The limits and potential of Syndicalist influence in the Durham coalfield before the Great War

Abstract

For the first two decades of the twentieth century, syndicalism (revolutionary trade unionism) was the most vigorous of the left's challenges to the capitalist order in many parts of the world. In Britain, syndicalism was reckoned to have had most impact in the South Wales coalfield but there have been no detailed studies of its influence in other British coalfields. This article explores the various ways in which syndicalism's influence can be gauged in the Durham coalfield, comparing it with the South Wales experience. While the two coalfields had a good deal in common, a number of considerations, most importantly relating to the agency of syndicalists on the one hand and Independent Labour Party (ILP) activists on the other, militated against syndicalism's relative influence in Durham.

Acknowledgements

Thanks are due to Emmet O'Connor, Kevin Davies, David Howell, Ken John, Don Watson, Chris Williams, John Patten and to Ralph Darlington, Dave Douglass, Peter Mates, Rob Stradling, Marcel van der Linden and the anonymous referees for their comments on earlier drafts of this article.

Notes

^1. This article employs the term syndicalism as equivalent to the “revolutionary syndicalism” defined by Marcel van der Linden; syndicalism in its “broadest sense”; “all revolutionary, direct-actionist” (p.182) organisations and including self-styled “syndicalists”, “industrial unionists”, “industrial syndicalists” and the multiplicity of other terms they used. However, this is not to gloss over the significant ideological differences that did exist and that played an important part in syndicalists' outlooks and relations in the global movement. van der Linden, “Second thoughts”, 182–3.

^2. See van der Walt and Schmidt, Black Flame, especially 149–168; Darlington, Syndicalism and van der Linden and Thorpe, Revolutionary Syndicalism.

^3. Davies, “Syndicalism and Industrial Unionism”, 23; Holton, British Syndicalism, 38, 114–6; Challinor, British Bolshevism, 95–6.

^4. Quail, Slow Burning Fuse, 255.

^5. Holton, British Syndicalism, 121, 142–3; White, “Syndicalism”, 109–110.

^6. See Smith, “Tonypandy”, 158–184 and Mór-O'Brien, “Tonypandy riots”, 67–99.

^7. The Miners' Next Step, 30.

^8. Ibid., passim; White, “Syndicalism”, 112.

^9. Hobsbawm, Workers, 273.

^10. Hobsbawm, Workers, 273.

^11. The classic Marxist explanation for the apparent conservatism of the British working-class was expounded by Perry Anderson and Tom Nairn. See, for examples, Anderson, “Origins” and Nairn, “English Working Class”.

^12. Holton, British Syndicalism, 22–3.

^13. Ibid., 78–84.

^14. Davies, “Syndicalism and Industrial Unionism”, 6; Hinton, review of Holton, 10–11; Darlington, Syndicalism, 156.

^15. Holton, “Revolutionary syndicalism”, 267.

^16. Bantman, “Internationalism”, 961–981; Darlington, “British Syndicalism”, 103–140.

^17. Durham Chronicle, 15 March 1912.

^18. For the purposes of this article “rank-and-file” can include elected lodge officials. The term becomes more complex with the election of “rank-and-file movement” activists to the DMA's Executive Committee; technically they were then part of the leadership, though no important rank-and-file activists, lodge official or not, was elected a fulltime DMA official until 1915.

^19. Douglass, “Durham Pitman”, 266–267 McCormick and Williams, “Eight-Hour day”, 222–238.

^20. Howell, British workers, 45–51.

^21. Darlington, Syndicalism, 155–157.

^22. Holton, British Syndicalism, 169.

^23. Church and Outram, Strikes, 62, 68. Craig Marshall drew a similar conclusion in an earlier Masters thesis. Marshall, “Industrial Militancy”, 240.

^24. Challinor, “Jack Parks”, 34–38 (for Harvey's early life see 34–37); Challinor, British Bolshevism, 116; Douglass, “Durham Pitman”, 286–287; Holton, British Syndicalism, 113–143. See also Walker, “Harvey article” and “Harvey thesis”.

^25. The meeting agreed to issue Durham lodges with a copy of its manifesto, but no existing lodge minutes record receiving it. Evening Chronicle, 7 November 1912; Durham Chronicle, 15 November 1912.

^26. Smith and Saville both mistakenly claimed that Lawther was two years in Central Labour College. Craik and Atkins, however, were correct. Newcastle Journal, 16 March 1955; Craik, Central Labour College 116; Atkins, Crumbs nor Condescension, 62, 65, 67; Smith, “Sir William Lawther”, 29. See also Clarke, “Interview”, 14–19.

