Fights, football and fascists: The General Strike in Plymouth

Owen Ryles is taking the stage at The Plymouth Athenaeum on Thursday 12 November, with a talk titled Fights, football and fascists: The General Strike in Plymouth. It runs from 19:30 to 21:00, and entry is free.

The talk marks the centenary of the British General Strike, the nine-day national industrial walkout called by the Trades Union Congress in May 1926. Between 1.5 and 2 million workers across transport, railways, docks, iron, steel, gas, electricity and printing walked out over a dispute between coal mine owners and the mineworkers' union, who rallied under the slogan 'Not a penny off the pay, not a minute on the day'. It was a massive moment in British labour history, and Ryles is bringing the focus home to how it played out right here in Plymouth.

He'll be looking at the strike's economic, social and cultural impact on the city, and the title gives you a good sense of the ground he's covering. There were riots in the streets, football matches played between strikers and police, and volunteers who came out at the government's call to break the strike. He'll also be talking about the local and national media coverage of the time, so you get a feel for how the city was being talked about while all this was happening.

Owen Ryles is the Director of the Plymouth Institution and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, and he's drawing on his background in modern history and international relations for this one. The Plymouth Institution is the restored original name of the Plymouth Athenaeum charitable society, which has run the building since 1819. The talk is on Thursday 12 November from 19:30 to 21:00 at The Plymouth Athenaeum, Derrys Cross, PL1 2SW, and entry is free.