Tonypandy Riots

As Tonypandy Riot ( en. Tonypandy Riot ) tumultuous unrest in southern Wales are referred to in 1910, which developed from a miners' strike near the Welsh town of Tonypandy.

The chronicle of the revolt

History of the uprising

The starting point of the riots were disagreements between mine owners and workers ' representatives on the remuneration system for the Ely Pit (Ely Pit ) in the city Penygraig employed miners of the Naval Colliery Company. This was a part of the Cambrian Combine, a company founded in 1906 together all the South Wales mining companies.

By 1909, in all mines of the Cambrian Combine a profit -based pay system had been customary, ie the wage of each miner was calculated on the basis of the amount funded by him to coal, so that each worker received a wage in proportional relation to that of his funded amount of coal stood. Waived it was different difficulty promoting carbon deposits from different coal seams, which meant in the consequence that a worker at an easily exploitable vein far more wage received as a colleague at a severe to be developed vein, from which at the same time - effort and expense was naturally bring out much less carbon.

In order to test the fertility of a newly discovered coal vein, the management of Elygrube 1909 commissioned a group of eighty miners, reduce it indefinitely as a test. This test phase shall be intended to extrapolate on the basis of funded by the test group carbon amount, how much coal would promote a work team in a regular size and how much pay at a regular exploitation of the mine would have to be paid to the miners, so with the help of the data obtained a to establish cost-benefit calculation for the regular removal of this vein. As a concession to the workers of the test group - yes a new vein of unknown fertility opened up - went to the previous earnings -based pay system in favor of a combined wage model from which the workers guaranteed a minimum income: If in the chord model resulting wage claims under the subsistence society would by grants provide a corresponding increase.

When they moved in 1910 balance sheet, the income of the test group was significantly lower than it had expected the operator of the Ely Pit. The mine operator then stopped the test group before they had taken advantage of the wage guarantee, ie out of sheer convenience, much less promoted than would have been possible. The workers pledged to resist the accusation and countered the low flow rates are due solely to the fact that the new mine would be extremely difficult to tap. The management then decided to return even when the test group to the old profit- based pay system.

The miners' strike in the Ely Pit

After the majority of the miners who were not members of the test group, had declared their solidarity with their colleagues and together with them protested against the return to the old wage model, the management of the Ely Pit imposed on August 1, a lockout of the regular workforce. This applied not only to the 80 workers of the test group, but to all 800 coal buddy of mine, in its place was left now call replacement workers. The staff agreed to this condition for the strike located and locked the system of Ely Pit systematically with pickets from.

Sympathizing with the aims of their colleagues, the miners of two other mines owned by the Naval Colliery joined soon afterwards joined the strike. This set off a chain reaction, at the end of the working of almost all mines in South Wales had joined the strike.

At a conference of the South Wales Miners Federation ( SWMF ) on 16 September, it was agreed to support the strikers systematically. A settlement offer of the mine owners - further providing for wages that were below the poverty line - was rejected. On November 1 - the day of the official strike beginning - to 30,000 miners from South Wales joined the strike. Until November 7, finally all mine-affected by the strike pickets were blocked. The strikers continued to make thousands of people full marching columns with which they moved through the villages of the Rhondda Valleys, and gradually penetrated into all the coal mines of southern Wales: You put out the fire in the boilers of the pits and switched off the ventilation systems to ensure that this would not be usable for strikebreakers.

The unrest in Tonypandy

The result was on 7/8 November, the operation in all mines in South Wales - come to a halt - with the exception of a sixty scabs further operated mine in Llwynypia. This mine, which was particularly important for the energy supply of the surrounding towns, had been systematically cordoned off by 100 police officers from Swansea, Bristol and Cardiff.

On November 7, at 10:30 clock finally surrounded the strikers this mine with the intention to gain access to it and cripple them. The situation quickly escalated after the guards were pelted with stones and saw the first fighting between the police and strikers. The senior officials telegraphed then to the nearby Tidworth barracks and asked for support. The 1910 reigning British Home Secretary Winston Churchill feared in memory of the " Bloody Sunday" of 1887 in Trafalgar Square in the attempt to resolve a strike by military means had ended in a bloodbath, to suspend at a troop deployment severe criticism, but prevented the posting and let the troops outside of Wales as a " very last reserve" should be resorted to only in " extreme emergency " on, take a stand. Instead, Churchill sent a few hundred London police officers, including seventy cavalry officers, to the point of crisis.

On November 8, the pit was surrounded by workers again in Llwynypia. It came again to fighting between the police and striking miners. After hard struggles finally succeeded mounted police to disperse the miners into two groups one of which was urged by Llwynypia and the other in the neighboring Tonypandy. There were further heavy rioting and fighting with the police, during which several roads were devastated.

Churchill therefore sent General MacReady, commander of the readiness troops on the border of Wales, a telegram in which he said: "As the situation Appears to have become more serious you shoulderstand if the Chief Constable or Local Authority desire it move all the cavalry into the district without delay ". In addition, Churchill said to the leading men of place more police officers from London, which arrived the next day: Up to this point, 500 miners and 80 police officers were already injured, as well as a miner - Samuel Rhys, who died of a cudgel - have been killed.

Consequences and aftermath

After the events of the 7th and 8th November, thirteen miners were arrested for minor offenses and imposed a state of emergency in Wales. To prevent the recrudescence of unrest, had Churchill Tonypandy and the surrounding area during the trials of the thirteen arrested occupy militarily. During the process - in which the defendants were sentenced to prison terms of between two and six weeks respectively in fines - went daily 10,000 protesters to the streets to support the prisoners symbolic. This led to further small riots in Penygraig and Blaenclydach in April 1911, which were accompanied by street fighting and looting.

The workers finally returned in September 1911 - to the terms of the employer - in the mines back. Churchill's involvement in the Tonypandy Riot meant that he was met with for decades in Wales as well as in workers across the UK antipathy and distrust.