^27. Durham Chronicle, 31 May 1912; Blaydon Courier, 1 June 1912; 19 October 1912; Quail, Slow Burning Fuse, 278–279.

^28. Bob Holton claimed that Lawther moved towards anarcho-syndicalism, but Lawther did not employ this term specifically (see above reference). Freedom, July 1913; September 1913; May 1914; Evening Chronicle, 13 April 1914; Avrich, Modern School Movement, 263; Holton, British Syndicalism, 113, 142, 169. For more on anarchism in the Durham coalfield see; Pattison, “Anarchist Influence”, and Quail, Slow Burning Fuse, 250–4

^29. Newcastle Journal, 16 March 1955; Harding, “George Davison”, 387–388; Quail, Slow Burning Fuse, 254; Atkins, Crumbs nor Condescension, 63.

^30. Blaydon Courier, 19 October 1912.

^31. Holton, British Syndicalism, 118, 169–170.

^32. Durham Chronicle, 5 April 1912.

^33. D[urham] R[ecord] O[ffice], D/DMA 12b, DMA tabulated votes for Executive Committee, 6 July 1912;

^34. Marshall, “Industrial Militancy”,101.

^35. Blaydon Courier, 19 October 1912; Durham Chronicle, 20 June 1913.

^36. Blaydon Courier, 19 October 1912.

^37. Point X of The Miners' Next Step was “Lodges should, as far as possible, discard the old method of coming out on strike for any little minor grievance. and adopt the more scientific weapon of the irritation strike by simply remaining at work, reducing their output and so contrive by their general conduct to make the colliery un-remunerative”.

^38. T[yne] and W[ear] A[rchives] S[ervice], T148/1 Copy letters, Superintendent at Felling to Chief Constable of Durham, 11 June 1914 (p.367) and 10 July 1914 (p.451). My thanks to Kevin Davies for drawing my attention to this source.

^39. TWAS, T148/1, Copy letter, 27 December 1913 (p.71).

^40. Brown, Sabotage!, 23–40.

^41. Douglass, “Durham Pitman”, 246–266.

^42. The Syndicalist, 1 (10), November 1912.

^43. Durham Chronicle, 5 April 1912.

^44. Durham Chronicle, 5 April 1912. As discussed below, Marsden lodge received an invitation to this conference but there is no record of invitations being received in the less detailed minutes of the smaller Andrews House and Oxhill lodges. A coalfield-wide invitation is also suggested by St. Helen's presence and Chilton lodge's letter of support for the conference, as both were located at the southernmost edge of the Durham coalfield.

^45. N[orth] E[ast] E[ngland] M[ining] A[rchive] and R[esearch] C[entre], Sunderland, NUMDA/1/6/39, Wilson's Monthly Circular, No.217, January 1914.

^46. Blaydon Courier, 19 October 1912.

^47. DRO, D/DMA 12b, DMA tabulated votes for Executive Committee, 6 July 1912.

^48. The Syndicalist, 1 (10), November 1912.

^49. Evening Chronicle, 1 November 1912.

^50. While there were no votes at DMA council on explicit syndicalist resolutions, it is not certain that the Executive Committee did not rule such initiatives “Out of Order” without detailing the nature of the resolution in its minutes.

^51. DRO, D/DMA (Acc: 2157(D)) 202(box), Wilson's Monthly circular No.187, July 1911; Durham Chronicle, 28 July 1911.

^52. Durham Chronicle, 30 July 1909.; Morgan, Labour People, 64–68.

^53. Durham Chronicle, 28 July 1911.

^54. DRO, D/DMA (Acc: 2157(D)) 202(box), Wilson's Monthly circular No.187, July 1911.

^55. Durham Chronicle, 28 July 1911.

^56. Durham Chronicle, 1 March 1912; 5 April 1912.

^57. DRO, D/DMA 12a, Wilson's Monthly circular No.197, May 1912.

^58. Durham Chronicle, 31 May 1912.

^59. See Fletcher, “Prosecutions”.

^60. Durham Chronicle, 2 August 1912.

^61. Durham Chronicle, 27 March 1914.

^62. DRO, D/DMA 30, DMA Council Meeting minutes, 18 October 1913.

^63. Durham Chronicle, 2 January 1914.

^64. Durham Chronicle, 31 July 1914.

^65. Durham Chronicle, 30 July 1897; 22 July 1898; 28 July 1899; 26 July 1901; Mann, Memoirs, 46–47; Tsuzuki, Mann, 26–28.

