Remembering the miners’ strike 30 years on

A year-long strike which became one of the country’s greatest trade union struggles started 30 years ago today.

On March 5, 1984, Yorkshire miners walked out on strike after the National Coal Board announced the closure of Cortonwood Colliery, near Barnsley.

Unions were told Cortonwood was just the first of a widespread closure programme which would shut 20 pits, with the loss of 20,000 jobs.

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Within days, half of the country’s miners had walked out in protest at pit closures, and soon most of the UK’s 190,000 pit workers were embroiled in a daily routine of picketing outside collieries.

In this week’s Express, read the first in series of reports on the strike 30 years on as calls are made for a government apology and investigations into the policing of the dispute.

To share your memories and pictures of the strike, you can call us on 01924 433013, e-mail [email protected], comment via our Facebook page or send a tweet to @WakeExpress.