| Description | Trade union activists talk about their memories of the period after the First World War and the General Strike
Tracks 1-4: Albert Goodwin from Stoke-on-Trent talks about conditions after the First World War and the reasons why people didn't want to sing. People wanted to forget about the war and so the songs from that time were forgotten. Talks about the importance of the General Strike to working men, unrest within the pottery district, difficulty recruiting women to trade unions and the reorganisation of small craft unions into one,
level of active involvement in trade unions. Talks about feelings of relief when strike called off, he was single man with enough money but people with families suffered, feelings that leadership not worth supporting. People were keen to support Arthur Cook (General Secretary of the Miners' Federation of Great Britain) to see if he could keep the miners out a bit longer and win that way and support miners with food donations and money. People in Potteries were back at work after six weeks. Miners started outcropping despite Arthur Cook because they needed to feed their families, managed to find coal to start ovens again for pottery, men were denied work apparently due to shortage of orders. Also mentions police interference, baton charge in Leek Street, Stoke, savagely dealt with by magistrates, assistance from Co-op and attitudes of local executive, strong Co-op in North Staffordshire supported trade unions and potters (cuts out)
Tracks 5-7: Sam Edwards from Leicester talks about trade union organisation in 1926 in the TUC and AEU, blames people within the Labour movement for failure of the General Strike, talks about the election of officials, concerns about paying strike pay, failure of 1924 Labour government, places blame on lack of progressive leadership in government and trade unions. Talks about his hopes and expectations of the Strike and his feelings after it collapsed, and the difficulties getting a job after the Strike, only working as an engineer again when Second World War started and got large rise in wages, discusses doing relief work and the kinds of jobs he did, Talks about his role in the trade union movement as an agitator, attending Syndicalist Conference with Jack Tanner 1913, gives his opinion about why troops returning from First World War didn't agitate for change of government
E. A. Peacock, now living in Leicester, talks about his working life as brass moulder's apprentice, and in the building trade in Bedford after time in the army during the First World War
Tracks 8-10: E. A. Peacock talks about his life in the army after the First World War and his work in the building trade and Bricklayers Union, gives his opinion about why troops after the First World War didn't demand change, describes conditions in the trade union in Bedford and talks about his feelings about the level of political consciousness, thinks the Labour party and trade unions had the wrong leadership for the General Strike and talks about the tensions between the leadership and the more militant membership during the Strike, thinks that people wanted better conditions and objected to the measures taken by the government with tanks on the streets and threat of troops being used, but didn't feel it was time to challenge the government at the time, discusses views of local trade union officials.
Total: 63.49 mins
Dubber's reference number: PLA KF565D0130880 |