^66. Holton, British Syndicalism,117.

^67. DRO, D/DMA 30, DMA Council Meeting minutes, 18 October 1913.

^68. Durham Chronicle, 5 September 1913.

^69. “Mugwumps on the make” in The Syndicalist and Amalgamation News, 3 (2), February 1914.

^70. In the event, Lloyd George and Edwards did not speak and the Labour figures George Lansbury and Tom Richardson MP replaced them. DRO, D/DMA 12a, “Election of Gala speakers” 25 May 1912; Durham Chronicle, 2 August 1912.

^71. Oxhill and Andrew's House lodges voted 73% and 78% against the return to work in April 1912 respectively. DRO, D/DMA (Acc: 2157(D)) 230 (vol)), Oxhill Lodge Ordinary Meeting Minutes, 16 July 1910; General Meeting, 6 July 1911; Committee Meeting, 2 January 1912; Special Meeting, 10 April 1912; Ordinary Meeting, 6 November 1913; DRO, D/DMA (Acc: 2157(D)) 165 (vol), Andrew's House Lodge Minutes, General Meetings, 24 December 1910; 7 January 1911; 28 December 1911; 1 May 1913; Special Meeting, 4 May 1913; Durham Chronicle, 14 January 1910; 5 April 1912.

^72. Firm evidence could have been, for example, lodges sending delegates to syndicalist conferences, buying syndicalist propaganda, discussing syndicalism explicitly and passing resolutions supporting it.

^73. DRO, D/DMA 30, Special Council Meeting on Eight Hours Agreement, 7 October 1911; DRO, D/DMA (Acc: 2157(D)) 202(box), DMA Council Annual meeting programme, 16 December 1911.

^74. DRO, D/DMA 327/3, Marsden Lodge Joint Meeting Minutes, 26 March 1912 and attached undated newspaper article.

^75. DRO, D/DMA 327/3, Marsden Lodge Joint Meeting Minutes, 26 March 1912.

^76. This must have been the meeting that launched Harvey's “Durham Mining Industrial Union Group” in November 1912. Evening Chronicle, 7 November 1912; Durham Chronicle, 15 November 1912.

^77. DRO, D/DMA 327/4, Marsden Lodge Joint Meeting Minutes, 8 September 1912; Joint Meeting, 27 October 1912; Joint Meeting, 6 October 1912; DRO, D/DMA 327/5, Marsden Lodge Joint Meeting Minutes, 8 June 1913; Durham Chronicle, 5 April 1912.

^78. DRO, D/DMA 327/5, Marsden Lodge Joint Meetings Minutes 5; 19 October 1913; 16, 23 November 1913.

^79. Davies noted the impossibility of measuring syndicalist influence in South Wales due to their changing politics and so forth concluding that the volume of their support was “unquantifiable”. Davies, “Syndicalism and Industrial Unionism”, 7.

^80. The Miners' Next Step, foreword; Holton, British Syndicalism, 112.

^81. Davies, “Syndicalism and Industrial Unionism”, 71.

^82. Holton, British Syndicalism, 80–85, 112, 119–120; Davies, Cook, 17.

^83. Challinor, British Bolshevism, 117; Walker, “Harvey article”, 21; Douglass, “Durham Pitman”, 290. (Both Walker and Dave Douglass commented on Harvey's impressive writing style).

^84. Evening Chronicle, 7 November 1912; Newcastle Journal, 8 November 1912; The Socialist, June 1913, quoted in Walker, “Harvey thesis”, 40.

^85. Given this, it was odd for Holton to remark that Harvey had no standing in the DMA. While a position on the Executive Committee would have indicated standing in the central union, his checkweighman post was of significant status in the locality. Holton, British Syndicalism, 113.

^86. Egan, “Miners' Next Step”, 10; Holton, British Syndicalism, 79; Davies, “Syndicalism and Industrial Unionism”, 36–52; Davies, Cook, 3–8. For an excellent comparative study that suggests some reasons for the different levels of militancy in the two coalfields before 1914 see Daunton, “Down the Pit”.

^87. Francis, Miners against Fascism, 33.

^88. DRO, D/DMA 11, Result of vote calling for resignation of the agents and Executive Committee, 12 February 1910; Durham Chronicle, 31 December 1909; 18 February 1910.

^89. Durham Chronicle, 21, 28 January 1910; Smith, “Tonypandy 1910”, 158–184.

