The Dirty Thirty, Heroes of the Miners’ Strike by David Bell

Description

The miners’ strike of 1984-85 came to be called the “Great Strike”, with good reason. It was the largest, longest trade union struggle in Britain, and the most far reaching in its consequences, since the 1926 General Strike. For a whole year, some 170,000 miners, plus the women of the mining communities, battled against everything the government and the police threw at them. Only 30 miners out of 2,000 from the Leicestershire coalfield struck against the pit closure programme. They became renowned as The Dirty Thirty and travelled the world for the strike fund selling badges, mugs and vests, making speeches and supporting the other 170,000 strikers in the biggest industrial conflict. David Bell has interviewed most of the surviving miners and the women’s support group to find out why they struck, and why they held out for so long. The Dirty Thirty is illustrated throughout with period photographs and ephemera. Published to mark the 25th anniversary of the 1984-85 Miners’ Strike. The story of the miners, and their wives and families courage, humour and an unbreakable will to win. Introduction by actor Ricky Tomlinson. The book will be launched at a reunion of the group. David Bell has written a book a year for Countryside Books for the last twenty years. These include local history titles, tales of mystery and murder and oral history. He is Midlands’ convener of the Crime Writers Association.