E108: Women in the miners' strike, part 1

E108: Women in the miners' strike, part 1

Author: Working Class History August 7, 2025 Duration: 26:46
Double episode about the crucial role played by women in the great miners’ strike in Britain, 1984-5, in conversation with Heather Wood, chair of the Easington women’s strike support group. 
Our podcast is brought to you by our Patreon supporters. Our supporters fund our work, and in return get exclusive early access to podcast episodes without ads, bonus episodes, two exclusive podcast series – Fireside Chats and Radical Reads – as well as free and discounted merchandise and other content. Join us or find out more at patreon.com/workingclasshistory
Part 1 is about the background, how women’s organising began, and what forms it took.
These are re-edited and improved versions of our original episode 13. More information, sources, and eventually a transcript on the webpage for this episode: https://workingclasshistory.com/podcast/e13-women-in-the-miners-strike/

Acknowledgements
  • Thanks to our Patreon supporters for making this podcast possible. Special thanks to Jazz Hands, Fernando López Ojeda, Nick Williams and Old Norm.
  • Episode graphic: Courtesy Heather Wood
  • Music courtesy of the Easington Colliery Brass Band
  • Speech recording courtesy of Amber Films and Can’t Beat it Alone. The full film in multiple parts can be seen at www.amber-online.com
  • This version edited by Tyler Hill. Original editing by Jesse French.

Podcast Episodes
WCL5: DD Johnston's proletarian apocalypse, part 1 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:26
The first of a two-part episode, Working Class Literature speak to DD Johnston about his new novel, Disnaeland, about a working-class Scottish community's response to societal collapse. We also discuss his previous novel…
E49: Anti-Racist Action in Minneapolis [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:18
Rerelease of our episode 49 about Anti-Racist Action in Minneapolis, because we are currently trying to co-publish a book, We Go Where They Go: The Story of Anti-Racist Action, which is the definitive history of the grou…
E70: Howard Zinn 100, part 2 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:02
Second in a double podcast episode about the life and work of Howard Zinn, historian, World War II veteran and activist, in his own words, 100 years since his birth.Our podcast is brought to you by our patreon supporters…
E69: Howard Zinn 100, part 1 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:56
First in a double podcast episode about the life and work of Howard Zinn, historian, World War II veteran and activist, in his own words, 100 years since his birth.Our podcast is brought to you by our patreon supporters.…
E68: The Grunwick strike, part 2 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:33
Concluding part of our double podcast episode about the iconic strike of mostly East African Asian women workers at the Grunwick photo processing plant in London in 1976-8. Featuring Amrit Wilson, Jayaben Desai and Colum…
E67: The Grunwick strike, part 1 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:41
Double podcast episode about the iconic strike of mostly East African Asian women workers at the Grunwick photo processing plant in London in 1976-8. Featuring Amrit Wilson, Jayaben Desai and Colum Maloney, who took part…
E66: Building workers’ strike w/ Ricky Tomlinson, part 2 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:03
Part 2 of our double-podcast episode to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the 1972 building workers' strike. In this episode, we speak to two participants in the strike - Tony O'Brien and the actor, Ricky Tomlinson - a…
E65: Building workers’ strike w/ Ricky Tomlinson, part 1 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:22
Part 1 of our double-podcast episode to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the 1972 building workers' strike. In this episode, we speak to two participants in the strike - Tony O'Brien and the actor, Ricky Tomlinson - w…
E64: Mildred Fish-Harnack, part 2 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:42
Concluding part of our double podcast episode about Mildred Fish-Harnack, the US-born woman at the centre of the underground resistance to Nazism in Berlin during World War II. In conversation with Rebecca Donner, Mildre…
E63: Mildred Fish-Harnack, part 1 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:26
First in a double podcast episode about Mildred Fish-Harnack, the US-born woman at the centre of the underground resistance to Nazism in Berlin during World War II. In conversation with Rebecca Donner, Mildred’s great gr…