Yesterday there was a posting on Facebook by an old friend of mine Carol White. It was about the death of Con Shiels aged 96, the last survivor of the Jarrow Hunger March.
It is remarkable how hard those people were, they marched in all weathers, down the whole of England to highlight their plight, to show the establishment that they were human beings not numbers on an account sheet. Marches also came from Scotland, Wales, Manchester, Stoke-on-Trent, Belfast and most industrial areas. The government mobilised police and troops to stop them forcefully if necessary. They were given help by groups of workers and supporters on their journey, many with little more than the marchers.
These were people we should be proud of and celebrated, they are the heroes, their message helped create the magnificent programmes of the 1945 Labour Government, policies this Conservative Government is eroding and trying to do away with.
Let’s hope we do not have to march again.
When I was working for the FWWCP I put together an anthology of writing for its 30th Anniversary. I specially wanted to include Education by Kay Ekevall, which I was privileged to hear stridently read by her. Kay was a remarkable woman who as well as being a fine writer and activist, was once secretary to George Orwell with who she disagreed about nearly everything!
Education
At school I knew history:
Kings and Emperors
Battles and heroes
There was something called
The White Man’s burden
We seemed to do well under it,
But the black man didn’t.
I didn’t know about
Miners and dockers:
Their work and their battles,
I did hear about Peterloo
But those Chartists were bloodthirsty rebels,
They had to be put down!
My education began when I met
The hunger marchers from Aberdeen and Dundee
On their way to London
Kay Ekevall
Today’s photograph is of St.Aiden’s Street, Tunstall at 10.30am. On the far right of the photograph and below that is what remains of the Doulton factory, knocked down about 20 years ago.
Tim Diggles 