A Centenary Strike
The 4th of May – 12th of May 1926. 9 days which had a lasting effect on the labour landscape in Britain. This blog post is being published on the 100 anniversary of the strike by railwaymen ending. Much has been written about the strike; what led up to the it, why it was called and its lasting effects. But while doing research at the National Archives for the ‘Lord Nelson’ add-on I found minutes relating to the General Strike which combined with my own collection of paper railwayana, I hope, shine a light on the impact on the Southern Railway as well as how it coped.
The first hints of a strike was board minute 568 headed “Coal Miners’ Dispute” of the board meeting held on the 29th April 1926. It reads:
“The General Manager reported verbally as to the probability of the Railwaymen being called upon by their Trade Unions to come out on strike in order to force the Government to concede the demands of the Coal miners, and a general discussion took place as to the attitude which the Company should adopt if such an event took place.”1
I’ve not been able to find a record of what decision, if any, was made. On May 1st the National Union of Railwaymen (N.U.R.) notified the Big Four companies that their members had been instructed to stop work on the 3rd. Negotiations on the 2nd were unsuccessful and on the 3rd an appeal was issued to the SR staff:
SOUTHERN RAILWAY.
At this moment of National Emergency I earnestly appeal to every member of the Company’s staff to continue at work and remain loyal to his conditions of service.
H. A. WALKER, General Manager, Waterloo Station, May 3rd, 1926.2
Harold Holcroft devotes an entire chapter in Locomotive Adventure Vol 2 to the General Strike and is well worth a read. Holcroft lived around 15 miles from London and as there were no trains on the Tuesday (May 4th) cars were hired to bring office staff into London. It wasn’t until Herne Hill that they encountered substantial traffic and the journey was completed in 1½ hours. It’s rather telling that an estimation of the same journey at 1:30pm on a Thursday afternoon in May 100 years later reveals the same journey time.
On the 4th 174 trains were run, 40 passenger trains on the Eastern Section, 31 on the Central and 63 on the Western in addition to 40 goods trains. Each day more and more trains were run.
| Day | Number of Trains run | Mileage |
| 5th | 338 | |
| 6th | 515 | 11,932 |
| 7th | 753 | 15,976 |
| 8th | 868 | 17,528 |
| 9th (Sunday) | 212 (passenger), 62 (goods) | |
| 10th | 1,069 | 24,095 |
| 11th | 1,370 | 26,933 |
| 12th | 1,636 | 29,885 |
The fact that any trains were run at all is in no small way thanks to the efforts of members of the public as well as retired employees who volunteered their services. Holcroft was among them and was instructed to take charge of the running shed at Epsom. Several retired former employees offered to help in addition to members of the public. The first striker at Epsom returned to work on May 11th. At 1pm on the 12th a message was received “to say that the strike was thought to be over.” On Friday 13th the railway companies issued the following statement:
The railway companies announce that arrangements are being made to increase their trains services at the earliest practicable moment, but the injury to trade is believed to be so serious that for some time full pre-strike services will not be required.
All men who can be employed immediately are being accepted for duty, and others will be accepted as soon as possible, subject to two conditions:-
Every man who left his work without notice has broken his contract of service, and the companies feel that they must reserve any rights they possess in this matter.
A number of men in positions of trust have gone on strike, and others have been guilty of acts of violence or intimidation. The companies propose to examine these cases individually, and meanwhile they reserve their decision in regard to them.
The companies feel compelled to make these reservations in regard to reinstatement of staff in the interests of the public, and to safeguard future peace and discipline on the railways.
The companies take the opportunity to state that the rumours that have been circulated to the effect that they are refusing to take men back except at wage reductions are absolutely incorrect.3
The Southern Railway also issued its own announcement:
NOTICE
Re-Employement of Strikers.
Men will be re-engaged if and when required on the understanding that re-employment is without prejudice to any question that may arise as a result of their having broken their contract of service with the Company.
H. A. Walker, General Manager.
Waterloo ,
May 13th, 1926.4
Further discussions were had on May 14th and the strike was “finally called off by the evening.” The terms of settlement were agreed upon and by Sunday 16th baring a few alterations the normal service was run.
On the 18th a letter to the staff was circulated:
Southern Railway.
General Manager’s Office,
Waterloo Station,
May 18th, 1926.
