped make up and distribute food boxes to striking miners families. They were very difficult times for them indeed.

Would it have been different if Scargill had called for a
national ballot

Anniebach, I agree, Scargill should have called for a national ballot.

My dad was in Lancashire Constabulary, his section moved into Gtr Manchester in the 70’s. He died in 2002, his funeral well attended by other retired officers of his generation. All working class lads who served in ww2 and joined the police in the late 1940’s. The subject of policing inevitably came up. These men retired as senior officers, without exception the remained furious at the way Thatcher used the police during the miners strike. They were shocked by the horses used to pursue miners. Horrified that ‘the men from the Met’ waved pay slips at striking miners. They were horrified at the damage caused to the reputation of the police, to the way it wrecked trust between police and public. We police by consent the said, it will take a generation to begin to repair the damage.

I can still remember how bitter my mother was about the miners' strike and how much she hated Thatcher. Her cousin, who had been brought up as her brother, was still working as a miner at that time.

The legacy of the strike remains with us.

Iam64

The legacy of the strike remains with us.

Of course it does. No-one can ever forget what happened and the inhumanity of those involved.. ☹

No miners in my family, but I remember the strike very well.

‘Inhumanity’ - such an accurate way to describe it marydoll

We lived in S Yorkshire then. We weren't directly involved but did know striking miners.

My abiding, and chilling, memory was travelling south on the A1 and seeing bus loads of police travelling northbound and police lining every bridge on the lookout to stop miners travelling to other areas for secondary picketing.

I had huge respect for the miners but not for Scargill, who pivked the wrong moment and exploited (squandered?) the miners' solidarity fighting an unwinnable fight.