The Fed - Hywel Francis

On St David's Day, 1927, 52 miners died in a gas explosion at the Marine Colliery. When the Prime Minister, Stanley Baldwin, arrived on the scene to bring condolences, he was shouted down by cries of "murderer". The appalling working conditions and the Marine Colliery tragedy sparked off a wave of protest and led to a groundswell of support for the South Wales Miners' Federation, otherwise known as "The Fed". The core of this history of The Fed is the period from the General Strike in 1926 to the nationalization of the mines in 1947. The text also looks at the problems and consequences of a nationalized coal industry, as well as the role of the miners in the upsurge of industrial militancy which characterized the 1960s and the 1970s. Using personal recollections and accounts of protests, the book outlines a picture of dissatisfaction and frustration with governmental treatment of the miners. This edition has an extra chapter bringing this story of the struggles of the South Wales miners up to date.