A SPECIAL MESSAGE TO THE STAFF FROM THE GENERAL MANAGER.
I think it is only right that I should say a word with reference to the troublous period through which we have recently passed. On the General Strike itself, its causes and its events, I have no wish to dwell, except to express my appreciation of the staff in general during a very trying time.
What I do want to bring to your notice is this, and it seems to me of the greatest importance to us all. The prosperity of the staff depends upon the prosperity of the Company which employs them, and the success of the Company depends largely on the support, energy and wholeheartedness of the staff.
We cannot get away from that – it is a fact which no amount of theory or argument can alter. I want, therefore, to say to you that on the side of the management the strike is over and done with; there is, and shall be, no spirit of bitterness or malice. I hope and believe that there will be none on the part of any member of the staff. We all serve the same Company, all belong to the same enterprise, and our interests – the interests of the Southern Railway – are identical.
We have in the Southern Railway one of the greatest organisations of its kind in the world, with the promise of a prosperous future. We have an ever-expanding suburban traffic, fostered by the enterprise of the Directors and furthered by the efforts of the staff from top to bottom. We have a wonderful coast, with England’s finest resorts, to serve; and, finally, we have the remarkable Continental traffic. All these bring a constantly increasing traffic to the Company, which must mean continued and certain employment for thousands of railwaymen.
I appeal now to every Southern Railway man and woman to join with the management in wholehearted and continuous effort to ensure and enlarge the success that is within our grasp. Such and effort, coming from over 70,000 British people, can only bring happiness and prosperity to us all.
Let us go forward together, looking, as the Prime Minister has said, to the future, trusting that our efforts will meet with every success. We, on the management side will leave no stone unturned to make that success a certainty.
H. A. WALKER, General Manager.5
The next board meeting was held on May 20th, and two minutes relate to the General Strike.
580. Coal Miner’s Dispute And General Strike of Men Belonging to Trade Unions
It was reported that in order to support the Coal Miners in their Labour Dispute, the Trades Union Council called a General Strike of all men belonging to the affiliated Unions, including the Railwaymen’s Unions and the Railway Clerks Association. The Strike took effect at midnight on Monday the 3rd May, and lasted until midnight on Wednesday the 12th instant. Another Strike, confined to Railwaymen, commenced on the following day, and after negotiation between the General Managers and the Union Leaders was settled on Friday the 14th instant.
The terms of settlement are as follows:-
- Those employees of the Railway Companies who have gone out on strike to be taken back to work as soon as traffic offers and work can be found for them. The principle to be followed in reinstating to be seniority in each grade at each Station, Depot, or Office.
- The Trade Unions admit that in calling a strike they committed a wrongful act against the Companies and agree that the Companies do not by reinstatement surrender their legal rights to claim damages arising out of the strike from strikers and others responsible.
- The Unions undertake:-
- Not again to instruct their members to strike without previous negotiations with the Companies.
- To give me support of any kind to their members who take any unauthorised action.
- Not to encourage Supervisory employees in the Special Class to take part in any strike.
- The Companies intimated that arising out of the strike it may be necessary to remove certain persons to other positions, but no such person’s salary or wages will be reduced. Each Company will notify the Unions within on week the names of men whom they propose to transfer and will afford each man an opportunity of having an advocate to present his case to the General Manager.
- The settlement shall not extend to persons who have been guilty of violence or intimidation.
During the 11 days of the Strike about 12,000 men (including clerks and shopmen) remained at work on the Southern Railway out of a total of 73,000 employees, and the traffic on the Railway was much disorganised in consequence, but with the aid of volunteers and the men who remained loyal, a limited service of passenger and goods trains was run on each day during daylight.
The number of trains steadily increased, and although more than 90 per cent. of the Drivers, Firemen, and Cleaners were out on strike, the train mileage run on Wednesday, the 12th, and Thursday, the 13th instant, was nearly 25 per cent. of normal.
The General Manager informed the Board that in consequence of the situation in the Coal Trade it would be necessary, in order to make the Company’s stock of coal last as long as possible, to reduce the train service from to-day and to run a limited service at Whitsuntide. As from Tuesday next, the 25th instant, the train mileage would be reduced by about 36 per cent.6
Those 12,000 who remained at work represented just under 16.5% of the total workforce. 16.5% to run a railway network of over 2,000 miles. This is where the many volunteers played their part and the role both groups played during the strike was noted in minute 581.
