Free event
About
To mark the 40th anniversary of the 1984-5 Miner’s Strike, historian Robert Gildea will be visiting South Elmsall Library to talk about his new book Backbone of the Nation.
He will be discussing the experience of mining communities such as South Elmsall during the Strike.
More about Backbone of the Nation
A powerful new history of the Great Strike in the miners’ own voices, based on more than 140 interviews with former miners and their families
Forty years ago, Arthur Scargill led the National Union of Mineworkers on one of the largest strikes in British history. A deep sense of pride existed within Britain’s mining communities who thought of themselves as the backbone of the nation’s economy. But they were vilified by Margaret Thatcher’s government and eventually broken: deprived of their jobs, their livelihoods, and in some cases, their lives.
In this groundbreaking new history, Robert Gildea interviews those miners and their families who fought to defend themselves. Exploring mining communities from South Wales to the Midlands, Yorkshire, County Durham, and Fife, Gildea shows how the miners and their families organized to protect themselves, and how a network of activists mobilized to support them.
Amid the recent wave of industrial action in the United Kingdom, Backbone of the Nation highlights anew the importance of labour organisation —and intimately records the triumphs, losses, and resilience of these mining communities.
Venue opening hours
Monday : 9:30 am - 6:00 pm
Tuesday : 9:30 am - 5:00 pm
Wednesday : 9:30 am - 1:00 pm
Thursday : Closed
Friday : 9:30 am - 5:00 pm
Saturday : 10:00 am - 1:00 pm
Sunday : Closed
- Accessible Car Parking
- Assistance Dogs Welcome
- Baby Changing Facilities
- Dementia Friendly
- Guide Dogs Welcome
- Hearing Aid Loop
- Relaxed
- Wheelchair Accessible
Access facilities
Venue Details
Find us at
Barnsley Road, South Elmsall, WF9 2AA
Phone
01977723220
southelmsalllibrary2@wakefield.gov.uk