E118: 1926 general strike, part 1

E118: 1926 general strike, part 1

Author: Working Class History April 22, 2026 Duration: 41:33
First of our three-part miniseries about the UK’s 1926 general strike, which saw one and three-quarter million workers walk out in the biggest single work stoppage in British history. In collaboration with the General Strike 100 project and told using interviews with striking workers themselves.

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
  • Listen to Part 2 and Part 3 now (without ads) by joining us on Patreon
  • Listen to our bonus episode to hear more from two participants in the general strike, exclusively on Patreon

More info
Acknowledgements
  • Thanks to our Patreon supporters for making this podcast possible. Special thanks to Jazz Hands and Fellow Worker.
  • Episode graphic: car overturned in London during the general strike. Credit: Wikimedia Commons.
  • Our theme tune for this episode is Montaigne’s version of ‘When the Coal Comes from the Rhonda’, a folk song originating from Welsh miners in the early twentieth century and sung during the general strike. Download the song here. More from Montaigne: websiteInstagramYouTube.
  • Edited 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…