581. GENERAL STRIKE – MAY 1926
RESOLUTION OF THANKS TO THE OFFICERS AND THEIR STAFF
The Chairman and Directors desire to place on record their great appreciation of the magnificent work done by the Officers and their Staff, under the able guidance of the General Manager, during the time of strain, anxiety, and danger brought on by the General Strike.
They also wish to record their sincere thanks to the large number of men and women of all grades who remained loyal to the Company in most difficult circumstances, and whose devotion to duty enabled the Company to make use of the voluntary aid so freely offered by the whole nation.
They desire further to place on record their grateful thanks to every volunteer worker for the valuable assistance rendered by him or her to the Company during the same period.
A card expressing the Directors’ appreciation and thanks (signed by the Chairman and the General Manager), will be issued to each loyal servant as vell as to each volunteer worker.7
I have one of those letters in my collection, with a covering letter from A. D. Jones the Locomotive Running Superintendent and still with its original envelope. Mr Gutsell was evidently one of those 12,000 who stayed at work, perhaps helping to get those 31 Central Section trains running on the first day of the strike.
If anyone has any further information on Mr Gutsell I would love to hear from you.
Although the General Strike was at an end, the coal miners strike went on, with Sir Herbert providing an update to the board during the meeting on October 7th 1926.
626. Coal Strike
The General Manager gave the Board the latest information with regard to the position in the Coal Industry. The strike of miners which commenced on the 1st May last is still unsettled, although large numbers of men in certain districts have gone back to work. During the past five months the Company has had to obtain supplies from abroad, mostly from America, at a greatly increased cost. The purchase of these supplies has been reported from time to time to the Stores Committee.8
At the Stores Committee meeting held on May 19th, the Stores Superintendent was authorised to purchase “two Cargoes of American Coal at prices to be reported.”9 As it turned out 8 cargoes were purchased, approximately 56,000 tons at 32 shillings per ton. By the Stores Committee meeting on the 22nd September, the cost of coal had increased to between 37 and 41 shillings per ton. A note next to one order illustrates the difficulties in obtaining coal from abroad. “6 cargoes (approximately 45,000 tons) American Screened Coal, on best available terms to be arranged when steamers are charted, as freight charges are inflated.” Other industries which relied on coal were also struggling and those increased prices were passed onto the customers which included the Southern. As an example, minute 647 of the Stores Committee meeting held on 14th July 1926 reveals that a Mr. Peters who had entered into a contract with the Southern Railway to supply Lime had to increase his prices from 1 shilling 9 pence to 2 shillings per cwt of Lime.10
As a direct consequence of the cost and subsequent lack of coal the 1926 Summer timetable, due to operate from the July 11th had to be altered and began operating on July 19th with a planned steam mileage of 604,578. This was down 57,452 miles from the 1925 Summer timetable. Granted a reduction of 36,272 steam train miles resulted from a conversion to electrical working, but 16,282 steam train miles were directly attributed to the coal stoppage.11
The report of the Directors for 1925 and 1926 reveals that the gross receipts from railway working reduced from £24,170,294 0s 9d in 1925 to £22,324,555 0s 6d. Despite fewer trains running during the year the money spent purely on fuel for steam train working increased by over £76,000.
I hope this article has been of interest, If it has, look out for an announcement about further articles in the near future.
- TNA, RAIL 645/3, April 29 1926, minute 568 ↩︎
- TNA, ZPER 12/4, June 1926, pg 165 ↩︎
- TNA, ZPER 12/4, June 1926, pg 167 ↩︎
- TNA, ZPER 12/4, June 1926, pg 167 ↩︎
- TNA, ZPER 12/4, June 1926, pg 168 ↩︎
- TNA, RAIL 645/3, May 20 1926, minute 580 ↩︎
- TNA, RAIL 645/3, May 20 1926, minute 581 ↩︎
- TNA, RAIL 645/3, October 7 1926, minute 626 ↩︎
- TNA, RAIL 645/30, May 19 1926, minute 625 ↩︎
- TNA, RAIL 645/30, July 14 1926, minute 647 ↩︎
- TNA, RAIL 645/72, July 26 1926, minute 5281 ↩︎
