Miners Demonstration Blackpool, 1919

Large grey photograph album with a white label adhered to the front cover, which has the words “Miners Demonstration, Blackpool, Saturday, June 21st, 1919. Advertisement Department, Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Co.” printed in black ink. The spine bears the handwritten reference “Misc/011” in black ink. A British Transport Commission sticker is adhered to the top right corner of the front cover and reads: “IMPORTANT: This object has been registered by the Curator of Historical Relics, to whom reference should be made in the event of any change in its location. BRITISH TRANSPORT COMMISSION. Historical Relics Section, Euston Station, London, NW1”. The sticker also bears a printed stamp reading “British Transport Commission Historical Relics, Railway Museum York”, together with the identification number 1870/59.

The album contains monochrome photographic prints documenting the Miners’ Demonstration held in Blackpool on 21 June 1919. The photographs capture a range of scenes from the event, including large crowds, public meetings, the demonstration at Central Pier, Stephen Walsh (MP) addressing miners at the football ground, Blackpool Tower, the North Shore, the excursion concourse, and Mr. Hodges, General Secretary of the Miners’ Federation, speaking to assembled crowds. The album also includes views of the special chartered trains that transported demonstrators, stationary locomotives, Blackpool Central Station, Talbot Road Station and other railway infrastructure. Each photograph is accompanied by a handwritten annotation in black ink identifying its subject, together with additional contextual information such as the location and, in some cases, the time at which the photograph was taken.

On 21 June 1919, the Lancashire and Cheshire Miners Federation held a massive demonstration at Blackpool’s football ground to demand the nationalisation of coal mines, a 30% wage increase, and a shorter workday. The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (L&YR) operated special trains to transport miners from across the region to Blackpool’s Talbot Road and Central Stations. The gathering was a pivotal moment in the UK’s postwar industrial history, coinciding directly with the presentation of the Sankey Commission report, which ultimately recommended taking the mines into public ownership. The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railways advertising and operating departments handled huge crowds that day, cementing the close alliance between the coal mining and railway trade unions of the early 20th century.