^90. Durham Chronicle, 14 January 1910; 11 February 1910; 8 April 1910; “Report on Strikes and Lock-outs and on Conciliation and Arbitration Boards in the United Kingdom in 1913”, American Libraries Internet archive, http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924091712293 (accessed 17 April 2010), 80–81.

^91. Davies, Cook, 12.

^92. Marshall, “Industrial Militancy”, 336.

^93. Durham Chronicle, 14, 28 January 1910; 11 February 1910; 8 April 1910.

^94. van der Linden, “Second thoughts”,188.

^95. Macintyre, Proletarian Science, 81–85.

^96. Newcastle Journal, 16 March 1955.

^97. In Durham the high watermark was arguably between May and November 1912 (see below). White, “Syndicalism”, 108, 114.

^98. Newcastle Journal, 11 March 1955.

^99. Walker, “Harvey thesis”, passim; Douglass, “Durham Pitman”, 288; Challinor, “Jack Parks”, 37; Challinor, British Bolshevism, 116–118.

^100. NEEMARC, NUMDA/1/6/39, “Nominations of Representatives at Miners” Federation Conference' (2 February 1914); “Nominations of Representatives for TUC”; “Nominees for Parliamentary candidates” (27 February 1914); “Election of Executive Committee first time”; Election of Federation Board Representatives (14 July 1914).

^101. Blaydon Courier, 19 October 1912.

^102. Durham Chronicle, 29 May 1914.

^103. Durham Chronicle, 5 April 1912; White, “Syndicalism”, 113.

^104. Durham Chronicle, 26 July 1912.

^105. Durham Chronicle, 31 May 1912; Blaydon Courier, 1 June 1912; The Miners' Next Step, passim; White, “Syndicalism”, 112.

^106. Blaydon Courier, 19 October 1912; Holton, British Syndicalism, 142–3.

^107. Davies, “Syndicalism and Industrial Unionism”, 66, 72; Davies, Cook, 10.

^108. See Davies, “Rival Prophets?” and Williams, Democratic Rhondda, 204–205.

^109. Blaydon Courier, 1 June 1912.

^110. Holton, British Syndicalism, 119.

^111. Durham Chronicle, 31 May 1912.

^112. Blaydon Courier, 19 October 1912.

^113. Brown (introduction), Industrial Syndicalist, 19; Page Arnot, South Wales Miners, 376.

^114. The Herald of Revolt, February 1913; Freedom, September 1913.

^115. NEEMARC, NUMDA/1/6/38, DMA Executive Committee Minutes, 11 February 1913.

^116. NEEMARC, NUMDA/1/6/39, DMA Executive Committee Minutes, 23 March 1914 and 28 April 1914.

^117. Challinor, British Bolshevism, 118–121.

^118. Howell, “Syndicalism”, 29; Davies, “Syndicalism and Industrial Unionism”, 128.

^119. Durham Chronicle, 7 June 1912.

^120. See, for example, the report in Durham Chronicle, 19 July 1912.

^121. See the South Moor and Marsden lodges' resolutions passed at the 1913 DMA AGM. DRO, D/DMA 30, DMA Annual Council Meeting, 20, 22, 23, 24 December 1913; Durham Chronicle, 5 April 1912.

^122. Durham Chronicle, 8 September 1911; 10 April 1914; 7 August 1914.

^123. See reports in Durham Chronicle, 7 June 1912; 23 August 1912; 6 December 1912.

^124. See for example the DMA Executive Committee circular; “The District meetings. Why are they held?”, 15 May 1912 in DRO, D/DMA 12a.

^125. Blaydon Courier, 19 October 1912; Durham Chronicle, 18 October 1912; 31 January 1913.

^126. Evening Chronicle, 28, 31 October 1913; 1 November 1913.

^127. DRO, D/DMA 327/4, Marsden Lodge Joint Meeting Minutes, 6 October 1912 and 8 December 1912.

^128. Durham Chronicle, 10 May 1912; 7 June 1912; 22 November 1912; Holton, British Syndicalism, 120.

^129. Holton, British Syndicalism, 120–1; Davies, Cook, 17–19.

^130. Durham Chronicle, 25 August 1911; 1 September 1911; 1 March 1912.

^131. See Lawther's antagonistic opening remarks to the Chopwell “Industrial Unionist conference”, with an audience full of MWM activists. Blaydon Courier, 19 October 1912. See also The Herald of Revolt, February 1913.

^132. Durham Chronicle, 12 April 1912.

^133. Durham Chronicle, 1 March 1912; Evening Chronicle, 7 November 1912.

^134. Davies, “Syndicalism and Industrial Unionism”, 64; Davies, Cook, 10–11.