The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-03-21
The Role of Women in
the British Miners Strike

DCBdH III ILllS anu III dll lilS OblSA
areas, led by the women of the labor
party and the Communist Party, wo-
men took charge of certain defined
and important tasks.
The raising Of money tho the chief
activity in the non-mining areas, was
not Of such Importance in the coal
fields. The feeding of the striking
men and the children in kitchens and
centres-while for the most part
were supported by the money spent
by the Russian workers--was one of
the chief women's activities.
Holding the men together by
means of concerts and amusements
was another. The most important
activities, however, were the demon
strations and propaganda connected
with all questions of relief.
In this matter the women Of the
Communist Party worked without
ceasing to get all that was possible
out of the authorities as relief. Cases
were known in Fife and Nottingham
shire where women with tiny children
walked as much as 20 miles over the
hills to protest against the pitiful
sums given out as relief Such
demonstrations were general in all
districts. The organization of mass
pickets where these were necessary
was another important task of wo-
men. For this many women were ar
rested including about 10 Communist
of whom one, Mrs. Cartwright, was
forced to go to prison with her baby
of few months old in her arms.
Meetings For Women Held.
Meetings for women-for wives Of
strikers, were held regularly through
out the coal areas. In some cases
these regular meetings held to ex-
plain the situation of the strike and
to see that all the difficulties con-
corning relief, feeding, ETC., were
cleared up as far as possible, have
crystallized into permanent forms, of
Guilds of the miners wives, to bring
them into closer contact with the af
fairs of the trade union. All these
activities grew out of and were sus-
tanned by the indomitable spirit Of
the great mass of the miners wives.
1t was admitted by capitalist news
papers that without this spirit and
determination which animated the
women that the solidarity of the men
would have been broke long before it
mos fin aI1xy dafoatad
The miners wives of Great Britain
in spite of their heroic fight are now
suffering more intensely than ever
before. The lessened wages of their
men in many cases do not furnish
enough for food alone. Their men
in working the extra hour have to
have food and bath prepared for
them at hours which mean 16 or
II hour day for woman who has
one or more miners in her home and
has also children at school. Unem-
ployment is prevalent in every coal
area. Yet the women are not show
ing that Encouragement which has
followed most strikes. They have not
fallen into despair-and at this
Women's Day the Communist Party
which at the 9Th of March, 1926,
numbered barely 600 women is now
5000 strong in female members-at
least 80 per cent of whom are miners
wives.
Must Develop Solidarity.
Though the strike is over, the
women of every country in the world
should remember the wives of the
British miners with messages of
solidarity and encouragement in the
hour of defeat They have come
through this great struggle with al
most incredible courage and spirit.
They have been defeated but only for
time-and they will fight again,
The women of all lands must write
not only to send messages of soli-
darity but whenever occasion offers
to act in solidarity with their suf-
fering sisters everywhere-not only
in Britain, but in the mines Of In
dia, in the textile factories of China
in every land where the workers are
ground down under capitalist I'M
perialist oppression.