Royston Drift

Royston Drift Branch of the Yorkshire Area of the National Union of Mineworkers

The branch organised mineworkers at Royston Drift Colliery at Royston, north of Barnsley. Opened in 1975 under the Government’s ‘Plan for Coal’, the pit was funded by the EEC Capital Renewal Fund. It was originally opened in 1875 when it was known as Monckton Main Colliery. The pit closed in 1990 with the loss of 600 jobs.

Painted using oils on silk by George Tuthill in 1975, the banner is 201cm wide by 250cm high. It was last used by the branch in 1987 during the Centenary celebration in Barnsley.

Thanks to Fred Clowery, the last President of Royston Drift Branch, for information about the banner.

The banner is the property of the NUM and is currently stored at the National Coal Mining Museum, where a selection of banners are displayed each summer.

National Coal Mining Museum, Caphouse Colliery, Wakefield, West Yorkshire www.ncm.org.uk

Discover what mining was like underground, meet the pit ponies and explore the unique exhibitions. An experience for all ages and admission is free.

Thanks to the Yorkshire Area of the National Union of Mineworkers for permission to photograph and reproduce this banner. Image copyright NUM.

If you have any information about this or any other banner please tell the NUM or Past Pixels.

The Miners’ Strike of 1984/5

The Miners’ Strike of 1984/5 was in defence of the coal industry, to protect jobs and communities.

By the end of the strike in March 1985, 200 mineworkers served time in prison or custody, 20,000 people had been injured and 966 mineworkers had been sacked by the NCB.  Two members of the National Union of Mineworkers were killed on picket lines; David Jones on the 15th March 1984 and Joe Green on the 15th June 1984. Three people died digging for coal during the winter.

The National Justice for Mineworkers Campaign

The National Justice for Mineworkers Campaign was formed at the 1985 Labour Conference and was launched at the Albert Hall, London, in October 1986.
The objectives of the campaign are to keep the issue of those victimised miners to the forefront of the labour and trade union movement and to raise money to alleviate hardship among the families of the victimised men.

The 966 men were originally sacked for no more than honouring picket lines, defending their jobs and pit communities, their class and the future of their children. Only a small number had been dismissed for offences against the person or damage to property. Many miners subsequently cleared by the courts were not re-instated and neither were many more who successfully won their cases for unfair dismissal at Industrial Tribunals. Many were even blacklisted from getting any work outside the coal industry.

The Justice Campaign is supported by the NUM, Labour Party, TUC conferences and many national & regional unions.

National Justice for Mineworkers Campaign
103 Cliff Road
Hornsea
HU18 1JB

Web: www.justiceformineworkers.org.uk
Phone: 01964 532954 & 07816 030236

A minimum of 10p of the purchase price of this card is donated to the NJMC.

Photography by Martin Shakeshaft.

Photography, design and print by unionised labour.
www.martinshakeshaft.com    www.kavitagraphics.co.uk     www.russellpress.com