We lived in Barnsley for six years a decade ago, and the economic and social scars are still only too visible across what were the South Yorkshire coalfields. There was still chronic unemployment for men, young and old. There were many hairdressers and coffee shops run by women, while the men hung around on street corners. The new 'industries' were vast call centres, better than working down a mine, but no substitute for communities. I went to a talk by Catherine Bailey who wrote that brilliant book, Black Diamonds. She and the local librarian had been out to Grimethorpe Primary School, and they had taken a lump of coal with them, because the children didn't know what coal was....
Thanks Kate. Have you come across Joan Hart’s “At the coal face: a memoir of a pit nurse”? Hart worked in Doncaster in 1970s and onwards including during the strike era. Worth a read.
Thanks for sharing this piece Kate, really enjoyed reading it. I was born in the 80s in a mining community in North Notts and remember the mining wives and mothers were always so incredibly strong. I recently read DH Lawrence's short story The Odour of Chrysanthemums which is set much earlier but inhabits the perspective of wives and mothers near Eastwood colliery. Would definitely recommend if you haven't come across it already.
Great post, thank you Kate. I was in a performance of Made in Dagenham a few years ago, not about the miner's strikes, but this post reminded me of the vital role that the women workers played at the factory, and subsequently their strikes for equal pay. So many stories to be told!
A powerful and illuminating piece, Kate, thank you (great title too!). The satirical image of Margaret Thatcher stealing the miner's wife's purse is a powerful one, reminding us of the gulf between one successful & ruthless woman and the hundreds of thousands of others who were just trying to protect themselves and their families, and live decent ordinary lives. Forty years on it's a good time to remember these women's contributions, and be aware of the deep scars that remain in those fractured communities.
We lived in Barnsley for six years a decade ago, and the economic and social scars are still only too visible across what were the South Yorkshire coalfields. There was still chronic unemployment for men, young and old. There were many hairdressers and coffee shops run by women, while the men hung around on street corners. The new 'industries' were vast call centres, better than working down a mine, but no substitute for communities. I went to a talk by Catherine Bailey who wrote that brilliant book, Black Diamonds. She and the local librarian had been out to Grimethorpe Primary School, and they had taken a lump of coal with them, because the children didn't know what coal was....
Thanks Kate. Have you come across Joan Hart’s “At the coal face: a memoir of a pit nurse”? Hart worked in Doncaster in 1970s and onwards including during the strike era. Worth a read.
So interesting, thank you. I remember it well but lived in the South East. A dreadful time for the miners and their families.
Thanks for sharing this piece Kate, really enjoyed reading it. I was born in the 80s in a mining community in North Notts and remember the mining wives and mothers were always so incredibly strong. I recently read DH Lawrence's short story The Odour of Chrysanthemums which is set much earlier but inhabits the perspective of wives and mothers near Eastwood colliery. Would definitely recommend if you haven't come across it already.
Such a wonderful and insightful piece!
Great post, thank you Kate. I was in a performance of Made in Dagenham a few years ago, not about the miner's strikes, but this post reminded me of the vital role that the women workers played at the factory, and subsequently their strikes for equal pay. So many stories to be told!
Living through this was a tough time. This really brought back those memories.
A powerful and illuminating piece, Kate, thank you (great title too!). The satirical image of Margaret Thatcher stealing the miner's wife's purse is a powerful one, reminding us of the gulf between one successful & ruthless woman and the hundreds of thousands of others who were just trying to protect themselves and their families, and live decent ordinary lives. Forty years on it's a good time to remember these women's contributions, and be aware of the deep scars that remain in those fractured communities.