On 16 May 1926, in the wake of the calling off of the General Strike four days earlier, a mass meeting was held in the evening on Durdham Down. A demonstration had been formed on Old Market which then marched the two and a half miles to the Downs for a rally with speeches in support of the still locked-out miners.
Though details of the meeting are scarce, it must have been of considerable size, with the Western Daily Press reporting on the 17 May that there were 15 speakers spread across three platforms.
The paper only recounted some of the speeches from the first platform:
Mr Despres, in his speech, said that the demonstration showed that the workers generally were quite satisfied to support the miners in their struggle. Some people said that they sympathised with the miners but not with the strike. That form of sympathy, to him, denoted a form of contempt and also mental imbecility. Anyone who felt real sympathy with the miners would put it into operation. Empty words meant nothing.
Charles Gill – secretary of the Bristol Miners’ Association
Charles Gill (pictured), the secretary of the Bristol Miners’ Association which was part of the Miners’ Federation of Great Britain, was one of the other speakers, and the paper reported:
Mr Chas Gill, after a reference to the recent events and to the recommendations of the Royal Commission, said that the general strike had been declared off, but the miners dispute was left exactly as it was.
He went on to say that:
They have been told that the government desired to give the miners a fair deal. He hoped that that was true, and that they were going to keep the pledge that Mr Baldwin made in the House of Commons. Certain conditions had been offered, but the miners were locked-out. Was it fair to keep the men out while new negotiations and reductions in wages were being discussed?
Annie Townley, suffragist and socialist
Other speakers across the platforms included Annie Townley of the Independent Labour Party (pictured), Ruby Part and Matt Giles of the Workers Union, and representatives of the NUR, AEU, the Shipwrights and the Dockers.
Any further information about this event would be really appreciated.
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On 16 May 1926, in the wake of the calling off of the General Strike four days earlier, a mass meeting was held in the evening on Durdham Down. A demonstration had been formed on Old Market which then marched the two and a half miles to the Downs for a rally with speeches in support of the still locked-out miners.
